As a cake baker and recipe writer I probably shouldn’t say this, but I’m going to: I think this is my favourite cake. It’s comfortingly simple, with just the right ratio of cake to sunny passion fruit buttercream. This is the cake I make first when I return home after I’ve been away, and the one I crave with a big cup of tea when my mum is not around for a hug.- 185g unsalted butter, softened
- 185g golden caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 eggs
- 225g self-raising flour
- Pinch of baking soda
- Pinch of salt
- 125ml buttermilk, at room temperature
PASSION FRUIT BUTTERCREAM
- 125g unsalted butter, softened
- 240g icing sugar
- 2 tbsp passion fruit pulp, plus extra to decorate
1. Preheat the oven to 160C (315F) fan and grease a deep 20cm round tin
thoroughly with butter. Line the base and sides of the tin with baking paper.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter, caster sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Place the flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl and whisk together. Add half to the creamed butter mixture, stirring gently, before adding half the buttermilk. Once incorporated, follow with the remaining flour, then the remaining buttermilk, stirring gently until the batter is smooth.
3. Spoon the batter into the tin, smoothing the top with a spatula and tapping the tin gently on the bench a few times to remove any air bubbles. Bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes or until golden, risen and cooked through. Allow the cake to cool in the tin for ten minutes before carefully turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
4. When the cake is cool, make the passion fruit buttercream. Mix the butter and half the icing sugar in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment until smooth. Add the remaining icing sugar and passion fruit pulp and beat until light and fluffy.
5. Spoon the buttercream onto the cooled cake, smoothing it out to evenly cover the surface, and top with a little extra passion fruit pulp, if you like.
6. Serve at room temperature in thick slices with a large pot of tea. Any leftover cake will keep happily in an airtight container in the fridge for two or three days. Just return it to room temperature before serving.
TEA & BLOOMS MATCH
Darjeeling and spring blossom.
The Plain Cake Appreciation Society: 52 Weeks of Cake by Tilly Pamment is published by Murdoch Books, price £22
