Cook Time: 18-22 minutes
What you need
Sponge
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 200g caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- 170g Odlums self-raising flour , sifted
Buttercream
- 250g unsalted butter, very soft
- 500g icing sugar, sifted
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1–2 tbsp milk (if needed)
Matcha Buttercream
2 tsp good quality matcha powder
Filling & Decoration
- 200g raspberry jam
- 10 freeze-dried raspberries
- 6 fresh raspberries
- Optional gold leaf
Recipe Steps
- Prepare the tins
- Preheat the oven to 180°C / 160°C fan.
- Grease and line two 20cm round cake tins with baking parchment.
- Make the sponge
- Place the eggs and caster sugar in a large mixing bowl.
- Using an electric mixer, whisk for 4–6 minutes until the mixture becomes very pale, thick and airy and falls in ribbons from the whisk.
- Beat in the vanilla extract and salt.
- Sift in the self-raising flour and gently fold with a spatula until just combined, keeping as much air in the batter as possible.
- Divide the mixture evenly between the prepared tins and level the surface.
- Bake for 18–22 minutes, until risen, lightly golden and springy to the touch.
- Leave to cool in the tins for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
- Make the buttercream
- Beat the soft butter for 3–4 minutes until pale and creamy.
- Gradually beat in the icing sugar until smooth and fluffy.
- Add the vanilla extract and beat again.
- If the buttercream feels stiff, add 1–2 tablespoons milk to loosen slightly.
- Divide and flavour
- Remove ¼ of the buttercream and keep this vanilla for the filling and decorative piping.
- Sift the matcha powder into the remaining ¾ buttercream and beat until smooth and evenly coloured.
- Assemble the cake
- Place one sponge layer onto a serving plate.
- Transfer the vanilla buttercream to a piping bag.
- Pipe a thick ring around the outer edge of the sponge to create a buttercream border.
- Spoon the raspberry jam into the centre and gently spread within the buttercream ring.
- Place the second sponge on top.
- Ice the cake
- Dollop the matcha buttercream generously onto the top of the cake.
- Using a cranked palette knife, softly spread and smooth the icing across the surface for a relaxed finish.
- Decorate
- Fit a piping bag with a petal or frill nozzle (No. 61) and fill with the remaining vanilla buttercream.
- Pipe a delicate frilled border around the edge of the cake.
- Blitz the freeze-dried raspberries into a fine powder and lightly sprinkle over the top.
- Arrange the fresh raspberries on the cake and finish with small pieces of gold leaf, if using.
To Serve
- Slice with a hot knife for clean layers.
- The cake is best eaten the day it’s made but will keep covered for up to 2 days.
