Summer Berry Genoise

Summer Berry Genoise

Recipe from Annie Bell

You cannot get lighter sponge cake than this and once this is topped with cream and summer berries – this Summer Berry Genoise will make a wonderful centre piece for any dinner party or BBQ.

Ingredients

Sponge

  • 3 Medium eggs, separated
  • 125g golden caster sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 100g plain flour, sifted twice
  • 50g unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Syrup

  • 2 tablespoons golden syrup
  • 2 tablespoons rosewater

Filling

  • 200ml double cream
  • 50g icing sugar
  • 100g raspberries
  • 100g strawberries, hulled and sliced

PREP TIME

30 – 40 minutes

COOK TIME

40 – 45 minutes

SERVES

6

Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 150 ºC fan oven/170 ºC electric oven.
  2. Butter a 20cm non-stick pan with removable base, 8cm deep.
  3. Melt the butter and put to one side
  4. Whisk the egg whites in a large bowl until stiff using an electric whisk. Sprinkle over half the sugar, tablespoon at a time, whisking well with each addition until you have a smooth glossy meringue
  5. In another bowl, whisk the remaining sugar and egg yolks at high speed until they are really light and almost mousse like, then stir in the vanilla
  6. Gently fold the egg yolk mixture into the egg white mixture in two goes.
  7. Then fold in the sifted flour in two goes.
  8. Finally the melted butter.
  9. Pour the mixture into the tin, smooth the surface and give it several sharp taps on the work surface to bring up any large air bubbles.
  10. Bake for 40mins or until lightly golden and firm to touch.
  11. Gently invert the tin onto a work surface, without running a knife around the edge and leave to cool
  12. Make the syrup by combing the golden syrup and rosewater in a bowl.
  13. The sponge should have levelled on cooling
  14. Run a knife around the edge, get it out of the tin
  15. Split it in half with a bread knife.
  16. Cut side up, dribble or brush the syrup over the sponge.
  17. For the filling whip the cream with icing sugar in a large bowl, until it forms soft peaks.
  18. Scatter over the raspberry and fold through the cream using a fork to hald crush them so that they streak it with crimson juices.
  19. Now fold in the strawberries
  20. Smooth the cream over the base cake, sandwich with the top half and dust with icing sugar.
  21. Cover and chill until required
Equipment

Free Standing Mixer

20cm non-stick cake tin with a removable base, 8cm deep

Note

Scatter over some more berries and rose petals to serve, if you wish