Strawberry Birthday Cake

From Sainsbury’s

A light sponge with a thick strawberry buttercream filling, drizzled with a fresh strawberry icing.

 

Serves: 12
Preparation time: 20 Minutes
Cooking time: 20 Minutes
Cooling Time: 20

 

Ingredients

265g Sainsbury’s unsalted butter
225g Fairtrade golden caster sugar
Few drops of vanilla extract
4 x Sainsbury’s free-range woodland eggs
225g self-raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons semi-skimmed milk
350g icing sugar
2 tablespoons strawberry jam
3 fresh strawberries
Extra strawberries and raspberries, chopped
Sweets such as Sainsbury’s dolly mixture, jelly beans and white chocolate rainbow drops
Birthday candles

 

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4. Butter and line the bases of 2 x 20cm sandwich cake tins.

Put 225g of the butter, 225g caster sugar and vanilla extract into a bowl and beat together with an electric hand mixer until the mixture is pale and fluffy.

Add the eggs, one at a time, while continuing to beat. Sieve the flour and baking powder into the bowl and gently fold in using a metal spoon. Mix in the milk until the mixture softens enough to drop easily from the spoon.

Divide the cake mixture between the tins and bake for 20 minutes or until cooked. Leave to cool in tins, before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

For the filling, beat together the remaining 40g butter, 100g icing sugar and the jam until combined. Spread over one cake, and top with the other cake.

For the icing, mash the strawberries in a bowl. Stir in the remaining 125g icing sugar to make a thick icing. Spread over the cake then decorate with the fruit, sweets and candles.

Cook’s tip: Make ahead and store the un-iced cake in an airtight container for up to 2 days