Marry Berry has shared one of her easiest dessert recipes that takes just 30 minutes to bake – and it’s a great way to use up apples that are about to go off too
For those who enjoy a sweet treat after dinner, this Victoria Sponge cake recipe is the perfect dessert – and it takes less than 30 minutes to bake. It’s ideal for those who don’t have much time to rustle up a dessert to bring to a dinner party of friend’s house.
Hailed by renowned chef Mary Berry, her ultimate apple cake is sure to wow diners and guests – with minimal effort and time to make and this cake is a great way to use up any eating apples that have hung around the fruit bowl for too long and are a bit past their best..
A simple Victoria sponge, that stays really moist thanks to grated apple, filled with lemon-flavoured cream, the recipe from BBC Food can be found below:
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Ingredients
For the sponge
- 225g/8oz baking spread, straight from the fridge, plus extra for greasing
- 225g/8oz caster sugar
- 225g/8oz self-raising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 4 large free-range eggs, beaten
- 2 eating apples, peeled, cored and grated (see Recipe Tips)
- icing sugar, for dusting
For the lemon filling
- 150ml/5fl oz double cream
- 3 tbsp lemon curd
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. Grease two 20cm/8in round, loose-bottomed sandwich tins and line the bases with baking paper.
- Measure all the sponge ingredients, except the apple and icing sugar, into a large bowl and beat with an electric hand whisk until combined. Fold the grated apple into the mixture, then divide between the tins and level the tops.
- Bake in the oven for about 25–30 minutes until golden, well risen and coming away from the sides of the tins. Allow to cool in the tins.
- Meanwhile, make the filling. Whip the cream into soft peaks, then lightly swirl in the lemon curd. Remove the cakes from their tins and then peel away the baking paper. Sit one cake upside down on a serving plate. Spread the lemon cream to the edge of the sponge, place the other cake gently on top to sandwich the cakes together.
- Dust the top with icing sugar to serve.
One of Mary Berry’s top tips for grating the apple is to core it, and cut into pieces, but keep the skin on. Grate the flesh and then discard the skin. She also recommended once assembled, to keep the cake in the fridge for up to one day, but serve at room temperature. The cooked sponges also freeze well.
Mary Berry also said to ensure both layers of cake are the same, weigh the batter when you add it to the tins so you can make sure they are equal, and you can garnish the top of the cake with thin slices of apple, but they will oxidise (turn brown) when exposed to the air. You can toss them in lemon juice to help prevent this, but it’s still best to add them immediately before serving.
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