Baking
Orange Blossom Summer Sponge with Cream & Fresh Strawberries
Serves Makes one cake
Ingredients
- 15.5oz (450g) unsalted Kerrygold Pure Irish Unsalted Butter
- 15.5oz (450g) superfine sugar
- 8 medium eggs
- 15.5oz (450g) self-raising flour, sifted
- 3 teaspoons baking powder, sifted
- 4 tablespoons orange blossom water
- 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary (optional)
For the filling:
- 28floz (830ml) whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon orange blossom water
- 3oz (85g) confectioners sugar (plus extra for dusting)
- 21oz (600g) strawberry jam
For decorarting:
- 1 orange, zest
- 12 fresh strawberries
- confectioners sugar
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C / gas mark 4.
- Grease and line three 20cm sandwich tins: use a piece of baking or silicone paper to rub a little butter around the inside of the tins until the sides and base are lightly coated. Line the bottom of the tins with a circle of baking paper to stop the cakes from sticking.
- Place the caster sugar and butter in a mixing bowl, and cream together until light and fluffy. Then crack the eggs in one by one, with your mixer on medium speed. Next sift in the flour and baking powder and lastly pour in the orange blossom water. Mix everything together until combined.
- Spoon the cake batter evenly into the three baking tins and tap the sides to release any air bubbles. I love using fresh rosemary when I’m baking so as an option you can tear off the leaves of a sprig of fresh rosemary and line your baking tins with it before pouring over the mixture.
- Bake in the pre-heated oven for 40 minutes or until the sponges are lightly golden brown. Check by inserting a skewer (or knife)into the middle of the cake; if it comes out clean the cake is cooked. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tins for about 10 minutes before removing them from the tins and transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Meanwhile, lightly whip the cream, orange blossom water and confectioners sugar together until a light soft cream whip.
- To assemble, place one of the sponges top down, and spread with the strawberry jam, followed by half of the cream, repeat with the other sponge. Place the third sponge top facing upwards. Assemble the strawberries on top and dust with confectioners sugar and the zest of one orange.
