Serving instructions
- Alice Hart
- Serves 8-10
- Takes 40 minutes to make, 20-25 minutes to bake, plus cooling
Ingredients
- 225g butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
- 225g caster sugar
- 4 large free-range eggs
- 225g self-raising flour
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 tbsp milk
- Icing sugar, for dusting
- For the creme patissiere
- 250ml full-fat milk
- ½ vanilla pod, split lengthways
- and seeds scraped
- 3 large free-range egg yolks
- 45g caster sugar
- 40g cornflour
- 142ml pot double cream
- 2 tbsp elderflower cordial
- For the gooseberry compote
- 400g fresh or frozen and thawed gooseberries
- 50g caster sugar, plus extra to taste
- 2 tbsp elderflower cordial
Method
- 1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4. Butter and line 2 x 20cm round cake tins with baking paper. Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy, then gradually mix in the eggs with a little of the flour. Fold in the remaining flour, vanilla and milk, until smooth. Divide between the tins, level, and bake for 20-25 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
- 2. Meanwhile, make the crème patissière. Heat the milk, vanilla pod and seeds in a small pan, until simmering. Whisk the yolks, sugar and cornflour in a bowl. Slowly whisk in the hot milk and return to the pan. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes, until very thick. Discard the pod, cover the surface with cling film and cool.
- 3. For the compote, put the gooseberries and sugar in a small pan over a medium heat. Cook for
- 10 minutes (3-4 minutes if frozen), stirring occasionally, until soft. Stir in the elderflower cordial – add more sugar if it’s tart. Cool completely.
- 4. Whisk the cream and elderflower cordial to stiff peaks. Whisk in some crème patissière to loosen, then fold in the rest. Spread onto the flat side of 1 cake, then top with the gooseberry compote. Sandwich with the other cake, flat-side down, then dust with icing sugar to serve.
Nutrition
Per serving: (based on 10) 559kcals, 31.8g fat (18.4g saturated), 7.3g protein, 64.9g carbs, 42.4g sugar, 0.7g salt
Chef's Tip
Wine Recommendation
