Valentine's raspberry and vanilla cake

Well… I was supposed to make a chocolate cake. And I had no cocoa powder.  And this is how I have made the best vanilla sponge cake ever. It is light and fluffy and has the perfect texture. You can make it plain or add any fruit you like, I used frozen raspberries and it was delicious!


Ingredients:

For the cake:

• 1 cup + 4tbsp caster sugar
• 140g soft, unsalted butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 3/4 cup plain flour 
• 2 rounded tsp baking powder
• 150ml milk
• 2tsp vanilla paste or vanilla pod
• handful of raspberries

For the cream:

• 300ml double cream
• 2tbsp icing sugar
• 1tsp vanilla paste or pod
• 1 tbsp Baileys (additional)

For the chocolate drizzle:

• 40g dark chocolate

To decorate:

• sugar hearts (see here)

To make the cake beat the butter with sugar until pale and fluffy, then add eggs, one at a time and vanilla and whisk.  

Add flour and baking powder and mix until well combined.

Mix in the milk.

Divide the mixture into two greased heart-shaped tins and sprinkle over a small handful of raspberries.

Bake at 175C for about 20mins or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Leave the cakes on a cooling rack until cooled completely.

To make the cream whisk double cream, then add icing sugar and vanilla and beat.  Stir in Baileys.

Spread 2/3 of the cream on the first cake, then cover and spread remaining cream on top and around the sides of the cake.

Decorate with sugar hearts, then drizzle over melted dark chocolate.

Enjoy!