Sponge

115gm of Soft unsalted butter

100gm Baking margarine

225gm Caster sugar

225gm S.R. Flour

4 Room temperature Large Eggs – beaten

2 Teasps vanilla extract

Vanilla butter cream

170gm Unsalted butter

350gm Sieved icing sugar

2 Teasps Vanilla extract

Raspberry jam

METHOD

 Lightly grease 2 x 8” (20cm) cake tins and line the bottoms with baking parchment.

 Set the oven to 180˚C Fan.

 Cream together the fats and caster sugar until light in colour and creamy.

 Spoon the vanilla extract into the eggs.

 Add the eggs to the butter and sugar mix a little at a time beating constantly. If the mixture appears to be curdling (separating) add a spoonful of the flour as you add the rest of the egg.

 Fold in the flour with a metal spoon until incorporated. Do not be heavy handed at this stage.

 Divide the mixture between the two tins and smooth over making a very slight dip in the middle (this is to prevent a dome rising on the cake).

 Bake for 20 – 25 minutes until risen and golden. When the cake is pressed lightly it should spring back.

 Leave in the tins for 10 minutes and then turn out on to a wire rack to cool.

 Make the butter cream by beating the butter for a couple of minutes and then adding the icing sugar in two stages along with the vanilla extract. The mix should be soft enough to spread but firm enough to pipe.

 When the cakes are cold sandwich together with half of the butter cream and a good spreading of raspberry jam.  Use the other half of the butter cream for decoration.

 Decorate your cake in the theme of:

A SUMMER PICNIC.

This can be in a field or on a beach or anywhere else you fancy and using anything you can think of that would be present on a picnic. IMAGINATION is KEY here!!!

GOOD LUCK!!