Sunday 31 August 2014

Blueberry sponge cake with cream cheese frosting




 

It’s all very well being selfless and baking to please others but sometimes you just need to be selfish and bake something to please yourself!  This week I had a hankering for blueberries baked in a simple sponge with cream cheese frosting.  Et voila!  I think blueberries are my favourite fruit to bake in a sponge – I love the way they break down, bleeding their juice into the sponge and also the magnificent pop of colour you get when cutting a slice.  It’s particularly effective when the outside of the cake is so plain and pale.




The cream cheese frosting is my favourite as it’s so smooth and creamy.  It’s great to team with a crumbly sponge because you can take some on the fork and use it to pick up all the crumbs.  This is one of my tests as to whether someone is a true cake lover or not.  (It may also double as a test for greedy guts! If so, I am guilty!)  A true cake lover will always gather their crumbs and eat them – after all, they are just smaller versions of the slice of cake.  An occasional cake eater will eat the slice and leave all the debris on the plate – it’s a total giveaway that this is not my kind of person!




I think this cake looks really good and could easily take pride of place on the afternoon tea table; don’t however assume that means it is difficult or time consuming to make – it is neither.  The sponge recipe and method is as basic as possible, as is the frosting.  It’s an example of great flavours and ingredients producing something simple but delightful.




Foolishly, I made double the amount of frosting.  I cannot explain what possessed me other than a greedy stupidity that the amounts set out in the recipe below didn’t look enough.  Hence, I was left with a large amount of cream cheese frosting.  We always joke that cream cheese frosting is so lovely we could just eat it by the spoonful so, eyeing the strawberries and left over blueberries I had sitting in a colander I threw together an impromptu dessert.  Serve it with some crisp biscuits if you want to look fancy.  Bonus dessert....the best kind!





Ingredients

For the sponge:
200g unsalted butter, at room temperature
200g caster sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
200g self raising flour
150g blueberries

For the frosting (this is enough to cover the top and sides of the cake):
100g unsalted butter, at room temperature
225g icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
100g cream cheese, at room temperature – I used Philadelphia

To decorate: 50g blueberries


Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan oven 160°C/350°F/gas mark 4.

Line a 20cm round springform tin with baking paper.

Start by making the sponge: beat together the butter and sugar until pale and whippy.  Don’t be tempted to skimp on this stage – it needs a lot of beating.

Beat in the eggs one at a time, adding some of the flour if it looks like it’s curdling.  (NB. If you have beaten the butter and sugar for long enough it will not curdle – so if your mix does make sure you beat for longer next time)

Beat in the vanilla.

Stir in the flour.

Gently stir in the blueberries taking care not to burst them.

Spoon the batter into the prepared tin and level the surface.

Bake for approximately 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.

Leave to cool in the tin for about 20 minutes before de-tinning and leaving to cool completely on a wire rack.

Now make the frosting: start by beating the butter until it is pale and whippy.

Add the icing sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth and well combined.

Add the cream cheese and beat until the frosting is smooth, thick and fluffy looking.  I like to take a small amount, place it on my tongue and then press it up against the roof of my mouth – if I cannot feel any sugar crystals and the texture feels smooth and uniform i.e. no blobs of cheese in there, then I know it’s ready.  If the beating has made the frosting too soft to comfortably spread refrigerate for 20 minutes or so.

Spread the frosting over the top and sides of the sponge cake.

Bask in the glory of the wonderful thing you have created.

Eat.


19 comments:

Catherine said...

The dessert looks wonderful; fresh and delicious. blessings, Catherine

Hello said...

Looks delicious, I could do with a slice now :-) x

Hettie said...

Oh goodness! Any idea how to get dribble off my keyboard? I could just eat that right now.
I am afraid that I purposely leave some crumbs and debris on the plate purely for my little 4 legged friend to have. No offence intended!
Hugs
xx

Cakelaw said...

What a delicious looking cake - I don't think you can have too much frosting.

United Cakedom said...

I think it's perfectly acceptable to be selfish and bake yourself something from time to time!!

I have to agree with you that this cake is gorgeous and I would happily display it on the center of my tea time table!

Looks delicious as well.

Gloria Baker said...

Absolutely delicious blueberry cake I love the frosting!!

Jo said...

Love that third picture - the icing looks so lusciously thick! I would have definitely passed your true cake lover test today when I was out with friends. I made sure I scraped up every bit of my carrot cake crumbs!

The Caked Crusader said...

Hi Hettie

I think you have found an acceptable loophole to my strict regime!

Happy baking!

Katie said...

Looks delicious. I love the way they pop and add colour to the cake. Guilty of eating every last crumb too - why waste it? :)

Snowy said...

Cake looks delicious, and a great way to use up the extra frosting.

Maggie said...

Blueberry cake is always amazing and my hubby will happily eat cream cheese frosting. Absolutely no crumbs left on the plate in my house:)

Gluten Free Alchemist said...

I am definitely an 'eat every last crumb' sort of person.... (should I be admitting that?)....This looks a delicious cake...... what a terrible shame you had to make a second pudding with the left over frosting! What a hardship!!!!!

freerangegirl said...

Mmm blueberries and cream chees!e - a match made in heaven and a bonus dessert - what's not to love!

Cakeyboi said...

Cream cheese frosting is to die for and I could eat it by the bucketload myself. Your cake and impromptu dessert look divine !

Anonymous said...

Dear CC,I have been thinking about this cake all week and have just made it. I have to say it was well worth the wait. I forget how lovely this frosting is and so I am always surprised each time. I am afraid that I didn't leave any for my dog and I am delighted to report that everyone invited to join me for a piece didn't either xx

Anonymous said...

Just made this cake, was serious good stuff... it's the second from your blog I make and it definitely won't be the last!
I had a little problem though, all my blueberries in the cake fell down to the bottom... I've read bathing them in flour before adding to the batter could help, but I desperately need some tips from the superhero!!

The Caked Crusader said...

Hi Anonymous

You can dust the blueberries in a tablespoon of flour, but I find the key is making sure they're really dry - I always roll them around on lots of kitchen roll before I use them.
Also make sure the batter isn't too runny so it can support the fruit

Happy baking!

The Caked Crusader said...

Hi Anonymous

You can dust the blueberries in a tablespoon of flour, but I find the key is making sure they're really dry - I always roll them around on lots of kitchen roll before I use them.
Also make sure the batter isn't too runny so it can support the fruit

Happy baking!

AdriBarr said...

I love the combo of cocoa and ginger. I am utterly intrigued. Thanks for presenting this cake!