Suitable for vegetarians
This method usually uses no added fat. It makes light sponges as lots of air is whisked in. The sponge is almost fat-free; the only fat is in the eggs. The mixture is whisked over heat to speed up the process.
Serves 8
Preparation time 30 minutes
Cooking time 25 minutes
Plus cooling time
Ingredients
- 100g plain flour
- 25g cocoa, plus 1tbsp for dusting
- 4 large eggs
- 125g caster sugar
- 227g carton strawberries
- 50g Asda Luxury Belgian Plain Chocolate, melted
- 4tbsp icing sugar, for sweetening the cream and dusting
- 284ml carton Asda double cream, whipped
Method
1 Preheat oven to 180C/Gas 4. Lightly grease and line the bases of two 20cm sandwich cake tins. Sift together the flour and cocoa powder twice to mix well.
2 Put the eggs and sugar in a heatproof bowl over a pan of gently simmering water. Don’t let the water boil or touch the base of the bowl - if it does, the eggs will scramble. Whisk with an electric hand whisk for 10 minutes until thick, foamy, pale and tripled in volume - you’ll know it’s ready if the mixture leaves a ribbon trail when the whisks are lifted.
3 Remove the bowl from the pan and continue whisking for 2 minutes until cool. Fold in the flour and cocoa using a metal spoon, spooning the mixture from the bottom of the bowl up over the top in a figure of eight pattern (do not stir or beat as this will knock out the air).
4 Divide the mixture between the prepared tins and level the tops. Bake for 25 minutes until the sides have shrunk slightly from the tin and it feels springy to the touch.
5 When cooked, turn out onto a wire rack to cool and peel off the paper. Dip 4 to 5 strawberries in the melted chocolate and dry. Hull and slice remaining strawberries.
6 Mix 2 tablespoons of icing sugar into cream, spread over a sponge and top with sliced strawberries. Put the other sponge on top.
7 Cut up strips of greaseproof paper, about 2.5cm wide and long enough to lay over the top of the cake. Dust top of cake with the remaining icing sugar. Put evenly spaced strips of paper across the cake, dust with cocoa, then carefully lift paper to make stripes. Decorate with the chocolate-dipped strawberries.