Lemon and Blueberry Cake

Hi Bakelings,

It's been a little while, but I've been pretty busy with university work. Anyway I could blather on about that for ages, but if you wanted to listen to me moan you'd just ask me how everything's going.

So, as some of you will know, mainly because of my month-long countdown and constant refrain of 'Friday, Friday, gotta get down on Friday, partying partying YEAH', it was my birthday on Friday. And, because there is no rest for the wicked and also I love baking, I bake my own birthday cakes.

I made apricot and chocolate bread to take into uni on my birthday. I'll copy and paste the recipe from my old blog after I've finished this blog post, but please, if you never make another one of my recipes, make that one. It is sooooo good. Messy, but good.

This recipe, by contrast, is not a messy one. I made this cake yesterday for a dinner gathering I had at my house. The inspiration came from a cake one of the other girls made for the One Show, but I'm sure she won't mind me publishing this recipe.

You will need:
170g self-raising flour
170g caster sugar
170g butter or baking margarine such as Stork
3 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
3 lemons
granulated sugar to taste
8-inch sandwich tin x2

To decorate:
500-600g blueberries
edible glitter (preferably blue but if not gold or white will do)
150ml double cream
3 packets of white chocolate fingers

1. Grease the sandwich tins and line the bases with greaseproof paper. Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4 and cream the caster sugar and butter together with a fork.
2. Beat the eggs into the butter and sugar until a smooth mixture is formed. Add the baking powder and the grated zest of the lemons.
3. Sift the flour into the mixture and fold it gently in. Divide the mixture between the tins and bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown and until a metal skewer inserted into the middle of the sponge comes out clean.
4. Leave the sponges to cool and juice the lemons. Add the granulated sugar to taste, then pierce holes into the top of each sponge with a cocktail stick and pour the lemon juice over the top and allow to soak in.
5. When the sponges have cooled, whip the cream to stiff peaks and spread the top of one of the sponges with cream (levelling both sponges off with a sharp knife unless they are already flat). Place the other sponge on top and then spread the sides of the cake with cream. Stick the chocolate fingers flat side down all around the cake, closely fitted together.
6. Wash the blueberries and line a sieve with 2-3 sheets of kitchen paper, then place the blueberries in the sieve to dry. Pour the blueberries on top of the cake and make sure they cover the top evenly. Sprinkle liberally with edible glitter.

Ta-daah. A showstopping but simple cake in a relatively short amount of time.

Later,

Ellie
xxx