You cannot get lighter sponge cake than this and once this is topped with cream and summer berries – this Summer Berry Genoise will make a wonderful centre piece for any dinner party or BBQ.
Ingredients
Sponge
3 Medium eggs, separated
125g golden caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
100g plain flour, sifted twice
50g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Syrup
2 tablespoons golden syrup
2 tablespoons rosewater
Filling
200ml double cream
50g icing sugar
100g raspberries
100g strawberries, hulled and sliced
PREP TIME
30 – 40 minutes
COOK TIME
40 – 45 minutes
SERVES
6
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 150 ºC fan oven/170 ºC electric oven.
Butter a 20cm non-stick pan with removable base, 8cm deep.
Melt the butter and put to one side
Whisk the egg whites in a large bowl until stiff using an electric whisk. Sprinkle over half the sugar, tablespoon at a time, whisking well with each addition until you have a smooth glossy meringue
In another bowl, whisk the remaining sugar and egg yolks at high speed until they are really light and almost mousse like, then stir in the vanilla
Gently fold the egg yolk mixture into the egg white mixture in two goes.
Then fold in the sifted flour in two goes.
Finally the melted butter.
Pour the mixture into the tin, smooth the surface and give it several sharp taps on the work surface to bring up any large air bubbles.
Bake for 40mins or until lightly golden and firm to touch.
Gently invert the tin onto a work surface, without running a knife around the edge and leave to cool
Make the syrup by combing the golden syrup and rosewater in a bowl.
The sponge should have levelled on cooling
Run a knife around the edge, get it out of the tin
Split it in half with a bread knife.
Cut side up, dribble or brush the syrup over the sponge.
For the filling whip the cream with icing sugar in a large bowl, until it forms soft peaks.
Scatter over the raspberry and fold through the cream using a fork to hald crush them so that they streak it with crimson juices.
Now fold in the strawberries
Smooth the cream over the base cake, sandwich with the top half and dust with icing sugar.
Cover and chill until required
Equipment
Free Standing Mixer
20cm non-stick cake tin with a removable base, 8cm deep
Note
Scatter over some more berries and rose petals to serve, if you wish