After a fairly indulgent and restful bank holiday weekend (I still have so much Easter chocolate leftover), I really didn’t know what recipe to make and share with you this week. I wanted something that felt appropriate for the warmer, brighter Spring days but wasn’t too labour intensive or technical. Something pretty straightforward and low key. And nothing that used chocolate.
When my creative juices are running a little low, it’s always best to go back to basics and keep things easy and light. And that’s exactly what we’ve got today, just good and simple cake. It can be served on its own with a dusting of icing sugar, with a quick fruit coulis or a splash of custard. Win win.
Instead of butter, we use clotted cream as our fat source. It might come as a surprise to some that clotted cream has other uses besides just being spread on scones. I’m pretty sure I saw some TikTok videos at Christmas where people used it to roast their potatoes. I can understand the reasoning behind this but can’t say it’s something I’ll be trying. So if you don’t want to use a tub of clotted cream as part of your Sunday roast or with scones and jam, then this cake is a very good alternative.
Everything is mixed by hand in one bowl and you get a gorgeous, close textured crumb that’s super rich and velvety. It stays soft for days and is the kind of cake you keep on the counter, cutting yourself another little slice every time you walk past.
If you fancy something low key but delicious this weekend, then give this a try. Serving with an extra dollop of clotted cream is definitely optional but highly recommended.
Benjamina x
CLOTTED CREAM CAKE
I had a slice of this with a quick raspberry sauce (just mash the raspberries with some sugar and lemon juice) but the beauty of it is that you can use whatever you’ve got to hand, or nothing at all. Custard is always a good idea too.
RECIPE
serves: 8-10
equipment: 8inch/20cm cake tin
1 tub (227g) clotted cream
220g caster sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
2 large eggs
245g plain flour
1 and 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
40ml whole milk
icing sugar, to serve
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 160c fan/180c. Grease and line an 8 inch/20cm cake tin.
Add the clotted cream, sugar and vanilla to a bowl and beat briefly to combine.
Add in the eggs one at a time, mixing well until you have a smooth batter.
Pour in the flour, baking powder and salt, stirring until just combined.
Mix in the milk and pour the batter into the prepared tin.
Bake for 30 - 35 minutes until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Let the cake cool completely before dusting with icing sugar to serve.
Serve with custard, fresh fruits or an extra dollop of clotted cream.
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