There’s no denying that Eton Mess is an iconic British Dessert, but it was definitely overlooked by my young self.

I was a chocolate fiend (not much has changed) and look back fondly on the birthdays when I requested and received a Sara Lee Chocolate Gateaux as my birthday cake, FIVE years in a row. I didn’t like jam, I didn’t see a Victoria Sponge as a ‘treat’ like my Nan always said it was, I was Bruce Trotter and wouldn’t settle until I felt sick after stuffing as much chocolate ganache in my mouth as possible.

Times have changed though, I’ve almost learnt how to eat chocolate in moderation  and I am really quite partial to a Victoria Sponge….alright Nan, I FRICKIN LOVE THEM OK! Eton Mess has also played a huge part in this jam revival, it’s crazy that a dessert with like 3 ingredients can taste so damn good. So here it is, my easy peasy, super delicious recipe celebrating this beaut of a dessert – and the fact that my Nan is always right.

Recipe (fills a 25cm flute Bundt tin and serves 10-12 ): 

For the sponge –

• 250g self raising flour
• 250g unsalted butter, at room temp
• 250g caster sugar
• 4 medium sized eggs
• 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste or good quality vanilla extract
• 1tbsp milk
• Strawberry sauce (see below)

For the strawberry sauce –

• 400g punnet of strawberries
• 1 tbsp caster sugar

For the icing & decoration –

• 150g unsalted butter, at room temp
• 300g icing sugar, sifted
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or good quality vanilla extract
• 2-3 meringue nests, crushed
• 8-10 strawberries, chopped
• Leftover strawberry sauce

Method:

1. Start by making the strawberry sauce/jam. I usually make this the day ahead if the cake is for a party and keep within a jam jar in a cool dry place. Cut the strawberries in half, removing the green tops, and place in a saucepan along with the sugar. Leave to simmer on a low heat for around 20 minutes, stirring occasionally  until the strawberries have become soft
2. Leave to cool before placing in your jar. The jam may be slightly lumpy but this is fine as we’ll be using 1/3 of this for the cake batter
3. Next begin to make your cake. Pre-heat the oven to 175 degrees C and grease your bundt cake tin thoroughly with butter, making sure you get within all the grooves/creases
4. Set aside and beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Next add the eggs one by one, stirring continuously until well combined
5. Follow by adding the flour, vanilla extract/bean paste and milk and mix together until all the ingredients is fully combined and you have a smooth, creamy cake batter
6. Place in the Bundt cake tin, tapping the bottom of the tin on the surface lightly so all the cake batter seeps into the creases. Then, take your jam and spoon dollops of it in random spots on top of the cake batter (you should use a 1/3 of the jam) and create a marble effect with a skewer. Give it another tap on the surface before placing in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until the cake is a light golden brown colour and a cake tester comes out clean
7. Leave to cool before removing from the cake tin, setting aside on a wire rack. Whilst your cake cools, make the buttercream by whisking together the butter, vanilla and icing sugar for about a minute. The icing sugar may get everywhere, so feel free to coat it with the butter first
8. You should have a thick, smooth and pale icing ready to be dolloped on top of your cake – TIP you can add half of the crushed meringues into the buttercream at this stage and stir or you can simply sprinkle on top once the icing is on the cake
9. Once you have a generous amount of icing covering the top of your cake, drizzle the remaining strawberry sauce all over and finish with chopped strawberries and more crushed meringues. When stored in a cool dry place, the iced cake will keep for up to 3 days

Serve and enjoy, Nic x

Like this recipe? Why not try this Strawberry Bomb Cupcake recipe, a strawberry delight!

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