The Baker sisters

We are three sisters obsessed with food. We love talking about it, tasting it, experimenting with it and reading about it. With a home economics teacher for a mother and grandparents who owned a sweetie shop, we were perhaps headed for a life of food from the outset.

In 2011, we turned our food daydreams into a reality and opened our cafe, Three Sisters Bake, in Quarriers Village in the Scottish countryside. We set out with a meagre budget and grand plans, to create an oasis of food, caffeine, calm and countryside air. Nowadays, we welcome visitors from all over Scotland, in addition to our close-knit group of local customers (including our very own knitting group). We use local ingredients and enjoy taking a traditional Scottish dish and adding a Three Sisters Bake twist: Stornoway black pudding is one of the most popular breakfast dishes on our menu. We wanted the recipes in this book to be a reflection of the type of food we serve, and the food we eat at home: simple, innovative food made with fresh ingredients. Oh, and lots of cakes – do enjoy making them as much as we do!

Three Sisters Bake by Gillian, Nichola and Linsey Reith, with photography by Helen Cathcart, is published by Hardie Grant Books, priced £20.

‘Naked ’ Victoria Sponge Wedding Cake

Serves 60-80

You’ll be making 12 layers of sponge cake so you’ll need to make the cakes in three batches. If you have 2 of each size of tin, you can prepare the next batch of cake mix as the previous batch is baking. Don’t worry if you don’t, it will just take a little longer to bake the cakes. You’ll end up with a 4-tier cake with 3 cake layers in each tier.

Total sponge cake ingredients

• 880g self-raising flour
• 880g caster sugar
• 880g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
• 16 large eggs, at room temperature
• 8 tsp baking powder
• 8-10 drops vanilla extract

For each batch of cakes

• 220g self-raising flour
• 220g caster sugar
• 220g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2-3 drops vanilla extract

For the buttercream

• 400g unsalted butter, softened
• 1kg icing sugar, plus extra for dusting
• 150-200ml whole milk
• 30 dsp raspberry jam, ideally homemade
• fresh flowers and assorted berries, such as blueberries, raspberries and strawberries, to garnish

You will need

• 1 or 2 × 12cm loose-bottomed cake tin(s)
• 1 or 2 × 18cm loose-bottomed cake tin(s)
• 1 or 2 × 25cm loose-bottomed cake tin(s)
• 1 or 2 × 32cm loose-bottomed cake tin(s)

Preheat the oven to 160C/320F/gas 2. Grease one of each size of tin and line the base and sides with greaseproof (wax) paper.

Place all the ingredients (the batch quantities as listed) in a freestanding mixer (or mix in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer) and beat for 2-3 mins until the mixture is fluffy and lighter in colour.

Divide the mixture between the 4 tins, placing progressively smaller amounts of the mixture into the descending sizes of cake tin. There should be a relatively thin layer of cake mix in each. Don’t worry too much about the exact quantities going into each – part of the charm of this cake is its rustic look. Smooth out the surface of the cake mix in the tins before baking.

The 2 smaller tins should fit on one rack in the oven. Bake for 20-25 mins until springy to touch. Allow the cakes to cool in the tins a little, then turn out on to a wire rack.

Repeat this process until you end up with 12 layers of cake (3 layers per tier).

For the buttercream, place the butter and icing sugar in a freestanding mixer and beat until very light and fluffy (or mix in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer) – this can take up to 5 mins. Pour in the milk slowly, adding enough to ensure the icing is soft and easy to spread. Take your first 32cm sponge cake and put it on a large cake board. On the top-side, spread a thin layer of raspberry jam, followed by buttercream. Sandwich the next 32cm layer on top. Repeat this once more. Do not put jam and buttercream on the top layer. Repeat this step with the 25cm, 18cm cakes and 12cm cakes. You should end up with 4 stacks of cakes.

Using a palette knife, carefully lift the 25cm tier and stack it on top of the 32cm tier. Then lift the 18cm tier and stack it on top of the 25cm tier. Finally, lift the 12cm tier and stack it on top of the 18cm tier.

Decorate the cake with fresh flowers and berries and dust with icing sugar.

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Courgette and Lime Cake

Serves 8-10

For the cake

• 135ml sunflower oil
• 200g caster sugar
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 300g self-raising flour
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 335g finely grated courgette
• grated zest of 2 limes

For the icing (frosting)

• 200g full-fat cream cheese
• 100g icing sugar
• grated zest and juice of
• 1 lime
• courgette ribbons, to decorate

You will need u 20cm round loose-bottomed cake tin

Preheat the oven to 160C/320F/gas 2. Line the base and sides of the cake tin with greaseproof (wax) paper. Beat the oil, sugar and eggs together in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer for 2-3 mins, until light and fluffy. Sift in the flour, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder and fold into the mixture. Fold in the grated courgette and zest.

Pour into the prepared tin. Bake for 40-50 mins, until golden brown and a skewer inserted into middle of cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool a little in the tin, then turn out on to a wire rack.

For the icing, beat the cream cheese and icing sugar together until smooth. Add lime zest and juice and stir.

Once cool, top the cake with the icing by running a spatula or palette knife back and forth over the cake creating deep grooves to give a textural look.

NOTE Remove courgette ribbons before eating.