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Legendary Naramata Sponge Cake

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This Naramata take on a classic Victoria sponge is two fluffy sponges lightly flavoured with vanilla and almond with a very special sandwiching layer…Legend Raspberry Jam and a healthy dollop of whipping cream.

Here is a Cole’s Notes version of what went into making that legendary jam:

  1. Grow the raspberries on our farm.
  2. Harvest the raspberries at their peak.
  3. Deliver to Legend Distilling.
  4. Legend makes Slowpoke Farm Berry Vodka with them. (Check out my post about how it’s made minus some secrets.)
  5. Make raspberry jam with some more of our farm fresh raspberries and some of Legend’s Slowpoke Farm Berry Vodka made from our raspberries. It’s like raspberries times three.

A limited supply of this special jam is for sale at Legend Distilling  during the Christmas season… You can of course substitute a high-quality raspberry jam but your cake will be slightly less legendary.

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Our recent snow fall has put paid to my fresh raspberry supply so it’s time to bring out the jam.

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CAKE

  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter (soft)
  • 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 3 extra-large or large eggs (room temperature)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
  • 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 1/2 cups unbleached self-rising flour

Directions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 8″ round cake pans. Cut a round of parchment and fit in the bottom of your pan and grease and flour.
  2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until well combined and smooth.
  3. Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl after each addition.
  4. Add the extracts.
  5. Add the flour, beating gently just until well combined.
  6. Divide the stiff batter evenly between the cake pans; there’ll be 11 to 12 ounces of batter in each, depending on the size eggs you used.
  7. Bake the cakes for about 20 minutes, or until they start to pull away from the edges of the pans. Remove them from the oven, cool for a couple of minutes, and turn out of the pans onto a rack to cool completely.

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FILLING

  • about 3/4 cup Legend Raspberry Jam
  • 2/3 to 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, or to taste

IMG_3264.jpgWhen the cakes are cool, place one layer on a plate. Spread with the Legend jam or a  jam of your choice.

IMG_3268.jpgWhip the cream — 2/3 cup cream makes a medium-thickness layer of filling; 3/4 cup cream, a thick layer. Sprinkle in 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, or to taste, as you whip the cream until it’s quite stiff. Stir in the vanilla at the end.

IMG_3253.jpgIMG_3259.jpgPipe the whipped cream over the jam. You could also spread the whipped cream if you prefer.

IMG_3273.jpgIMG_3277.jpgTop with the second layer of cake.

Sift icing sugar over the top of your cake.

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Refrigerate the cake until you’re ready to serve it. It’ll be at its best within 12 hours; but is still quite good up to 2 or even 3 days later. The difference will be the whipped cream, which will gradually settle/compact. Yield: about 12 servings.

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Got thyme to make a fancy ass orange raspberry brown sugar buttermilk cake?

IMG_1322.jpgWhen you have a raspberry farm you seek out raspberry recipes. This one is a gem. The thyme and orange flavours add a lovely sharp counterpoint to the rich brown sugar buttermilk cake with raspberry filling. The only downside, it only uses a scant half cup of berries!

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Orange thyme syrup

  • 1/2 cup of fresh orange juice…use blood oranges if you can find them
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 5 to 8 sprigs fresh thyme

Combine the orange juice and sugar in a saucepan and bring them to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to a simmer and add the thyme. Simmer for 8 or 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let steep until cool. Strain the syrup and discard the thyme. You can make this a day ahead and refrigerate if you are organized.

Brown sugar buttermilk cake

  • 2 1/4 cups cake flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 cup room temp. unsalted butter
  • 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
  • 3 large farm-fresh organic eggs
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350F and grease and flour three 6-inch cake pans.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda and set aside.

In the bowl of stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until smooth. Add the sugars and orange zest. Turn the mixer to medium-high and mix until the butter is light and fluffy (5 minutes or so). Stop mixer and scrape down the bowl.

Turn the mixer to low and add the flour mixture in three batches, alternating with the buttermilk. Mix on medium for 30 seconds.

Evenly divide the batter in the three prepared pans. Bake for 23 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cakes comes out clean. Let them cool on wire racks for 15 minutes before removing from pans.

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Raspberry Buttercream (Makes a bit over three cups…you will need 2 cups)

  • 1/2 cup large egg whites
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter at room temperature cubed
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup of fresh raspberries from your local farmer
  • 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
  1. Make the buttercream

Place the egg whites and sugar in the bowl of a stand-mixer. Whisk them together by hand to combine. Make a double boiler by filling a medium pot filled with water over medium-high heat. Place the mixer bowl on top of the pot. The bottom of the pot should not touch the water.

Whisk intermittently and heat the egg mixture to 160F (candy thermometer) or until it is hot to the touch. Carefully fit the mixer bowl onto the stand mixer and whip with the wire attachment on high speed for 8 to 10 minutes, until it holds medium-stiff peaks. The bowl should be back to room temperature at this point. Stop the mixer and swap out the whisk attachment for the paddle.

With the mixer on low, add the cubed butter, a few tablespoons at a time then the vanilla. Once incorporated, turn up the mixer speed to medium-high and beat until the buttercream is silky smooth, 3 to 5 minutes.

2. Make the raspberry puree

Blend the raspberries and 2 teaspoons of sugar together in a food processor until combined. Strain to remove seeds through a mesh sieve set up over a bowl. Add a 1/4 cup of this pureed mixture to 2 cups of the buttercream (you will have extra buttercream) until combined.

IMG_1315.jpgSome assembly required

Once the cakes have cooled, level them and choose which one will be at the bottom. Generously brush the cake layers with the orange thyme syrup. Place the bottom layer on a cake plate and spread on 3/4 cup of the raspberry buttercream with an offset spatula. Top with the next layer of cake and repeat with the buttercream, ending with the third layer. Use the remaining buttercream to fill in any gaps between layers and give the cake a rustic coat of icing.

Make the orange glaze

  • 1 1/4 cups confectioner’s sugar sifted
  • 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon fresh orange juice (blood orange juice works well here if you can find it as gives the icing a nice colour)

In a small bowl, whisk the confectioner’s sugar and orange juice together until the sugar has dissolved. Pour the glaze onto the centre of the top of the cake and spread it evenly letting it drip over the edges.

Top with a thyme crown.

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