Love Cake

This is probably my last Valentine's Day post (unless the Jam-Filled Valentine Cookies win in the poll). This not an original recipe, I took a bunch of different recipes and combined them. First of all, the cake recipe is Elisa Strauss's 'Vanilla Cake', from the book Confetti Cakes. The beautiful meringue icing is from Nigella Lawson's 'Love Buns', from the book Feast (which is why I named the cake 'Love Cake'). And I got the idea of adding a strawberry-jam from a Victora Sponge cake I made a month ago. Here are the recipes:

Vanilla Cake recipe: 'Confetti Cakes' by Elisa Strauss.

Ingredients: (halve this! it is enough to make three 9-inch cakes!)
- 2 cups cake flour *
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 tespoons salt
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup egg whites or pasteurized (7 eggs)
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
* If you don't have cake flour, mix 3/4 cup all-purpose flour with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch to make 1 cup cake flour.

Instrucions:
- Preheat the oven to 350F/180C. Brush the bottoms and sides of the pans with melted butter and line the bottoms with parchment paper. (just buttering the bottom of the pan will do just fine)
- In a large bowl, sift together the cake flour, all-purpose flour and baking powder. Set aside.
- In a regular bowl, combine the butter and sugar by mixing it with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy.
- Add the salt and vanilla.
- Set the mixer to low speed and gradually add the egg whites, scraping often.
- Alternately add the flour mixture and milk to the butter mixture in 2 batches, starting with the flour mixture. Scrape down the bowl between each addition and beat until thoroughly combined. Set the mixer to medium-high speed for 20 seconds, then stop and scrape the sides of the bowl.
- Divide the batter evenly between the cake pans or muffin tins.
- For an 9-inch pan bake 1 hour or until a toothpick comes out clean. (mine was ready in 45 min) For half-sheet pans, bake 45 minutes. For cupcakes, bake 20 to 25 minutes.
- Allow the cake to cool for 20 minutes before releasing it from its pan.

Meringue icing recipe: 'Feast' by Nigella Lawson

Ingredients:
- 2 egg whites
- 4 tablespoons golden syrup (I used 2 tablespoons, golden syrup has a strong taste)
- 6 tablespoons sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 drops of red food coloring

Instructions:
- Make a doubleboiler with a bowl that will fit snugly (such an English word) over a saucepan of barely simmering water. (I did not do this! I just did everything in a bowl, not heating anything)
- Put all the ingredients, except for the vanilla, into the bowl.
- Whisk everything with an electric mixer until the icing becomes thick and holds peaks like meringue. This will take for about 5 mnutes, so be patient.
- Take the bowl off the saucepan on to a cool surface and keep whisking while you add the vanilla and food coloring.
- Then keep whisking until the mixture cools a little.

Divide the cake in 2 by cutting it with a sharp knife.
Let the seperate cakes cool for 10 minutes.
Add the strawberry jam, doesn't matter how much, just as much as you like it.


The whitest cake batter I have ever made.

Also the flattest cake I have ever made. Great recipe for layering!

Spreading the strawberry jam on the cake.

The gorgeous meringue! Doesn't have as much taste as buttercream, but it's easier to work with when you're spreading it on a cake.

Yum! If you like a Victoria Sponge cake, you will definitely love this cake!