Home Baker of The Year 2009 Runner Up

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Strawberry Silke Cake
by Hester Duffy

It's hard to make a freezable cake that really tastes of strawberries, but after lots of experimentation, I think I've cracked it!

For the cake
Grated zest of a small lemon
6 oz butter
2-3 oz high-fruit content strawberry jam (I used Bonne Maman)
3-4 oz sugar (so that the jam and sugar together come to 6 oz)
2 eggs
2 oz ground almonds
4 oz self-raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

For the drizzle
Juice of a small lemon
1 1/2 oz icing sugar
Creme de fraise des bois (strawberry liqueur)

To decorate
2 oz butter
5 oz icing sugar
3 oz cream cheese
Fresh strawberries

Pre-heat the oven to GM 5, about 180 degrees c.

Thoroughly grease a cake tin (I either line the bottom with baking parchment, or grease it and then sprinkle with ground almonds).
In a saucepan, gently heat the butter, lemon zest, jam and sugar, stirring frequently, until the butter has melted and the sugar has turned to sludge; don't let it boil or burn.
Take this off the heat, and let it cool down a bit.
Add the eggs, almonds, flour and baking powder, and mix; it will make a fairly runny batter. Pour this into the prepared cake tin, and bake for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Meanwhile, dissolve the sugar in the lemon juice, and add a couple of tablespoonfuls of the strawberry liquor.

When the cake is cooked, poke holes all over it with a toothpick or skewer, and then gently spoon the strawberry mix all over the surface, allowing it to run down the holes. Turn the oven off, and put the cake back in for 20 minutes or so; this allows the wet bits to dry off so they're not soggy, and gets rid of the alcohol but keeps the strawberry flavour.

To decorate, sift the icing sugar into the softened butter, add the cream cheese and beat until smooth. Check the flavour and adjust with more sugar, or more cream cheese, to taste. Spread generously over the cake, and top with fresh strawberries.

The iced cake (without the strawberries) can be frozen.

Further information: www.homebake.co.uk