This fantastic recipe comes from the legend that is Mary Berry. Her sponge cakes are one of the best I’ve ever made. The secret to a wonderful sponge is not so much the ingredients as the method. There are a couple of things to do and they will result in a lovely light sponge that rises beautifully. What else could you ask for?!
This is a lovely light sponge cake and can be made in the “all in one” method. Personally, I still like to give the butter and sugar a separate beating first but with this great Mary Berry recipe, you can add the rest of the ingredients and just mix really well. A hand mixer is fine too.
As I was going to be adding buttercream in the middle and the top, I felt this light chocolate cake was a better choice than a rich, dark one. Instead of all buttercream filling, I used my cream cheese filling in the centre to combat the sweet buttercream around the edges and on the top. It worked really well too.
I made some rippled meringue kisses so used those to decorate plus a few Lindt Strawberry filled chocolates and finished with freeze dried raspberries.
A traditional and well loved cake which never fails to please and is so versatile. It’s elegant and can be as simple or fancy as you like. This gluten free version is so good it’s impossible to tell the difference and I’ve put some serving options at the bottom of the page if you would like to try them.
If you’re following a dairy free diet, this can be adapted also by a) replacing the margarine with dairy free spread, b) using almond or soya milk and c) dairy free cream for the filling. All are available in most supermarkets.
It will serve 8 to 10 and can be frozen without the cream. Sponge freezes so well.
