Vanilla and Raspberry Cake with Buttercream Icing

This pretty vanilla and raspberry cake (spread in my favourite: buttercream icing), looks impressive yet is truly easy peasy to make. So easy in fact, that my kids could rustle it up without my help. They didn’t of course, the control freak in me would never let that happen (whoops) but they absolutely could!

The cake is a simple vanilla sponge cake recipe with a punnet of raspberries popped in with the buttercream and raspberry decoration for added dazzle. It’s a perfectly light but creamy concoction that immediately transports me back to my childhood and afternoon tea with friends whenever I eat it.

Add a cup of Breakfast Tea and this really is my kind of culinary heaven.

If you prefer a Victoria Sponge cake, do check out my different take on it with a chocolate version, here.

Enjoy!

 

Ingredients:

For the sponge cake:

• 175g softened unsalted butter
• 175g caster sugar
• 3 large free range eggs
• 175g self-raising flour, sifted
• 1tsp baking powder
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• 1 punnet of fresh raspberries (you can use frozen if you like)
• handful of flour

For the buttercream icing:

• 600g icing sugar, sifted
• 300g unsalted softened
• drop of vanilla extract
• freeze dried chopped raspberries for decoration

 

Method: 

Heat the oven to 180°C. Grease an 18cm (7in) round cake tin with some of the butter/and add parchment paper.

In a large bowl, add all of the ingredients bar the raspberries which I like to add in last. Beat the mixture with a wooden spoon or add into a mixer until it’s completely smooth.

Next, place the raspberries in a bowl and add a handful of flour so they are covered. This will protect them once in the batter.

Add the floury raspberries into the mixture.

Then, carefully pour the mixture into the tin, smoothing the top with a palette knife so it’s even. Bake for 45 minutes until golden. To check it has baked all the way through, insert a skewer and if it’s clean, it’s ready!

While it cools, make the buttercream icing.

This must only be added once the cake is completely cool, though.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and sifted icing sugar together or whip in a mixer until smooth. There shouldn’t be any lumps. Add a few drops of boiling water if the mixture looks too thick. I sometimes place the butter into the microwave until it’s softened, not boiling before beating into the icing sugar if I’m in a rush.

Next, fill the icing into a piping bag and spread onto the cake with a palette knife until smooth, working on the edges gently, too.

Use a star nozzle if you want to create a cupcake style piping design or detailing on top of the cake. This one is smooth with freeze dried raspberries scattered over it and a small tower of fresh raspberries in its centre.

Yum!

Let me know if you try it, won’t you!