Recipe | Eton Mess Cake

If you know me, you'll know I love an occasion, and any occasion means that you have to bake a cake! It was my boyfriends birthday a few days ago and I decided to make something a bit different for him. His favourite cake is a Victoria Sponge, so I decided to do that with a little twist and made my own Eton Mess style cake. It's 3 tiers of yummy fluffy vanilla sponge, sandwiched with strawberry jam, whipped double cream, crushed meringue and fresh strawberries and blueberries! It looks great and is a real Summer showstopper!

Ingredients - 

For the sponge - 

300g caster sugar

300g butter, softened

300g self raising flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

3 tbsp milk

For the filling - 

500ml double cream

1 punnett fresh strawberries, chopped

1 punnet fresh blueberries

6 tbsp strawberry jam

6 meringue nests

icing sugar, for dusting

Method - 

1. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees C/Gas Mark 5. Grease and line 3 20cm sandwich tins. In a large bowl, beat all the sponge ingredients together until you have a smooth soft batter.

2. Divide the mix between the tins and spread evenly with a spatula. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Leave to cool in tins for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely. 

3. To make the filling, whisk the double cream until stiff. Place the first sponge onto your stand or plate. Spread with 2 tbsp worth of strawberry jam. Then spread 1/3 of the cream. Crunch up 2 of the meringue nests and sprinkle over, along with 1/3 of the strawberries and blueberries. Repeat layers. Top with whole strawberries and dust over with icing sugar!