Ingredients
Filling and topping
Method
1.Preheat oven to 190°C (170°C fan-forced). Grease two 20cm round cake tins, ensuring you grease the sides of tin well.
2.Put plain flour, bicarbonate of soda and cream of tartar in a 1-cup (250ml) measuring cup. Fill the remainder of the cup with cornflour.
3.Using an electric mixer, beat eggs and sugar on a high speed for 7 minutes. Add vanilla; beat further 30 seconds, to combine.
4.While eggs are beating, sift flour mixture three times onto grease-proof paper.
5.Turn mixer to lowest speed. Gently add flour mixture; beat for 1 minute until smooth. Divide mixture between two well-greased 20cm round cake tins.
6.Place in oven on centre shelf and bake about 20 minutes or until sponge springs back when touched.
7.Take sponges out of oven; place baking paper on wire cake racks to cover. Turn sponges out from tins onto the wire racks. Allow sponges to cool completely.
8.To make filling and topping: whip cream, icing sugar and vanilla essence until you have a smooth whipped cream.
9.Place one sponge cake on a serving plate. This is the base. Spoon strawberry jam on to the base sponge cake; smooth to the edges using an offset spatula. Spoon half of the whipped cream onto the strawberry jam; smooth to the edges, leaving about 1.5cm to allow for the cream to spread to the edges once the top is on. Place the second sponge on top of the cream on to the top of sponges and smooth to the edges using an offset spatula. Decorate with fresh strawberries or as desired.
Use eggs at room temperature. When sponge mixture is placed into the cake tins, tap tins on kitchen bench to remove any large air bubbles – it eliminates big holes in sponge texture.
Note
