Fruity flag traybake
A fail-safe sponge that’s easier than it looks almonds and yoghurt keep it moist while its fruity decoration is suitably patriotic
100g butter or baking spread (Stork for cakes), softened, plus extra for the tin 175g self-raising flour 50g ground almond 2 tsp baking powder 4 large eggs 225g caster sugar 125ml full-fat Greek yogurt zest 2 lemons
FOR THE BUTTER ICING
175g butter, softened 350g icing sugar, sieved
TO DECORATE
300g raspberry 175g blueberry
STEP 1
Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Butter and line a 30 x 20cm traybake tin with baking parchment. Measure all the sponge ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix together using an electric hand whisk until smooth.
Spoon into the tin and level the surface.
STEP 2
Bake for 25-30 mins until lightly golden and the top of the cake springs back when pressed with your finger, and the sides of the sponge are shrinking away from the sides of the tin. Carefully lift the sponge out of the tin, then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Remove the baking parchment.
STEP 3
To make the icing, tip the butter into a bowl and whisk using an electric hand whisk until light and fluffy. Add half the icing sugar and whisk again until incorporated. Add the remaining sugar and whisk again until smooth. Spread the icing over the top of the cold cake.
STEP 4
To decorate, place a double row of raspberries across the centre and down the length of the cake to make a cross. Next, place a single row diagonally from each corner to the middle. Now fill in the empty spaces with blueberries. Cut into squares to serve.
STEP 1
Put the sliced and halved strawberries for the filling and decoration into a small bowl and pour over the Pimm’s. Leave to soak in for at least one hour or overnight. Heat oven to 190C /170C fan/ gas 5. Line three 20cm sandwich tins with baking parchment and grease with butter.
STEP 2
Cut the whole cucumber in half lengthways and using a teaspoon scrape out and discard the seeds. Roughly chop the rest of the cucumber and puree in a blender with the lemon juice.
STEP 3
In a large bowl and using electric beaters whisk up the softened butter with the sugar until pale and light. Continue whisking as you add the eggs, one at a time, whisking between additions. Once all the eggs have been added pour in the cucumber purée, lemon zest and vanilla extract. Don’t worry if the mixture splits – it will come back together when you add the flour.
STEP 4
Fold in the flour and baking powder and whisk once again briefly until there are no lumps of flour remaining then divide the mixture between the three tins. Bake in the oven for 30-35mins or until a skewer pushed into the middle of the cakes comes out clean. Take the cakes out of the oven and leave to cool in their tins for five minutes then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.
STEP 5
While the cakes are cooking and cooling make the buttercreams. To make the strawberry buttercream, mash the
STEP 6
Yes, you read right, Pimm’s in cake form! strawberries in a small bowl with a fork until mushy. In a larger bowl whisk up the butter and half the icing sugar until smooth, then whisk in the mashed strawberries followed by the remaining icing sugar. Whisk until smooth and pale pink and place in the fridge until needed. Repeat the process with the lemon buttercream.
Once the cakes are completely cold, put one of the cakes onto a cake turntable and add about one third of the lemon buttercream, spread over the surface evenly then top with half of the soaked strawberry slices. Next, spread one third of the strawberry buttercream onto another of the cakes and top with the remaining strawberry slices. Carefully stack the two filled layers with the final cake on top.
FOR THE CAKE
1 cucumber zest and juice 1 lemon 300g butter, softened, plus extra for greasing 300g golden caster sugar 4 large eggs 1 tsp vanilla extract 400g self raising flour 1 ½ tsp baking powder
FOR THE STRAWBERRY BUTTERCREAM
200g butter, softened 500g icing sugar 80g strawberries, hulled
FOR THE LEMON BUTTERCREAM
200g butter, softened 400g icing sugar juice & zest 1 lemon
FOR THE STRAWBERRY FILLING & DECORATION
100g strawberries, hulled and sliced plus 3 strawberries, halved, (stalks on) 3 tbsp Pimm’s ¼ cucumber, sliced
STEP 7
Transfer the remaining buttercreams to disposable piping bags and snip off the ends. Pipe the strawberry buttercream in rings around the outside of the cake, starting at the base. Once you reach three quarters of the way up, switch to the lemon buttercream and continue piping onto the top of the cake. Smooth over the top using a palette knife then smooth the sides with either a large palette knife or, better still a pastry scraper. Use long sweeping movements and gently turn the cake turntable so that you get a smooth finish but a subtle gradient effect where the two colours meet. Scrape any excess icing into a bowl.
STEP 8
To finish, top with the remaining soaked strawberry halves and the slices of cucumber.