I don’t remember my Nana doing much baking, but her
kitchen was always incredibly well-stocked with treats – and once she found out
how much I loved this cake, she would buy it every time I came round for tea.
My mum reminded me of it recently and I knew I had to try and recreate it.
One of the things I love about this cake in the homemade
version is that it looks just like a storybook cake – creamy pale yellow icing,
sprinkles of desiccated coconut and a cherry on top. If you’re a fan of glace
cherries, please do feel free to be a bit more generous with them – the cake I
remember only had one, so that’s all I used.
 |
I served this on some of my Nana's beautiful
wedding china - I think she would've approved! |
Ingredients
For the cake:
3 eggs
About 200g margarine
About 200g icing sugar
About 200g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp vanilla extract
To decorate:
3 big spoonfuls of margarine
2 big spoonfuls of icing sugar
4 big spoonfuls of Fluff
Desiccated coconut
A single, perfect glace cherry
A final note on the ingredients – just in case you’ve never
heard of Fluff, it’s spreadable marshmallow in a jar. With a concept like that,
you probably wouldn’t be surprised to know that it comes from America! I tried
numerous ways of recreating the icing I remembered and this was perfect. You
can buy Fluff in Sainsbury’s, or you could just make normal buttercream if you
can’t get any.
Preheat the oven to 190°C (180°C fan).
First, make your cake. Weigh the eggs, in their shells,
then crack them into a bowl and add the same weight of margarine (by the way, I
always use margarine for cakes, instead of butter, because I think it gives a
lighter result). Beat thoroughly, add the same weight of sugar and half a
teaspoonful of vanilla extract, beat again, and then finally add the same
weight of flour and a teaspoonful of baking powder, and give it one last
mixing.
Thoroughly grease a round baking tin or springform tin
about 22cm in diameter, and line the bottom with a circle of greaseproof paper.
If you only have a smaller tin, that’s fine, but be aware that the cooking time
may be longer, so make sure you check that it’s cooked. Scrape the mixture into
the tin and spread it out so that it’s roughly even, then place in the oven and
bake for 30 minutes.
When the timer goes, check the cake with a skewer – it should
go into the middle and come out completely clean – and then allow it to cool in
the tin for a few minutes before transferring it to a wire rack. Let it cool completely
before icing it.
To make the icing, first combine the margarine and the
icing sugar. Have a taste – it should be just a little less sweet than usual,
as the Fluff will add lots of sugar. Next, beat in the Fluff, making sure to
combine it really well.
Finally spread it carefully over the top of the cake with
a palette knife, sprinkle the coconut on top, and crown with a glace cherry.
Serve with tea, using your very best china.