Swedish strawberry cake

Prep time: 45 minutes Cook time: 30 minutes

Serves 8-10

Swedes love berries and this cake is at the pinnacle of summer eating there. Usually, it’s made with more layers of sponge, but it can become a bit unwieldy. This just has two layers and it’s enough. The custard needs to be thick. It can run down the sides a little but many versions look as if they’re about to collapse.

INGREDIENTS

For the sponge

– 10g butter, melted,

plus extra for greasing – plain flour, for

dusting

– 5 large eggs, separated – 275g caster sugar – 240g self-raising flour

For the custard filling

– 125ml whole milk – 15g caster sugar

– 2 egg yolks

– 15g cornflour

– 1 tsp vanilla extract – 50ml double cream

To finish

– 285ml double cream – 4 tbsp caster sugar – 700g strawberries,

hulled

– edible flowers (because that’s very Swedish)

METHOD Preheat the oven to 180C/170C fan/gas mark 4. Butter and base line two 23cm tins with greaseproof paper. Put some plain flour in each tin, swish it round and tip excess into a bowl.

Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together for 10 minutes, until the mixture is creamy coloured and increased in volume. Still beating, pour five tablespoons of warm water into the mixture.

Whisk the whites with a pinch of salt until you have soft peaks. Fold the whites into the beaten yolks. Sift the flour over the top and fold it in with a large metal spoon. Fold the melted butter in too. Divide the batter evenly between the tins. Bake in the middle of the oven for 20 minutes. The sponges should be starting to come away from the sides of the tins. Leave in the tins for 10 minutes, then carefully turn the cakes out on to a wire rack. Peel off the greaseproof paper.

Make the custard in exactly the same way as the custard for the strawberry ‘coupe’ (it’s a smaller quantity but the method is the same). Put the crème patissière in the fridge. When you want to assemble the cake, beat 50ml double cream and fold it into the custard.

Beat 285ml cream with a tablespoon of sugar. This will go on the top of the cake.

Cut the strawberries into halves or quarters, or, if they are very small, leave them whole. Toss the strawberries with the remaining sugar and leave for 15 minutes.

Put the sponge you want to be on the bottom on a plate. Spread the custard over it. The custard shouldn’t be firm, and it should drop over the edges a bit, but I hate these cakes being too messy. Put half the strawberries – or more – on top of the custard. Put the top sponge on. Spread the top with the cream, and decorate with the rest of the strawberries and the edible flowers.