Courting Cake
This recipe came from Edith, who was a member of
a group in Barnsley where I did a talk about Grandma's baking. ‘Courting’ in
the North of England means ‘dating’ or ‘going out’ with a partner.
Courting Cake is a traditional cake given as a gift to your ‘intended’ or ‘betrothed’ or whoever you had ‘got your eye on’ as a potential partner! The texture of the cake is denser than a Victoria Sandwich but lighter than Shortbread. It's usually filled and topped with lightly bruised strawberries but I’m hoping the baker’s heart doesn’t get bruised along the way!
Courting Cake is a traditional cake given as a gift to your ‘intended’ or ‘betrothed’ or whoever you had ‘got your eye on’ as a potential partner! The texture of the cake is denser than a Victoria Sandwich but lighter than Shortbread. It's usually filled and topped with lightly bruised strawberries but I’m hoping the baker’s heart doesn’t get bruised along the way!
Courting Cake
6oz/175g
butter
6oz/75g caster
sugar
2 large eggs
(beaten)
8oz/225g plain
flour
1½ tsps baking
powder
pinch bicarbonate
of soda
Milk to mix
Grease
and line 2 x 8 inch (21 cm) sandwich tins with baking paper. Pre heat the oven to 180C (Fan 160c)/Mark
4/350F. Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy and add the beaten eggs
gradually. Sift in the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Add enough milk to give a soft dropping consistency.
Divide the mixture evenly between the tins and bake for 25 - 30 minutes until well
baked. Allow to cool before turning out onto a wire rack.
For the decoration
8oz/225g
strawberries
Icing
sugar
Whip the cream or prepare the Butter cream
and spread on one cake. Slice the strawberries and put on top of the cream,
reserving some for decorating the top of the cake. Put the remaining cake on
top. Either dredge the top with icing sugar or cover with cream or butter cream
and decorate with the reserved strawberries.
Meryl says : It’s a good way to use
those luscious strawberries which we get all year round now in the markets and
grocery stores and makes a gorgeous cake or dessert for Valentine’s Day. What
will you bake for your Valentine? Tempt them with biscuits?