If you watch Bake Off, there was controversy a couple of weeks ago when Paul dubbed Benjima’s naked cake a ‘bit of a mess’ or perhaps the word was ‘untidy’ I barely remember now because it was ridic. I really love the rustic look of naked cakes and despite other people’s opinion, I think you can make them look pretty – there’s a reason it’s become one of the most popular choices for weddings no?!

Coming to the party as a dressed up Victoria Sponge, this three layered raspberry delight has homemade raspberry sauce swirled through the sponge and sandwiched between each layer with a generous spread of vanilla buttercream – it was so moreish that my family scoffed it all – bar two slices, which were mine.

The drip effect is inspired by my recent bake, the Bourbon Biscuit layer cake (and my first attempt at a drip) because it was actually a lot of fun to make. Though slightly trickier as the raspberry sauce was slightly runnier than the chocolate, it’s pretty easy and can be achieved with or without a piping bag. If you’remaking this cake fora celebration, like I was, use the tip below to get ahead.

TIP: You can make the sponge layers the night before along with the jam, just leave to cool completely before wrapping in cling film tightly and then placing in the fridge. This also makes it easier when it comes to leveling the cakes by cutting off any dome tops.

Ingredients (makes one three tiered cake at 23cm wide):

For the three sponge layers:

• 350g caster sugar
• 350g Homepride self-raising flour
• 6 medium eggs
• 350g unsalted butter, at room temp
• 1 tsp vanilla extract or paste
• 1 tsp baking powder
• raspberry sauce (see below)

For the raspberry sauce:

• 425g raspberries
• 1 tbsp caster sugar

For the vanilla buttercream:

• 675g icing sugar
• 350g unsalted butter, at room temp
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 tbsp milk

For decoration:

• Handful of raspberries
• Leftover raspberry sauce
• Buttercream, above
• Freeze dried raspberries (I got mine from the baking section in Sainsbury’s)
• Gold sprinkles

Method: 

1. Start by making the raspberry sauce the day before, especially if you’re baking this cake for an occassion. Place the raspberries in a saucepan along with the sugar and leave to simmer on a low heat for around 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until the raspberries have become soft and the sauce is smooth with no large lumps. Leave to cool then place the sauce through a metal sieve to ensure a smooth consistency. Place the jam into a sterilised glass jar and once completely cool, leave in the fridge overnight
2. Preheat the oven to 175 degrees C and line three 23cm wide round baking tins with baking paper. Beat your sugar and butter together with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, then add the eggs one at a time, mixing as you go before folding in the sifted flour, vanilla extract and baking powder
3. Once you have a smooth batter, evenly distribute between the tins and then add dollops of raspberry sauce on top – remember, we are using a third of the sauce as the rest will be needed as the filling and on top. Create a marble effect by swirling the sauce into the batter with a skewer or cake tester and level with a pallete knife
4. Place tins in the oven for 20-25 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean and the sponge cakes spring back as you touch them. Leave to cool before turning out onto a cooling rack and removing the baking paper – if you’re also making the cakes a day ahead, see tip above
5. Once cooled or removed from the fridge, level your cakes with a cake cutter or serrated knife and begin to make the buttercream. In a mixing bowl, cream the butter with an electric mixer before gradually adding the icing sugar, followed by the vanilla extract. Once all combined, add the milk to loosen the icing a little and spread a tiny amount onto the cake board to secure your first sponge layer
6. Next, add around 6 tablespoons of icing within a separate bowl or piping bag ready to sandwich your cakes with (you can either slather the icing onto each layer with a palette knife or by piping the buttercream over the surface of the cake in a spiral motion and then spreading for a neater, even cover). Before adding the icing, add a smooth layer of jam on top of your first and then second sponge layer – it doesn’t matter if they mix together
7. Your cake should now be assembled with layers of buttercream and jam. Next, you just have to cover the cake with the crumb coat – this requires just a centimeter thickness of icing to cover any gaps in the layers. For this, use a third of the icing and slather it all over the cake, top and sides before smoothing with a plastic cake scraper or your pallet knife if you don’t have one. Have a separate bowl ready for scraping the crumby buttercream on to
8. Place in the fridge for around half an hour so the icing becomes solid and locks in all those pesky crumbs. I chose to leave the cake semi-naked as the rustic look suited this cake but you can use the buttercream for a final coat with a more covered, traditional smooth finish if you prefer
9. It’s now time to decorate – start by spooning the raspberry sauce on top of your chilled cake, encouraging some of the sauce to drip down the edges. Alternatively, you can use a piping bag to form the drippings yourself by adding the jam to the bag, cutting a little hole at the bottom and then holding the piping bag up to the edge of a cake and zig-zagging your way around the entire cake. Work quickly though as jam is runnier then chocolate
10. Once your cake is nicely drizzled, leave it for a little while to set slightly before piping some of your remaining buttercream on top of the cake. Finish by adding a few rasberries and sprinkling with the freeze dried raspberries and gold confetti. Serve within 3 hours of baking for best results and keep any remaining slices in an air-tight container for up to 3 days

Enjoy, I know we did!

Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram and Twitter . Nic x