"Jam Sandwiches" Cake

 

 

 

People all over the UK will be celebrating the Queen's Platinum Jubilee in the coming week, from June 2nd to June 5th, a four day bank holiday for those in the UK, and indeed something special to celebrate.

All over the country this auspicious occasion will be marked withy celebrations and street parties. Bunting will be strung and special foods will be made and served.  There is no nation in the world who celebrates such occasions as well as the British do!

A spectacular pageant is planned  for the occasion, and then there will be the Trooping of the Colours amongst other things.  

A friend of mine posted this photograph which was taken at a Street Party in Chester, UK during the Queen's Silver Jubilee (25 years on the throne) back in 1977.  She is the one right behind the child in the sombrero. 

As you can see the British love to do these things out and celebrate in a big, BIG way!  I shall miss this.  How much more exciting it is going to be now with this very historic occasion. Yes, I am a Royalist and proud of it.

 

 

Quite often at celebrations you will see Jam Sandwiches being offered for the kiddies.  This delicious recipe for Jam Sandwiches Cake I am sharing today is a fabulous take on that theme!

Not sandwiches with bread, but sandwiches made with a moist and tender loaf cake, sandwiched together with a rich vanilla buttercream and sweet strawberry jam!   

 

Such a simple idea and a fabulous bit of "eye foolery!"  And quite an easy thing to make. Sweet and delicious and so very festive!

But in a very simple way. I think the Queen herself would get a big kick out of this!  The original idea comes from Frances Quinn who was the winner of the 13th British Bake-Off where she made a name for herself with her signature bakes and style.  

In fact this was her very first signature bake on the show.

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE "JAM SANDWICHES" CAKE

You will need an electric mixer and an 8 X 5 X 3 inch loaf tin for this.

For the cake:

• 3/4 cup plus 2 TBS (200g) butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup (200g) caster sugar (fine granulated sugar)
• 4 medium free range eggs, at room temperature
• 4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups minus1 1/2 TBS (200g) self rising flour (see recipe note)
• 4 tsp warm water

For the buttercream filling:

• 3 1/2 TBS butter, room temperature
• 1 cup (130g) icing sugar, sifted
• 1/2 TBS whole milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

You will also need:

• 1 jar of seedless strawberry or raspberry jam

 

I have given instructions on how to make your own self-rising flour in the notes of the recipe. It is a very simple thing to make. I know that it is not readily available everywhere.

I use free range eggs, salted butter, pure vanilla and whole milk. The granulated sugar here in Canada is very fine, but if your sugar is a bit coarser, simply whiz it for a few seconds in a food processor to make it finer.

The finer the sugar the more it will melt into the bake. Have you ever noticed a cake dotted with darker "freckles" on the surface? This happens when your sugar doesn't completely dissolve into the batter, and this is usually due to the sugar being coarser.

 

HOW TO MAKE "JAM SANDWICHES" CAKE

Nothing really could be easier.  Begin by preheating your oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4 and buttering and lining your loaf tin with baking paper. 

Measure your flour out into a bowl. In a larger bowl beat the butter and sugar together with an electric whisk for 5 to 10 minutes until light, pale in color and creamy.

 Using a fork, beat the eggs together with the vanilla in a jug. Gradually beat this mixture into the butter and sugar mixture, beating well after each addition. If the mixture starts to curdle, add a spoonful of the flour.

Fold in the flour just until combined, and then fold in the warm water.

Scrape the cake batter into the prepared loaf tin, leveling off the top with a spatula. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes until the cake has risen and is golden brown. A toothpick inserted in the centre should come out clean.

Leave to cool in the tin for 10 to 15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

 

Measure the butter, icing sugar, milk and vanilla into the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat slowly, increasing the speed as you go, until the mixture is light and fluffy.

Trim the darker ends off of the loaf cake, using a serrated knife. Cut the cake into 1/2 inch thick slices. (you should get 16)Sandwich the slices together in pairs with the butter cream and a quantity of jam. Cut diagonally into large triangles to look like jam sandwiches.

You can cut the larger triangles into smaller triangles for serving.

 

Such an easy cake to make and so impressive in it's simplicity.  You could dust them with icing sugar, but really they are quite sweet enough as it is!

And it is fun, fun, FUN!!  

I thought that you might want to learn a little bit about the history behind the plate I have used to serve these fun cakes.  This was my Grandmother Woodworth's plate.  

It was a wedding gift to her and my Grandfather on the occasion of their wedding in 1928, given to them from my great Uncle Ralph Connell, who was married to my great Aunt Addie, my grandmother's sister.

It has a well used opalescent surface and gold edged handles. Quite often in those days people would not purchase a wedding gift on purpose for the couple but make a gift of something special that they already had in their home.

This was a plate that was not only special to my Grandmother and her sister, but also to my mother and now myself. What better plate to serve a celebratory bake on! 

 

Some other celebration bakes of mine that you might enjoy are:

PATRIOTIC BUTTERFLY CAKES - tender little cupcakes, cut to look like butterflies, garnished with fresh berries and butter cream. A bit of the red, white and blue!

RASPBERRY CELEBRATION CAKE - This is the cake I always bake for summer birthdays. A light moist sponge, filled with lovely raspberries, butter cream icing and seedless raspberry preserves. Top with a sweet glaze and serve with more raspberries. 

LEMON & ELDERFLOWER CAKE - A beautiful cake with a lovely moist crumb and wonderful flavours.  Filled with a lush lemon curd, and soaked in a sweet elderflower syrup, this is the cake I baked to celebrate the wedding of Harry and Meghan.

"Jam Sandwiches" Cake

Yield: 8

Author: Marie Rayner

Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 50 MinTotal time: 1 H & 20 M

What a simple fun way to celebrate. Cake is baked in a loaf tin, sliced and then sandwiched together with a delicious buttercream and some strawberry jam!

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 3/4 cup plus 2 TBS (200g) butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup (200g) caster sugar (fine granulated sugar)
• 4 medium free range eggs, at room temperature
• 4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups minus1 1/2 TBS (200g) self rising flour (see recipe note)
• 4 tsp warm water

For the buttercream filling:

• 3 1/2 TBS butter, room temperature
• 1 cup (130g) icing sugar, sifted
• 1/2 TBS whole milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

You will also need:

• 1 jar of seedless strawberry or raspberry jam

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter and line an 8 X 4 X 3 inch loaf tin with baking paper.
2. Measure your flour out into a bowl.
3. In a larger bowl beat the butter and sugar together with an electric whisk for 5 to 10 minutes until light, pale in color and creamy.
4. Using a fork, beat the eggs together with the vanilla in a jug. Gradually beat this mixture into the butter and sugar mixture, beating well after each addition. If the mixture starts to curdle, add a spoonful of the flour.
5. Fold in the flour just until combined, and then fold in the warm water.
6. Scrape the cake batter into the prepared loaf tin, leveling off the top with a spatula. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes until the cake has risen and is golden brown. A toothpick inserted in the centre should come out clean.
7. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 to 15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
8. Measure the butter, icing sugar, milk and vanilla into the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat slowly, increasing the speed as you go, until the mixture is light and fluffy.
9. Trim the darker ends off of the loaf cake, using a serrated knife. Cut the cake into 1/2 inch thick slices. (you should get 16)
10. Sandwich the slices together in pairs with the butter cream and a quantity of jam. Cut diagonally into large triangles to look like jam sandwiches.
11. You can cut the larger triangles into smaller triangles for serving.

Notes

Make Your Own Self Raising Flour:

You can make your own self raising flour by adding 1 1/2 tsp of baking powder and 1/4 tsp of salt to every cup of plain flour.

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