Anneka Manning is a superb cook and this recipe is typical of her brilliance.
Serves 10
Preparation time 20 minutes (+ 1 hour cooling and 40 minutes standing time)
Baking time 30 minutes
INGREDIENTS
Melted butter, extra, to grease
220 g (7¾ oz/1 cup) caster (superfine) sugar
150 g (5½ oz/1 cup) plain (all-purpose) flour
1½ tablespoons cornflour (cornstarch)
1 teaspoon baking powder
6 egg whites, at room temperature
100 g (3½ oz) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Strawberry icing
125 g (4½ oz/1 cup) pure icing (confectioners’) sugar
1½ tablespoons smooth strawberry jam
2–2¼ teaspoons water
METHOD
1 Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) or 160°C (315°F) fan-forced. Brush a 2.5 litre (87 fl oz/10 cup) capacity fluted ring (bundt) tin with melted butter to grease.
2 Sift together the sugar, flour, cornflour and baking powder.
3 Use an electric mixer with a whisk attachment to whisk the egg whites on medium or medium–high speed in a clean dry bowl until soft peaks just form.
4 Sift the dry ingredients again over the egg whites and use a large metal spoon or spatula to fold until just combined. Pour over the melted butter and fold in until just combined.
5 Pour the mixture into the greased tin and smooth the surface with the back of a spoon. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the cake comes out clean. Leave the cake to stand in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool for about 1 hour.
6 To make the strawberry icing, sift the icing sugar into a medium bowl. Combine the jam and 2 teaspoons of the water, add to the icing sugar and stir until smooth and a thick coating consistency, adding the remaining 1/4 teaspoon water if needed.
7 Spoon the icing over the cooled cake, allowing it to dribble down the sides. Set aside for about 30 minutes, or until the icing is set. Serve in slices.
Baker’s tips
1 This cake will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
2 You can replace the strawberry jam with another jam of your choice – blackberry, raspberry and plum all work well.
Recipes and Images from BakeClass by Anneka Manning, Published by Murdoch Books.
