An old fashioned, traditional French sponge cake recipe that children love.
Ingredients
- 225 g plain flour
- 225 g caster sugar
- 225 g good quality salted butter or
- fleur de sel butter (softened)
- 1.5 tsp baking powder
- a few drops of vanilla extract
- 4 medium eggs (at room temperature)
- for the compote:
- 500 g rhubarb (cut into chunks)
- 200 g strawberries (hulled and sliced)
- 2-3 tablespoons caster sugar
Method
- The Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas 4). Grease and flour a 22cm, round sandwich tin or use a ‘magical’ silicone one.
- Beat all the ingredients together in a mixer on high for 2 minutes or so, scraping the sides of the bowl halfway through.
- Tip the mixture into the tin and bake for 25-30 minutes, until it is beautifully golden and just coming away from the sides of the tin.
- Remove from the oven, let it cool slightly then turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
- For the Rhubarb and Strawberry Compote:
- Put the rhubarb in a pan with a tiny splash of water. Cover and heat very gently, leaving it to steam in its own juices for 10-15 minutes or until soft.
- If you are adding strawberries, do it now. They will poach and in so doing release their juicy dye. Add the sugar and puree - the whole thing if you wish.
Notes
Trish's tip: You can prepare the buttery sponge as a single cake or it can be used to make individual fairy cakes.
