English North Country Strawberries And Cream Courting Cake Recipes

ENGLISH NORTH COUNTRY STRAWBERRIES AND CREAM COURTING CAKE

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 180C/350F/gas 4.
• Grease and line with baking parchment, three 7" or 8" round Victoria sandwich tins.
• Cream the butter, vanilla extract and sugar together until pale and fluffy - this is very important, it captures air and keeps the cake light and moist!
• Add the beaten eggs gradually, mixing well each time. Lightly sieve in the flour - again gradually - and then add enough milk to make the cake mixture a dropping consistency.
• Divide the mixture between the three cake tins - giving them a gentle shake to level them, and bake in the pre-heated oven for about 25 - 30 minutes, or until well risen and a pale golden brown. Turn the cakes out and leave to cool on a wire rack.
• Whip the cream until thick and holding soft peaks and add the vanilla extract if using.
• Sandwich the cakes together with the cream and sliced strawberries - reserving at least 8 for the top of the cake.
• Place the cake on an atractive cake or gateau serving platter/stand and sprinkle the icing sugar over the top of the cake.
• Decorate with the reserved whole strawberries.
• N.B. you can also decorate the top of the cake with the whipped cream - but this is not traditional!

STRAWBERRY COUNTRY CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Butter the bottom of two 8-inch cake pans. Then line them with parchment paper and butter and flour the lined pans.
• Cream the butter and sugar on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. On medium speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, then the sour cream, zests, and vanilla, scraping down the bowl as needed. Mix well. Sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda. On low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and combine just until smooth.
• Pour the batter evenly into the pans, smooth the tops, and bake in the center of the oven for 40 to 45 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then remove to wire racks and let cool to room temperature. If using 1 cake, wrap the second well and freeze.
• To make the filling for one cake, whip the cream, sugar, and vanilla in a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until firm. Slice one of the cakes in half with a long, sharp knife. Place the bottom slice of the cake on a serving platter, spread with 1/2 the whipped cream and scatter with sliced strawberries. Cover with the top slice of the cake and spread with the remaining cream. Decorate with strawberries.

STRAWBERRIES AND CREAM CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 9 inch round cake pans.
• In a large bowl, beat sugar, gelatin and butter until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition. Mix flour and baking powder, and beat alternately with the milk into the sugar mixture. Fold in 1 teaspoon vanilla and pureed strawberries. Divide equally into three 9 inch round cake pans.
• Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in the pans, then remove from pans and cool completely.
• To make the filling: Beat whipping cream, 2 tablespoons sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla on high until stiff. Fill each layer with 1/3 of the whipped cream and 3/4 cup sliced strawberries.
• To make the frosting: Beat the margarine, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla until creamy. Spread over the sides of the cake, and pipe an edge of frosting around the top of the cake.
• Spread remaining whipped cream on cake top. Top with quartered strawberries.

STRAWBERRY-RHUBARB "COURTING" CAKE

Steps:

• To Make Cake:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter two 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides. Line bottoms with parchment. Using electric mixer, beat butter until light. Add 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar and beat until fluffy. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Beat in 2 teaspoons vanilla. Sift flour, baking powder, 1 teaspoon nutmeg and salt into medium bowl. Fold into butter mixture. Gently mix in milk.
• Divide batter between prepared pans. Bake cakes until firm to touch about 30 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on racks 15 minutes. Turn out cakes onto racks and cool completely.
• Split each cake into 2 layers, using serrated knife. Combine cream, 6 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1 teaspoon nutmeg in bowl. Beat to stiff peaks. Place 1 cake layer, cut side up, on platter. Spread with 3/4 cup compote, then 1 cup cream. Repeat layering with 2 more cake layers, compote and cream. Top with last cake layer, cut side down. Cover cake and chill 1 hour. (Can be prepared 6 hours ahead. Keep refrigerated.)
• Dust with powdered sugar. Arrange berries atop cake. Serve, spooning some of remaining compote over each slice.
• To Make Compote:
• Combine rhubarb, sugar and water in heavy medium saucepan. Bring just to boil. Reduce heat, cover and cook just until rhubarb is tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; mix in berries, vanilla and nutmeg. Chill until cold. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.)

COURTING CAKE

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 190°C/375°F.
• Grease and line the bases of three 7-inch round cake tins.
• Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy.
• Gradually add the eggs, a little at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Fold in the flour, and then add enough milk to give a soft dropping consistency.
• Divide the mixture evenly between the prepared tins and bake for 25-30 minutes, until well risen and firm to the touch, swapping the position of the top and bottom cakes halfway through the cooking.
• Turn out and leave to cool on a wire rack.
• Whip the cream until it just holds its shape.
• Sandwich the cakes together with the cream and the strawberries, reserving a few for decoration.
• Dredge the top with icing sugar and decorate with the reserved strawberries.

STRAWBERRY AND CREAM LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• Fill a small saucepan with about 1 inch of water and set over medium heat until the water steams.
• Meanwhile, coarsely chop about a quarter of the strawberries and combine in a medium heatproof bowl with the sugar. Cover the bowl tightly and set it over the saucepan. Reduce the heat if necessary to keep the water just below a simmer and allow the berries to sit, swirling the bowl once or twice to dissolve any stubborn sugar clumps, until they've released all their juices, are mushy, and swim in a translucent red liquid, 35 to 45 minutes. Remove the bowl from the heat, uncover and strain through a fine-mesh strainer. (You should have 1/2 to 3/4 cup of strawberry syrup.) The mushy berries will have given off their color and flavor, and even though you won't use them in the cake, they're still tasty. Reserve the berries for spooning over pancakes or yogurt.
• In a separate medium bowl, combine the heavy cream, crème fraîche and salt. Whisk the mixture vigorously by hand, or beat with a hand mixer on medium-high, until thick, light and holding a medium peak. Chill the bowl of whipped cream. Thinly slice the remaining raw strawberries lengthwise.
• Invert the sponge cake on a flat serving plate or cake stand. Holding a long serrated knife horizontally and parallel to the work surface, use it to lightly score all around the side of the cake at the midway point. Then, using long, even strokes and still holding the knife parallel to the surface, slice clean through the cake, using the score marks as a guide, to cut it into two even layers. Set the top layer aside.
• Use a pastry brush to dab several tablespoons of the strawberry syrup across the bottom layer, lightly soaking the entire surface. Pull the bowl of cream from the refrigerator and dollop about half of it across the soaked layer, then spread in an even layer all the way to the edges. Arrange half of the sliced strawberries on top of the cream, then place the second cake layer on top of the first, cut side up. Lightly soak the top layer of cake with the strawberry syrup, reserving any remaining syrup for serving. Spread the remaining cream on top of the cake, then pile the remaining sliced strawberries over top. (If not serving immediately, cover loosely and refrigerate until ready to serve.)
• Slice the cake with a serrated knife and serve. Drizzle the slices with any remaining strawberry syrup. The cake is best served the day it's made, but will keep, covered and chilled, for up to 3 days.