Mary Berry Fat Free Sponge Food

MARY BERRY'S EASY VICTORIA SANDWICH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. Grease and line two 20cm/8in sandwich tins. Use a piece of baking paper to rub a little butter around the inside of the tins until the sides and base are lightly coated, then line the bottom with a circle of baking paper.
• Break the eggs into a large mixing bowl, then add the sugar, flour, baking powder and butter. Mix together until well combined with an electric hand mixer (you can also use a wooden spoon), but be careful not to over mix. Put a damp cloth under your bowl when you're mixing to stop it moving around. The finished mixture should fall off a spoon easily.
• Divide the mixture evenly between the tins: this doesn't need to be exact, but you can weigh the filled tins if you want to check. Use a spatula to remove all of the mixture from the bowl and gently smooth the surface of the cakes.
• Bake the cakes on the middle shelf of the oven for 25 minutes. Check them after 20 minutes. The cakes are done when they're golden-brown and coming away from the edge of the tins. Press them gently to check - they should be springy to the touch. Set aside to cool in their tins for 5 minutes. Run a palette or rounded butter knife around the inside edge of the tins and carefully turn the cakes out onto a cooling rack.
• To assemble the cake, place one cake upside down onto a plate and spread it with plenty of jam. If you want to, you can spread over whipped cream too. Top with the second cake, top-side up. Sprinkle over the caster sugar.

MY MOTHER'S FATLESS SPONGE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 165C/fan, 185C, 350-375F.
• Line 2 X 8 inch sponge tins
• Seive the flour, baking powder and cornflour together.
• Seperate eggs and whisk egg whites until stiff.
• Whisk in sugar.
• Whish egg yolks and then add them to the whites, whisk altogether.
• Fold in flour, cornflour and baking powder and divide between the 2 tins.

QUICK FAT FREE SPONGE

Steps:

• Preheat Oven to 170C/Fan 150C/ Gas 5. Place baking paper in a 7inch circular baking tin.
• Using an electric whisk, whisk together the eggs and sugar until it has tripled in size and is stiff. A test of this is to use the whisk to create a line on top of the mixture with the mixture and if it stays, then it is ready.
• Carefully fold in the flour, making sure to knock out as little air as possible so that the cake will rise well, pour the mixture into the tin and put into the oven for 10 minutes.
• (If making Victoria Sponge version) Create two of these cakes and leave to cool, whisk the cream ready.
• Once cooled, spread jam on one of the halves and then place the whipped cream on top. Then place the other half on top and enjoy - best served with a nice cup of tea!!

MARY BERRY'S VICTORIA SPONGE CAKE

Steps:

• To make the sponge, add the granulated sugar and soften butter to a bowl, and beat well with a hand mixer until creamy.
• Add the eggs and mix again, then add the flour, vanilla extract and baking podwer, and mix to get a smooth batter.
• Butter and flour two cake tins (19 cm, 7.48 inches), and divide the batter evenly between the tins.
• Bake in the preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius (350 Fahreneheit) for 20 minutes, or until golden, and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
• Leave the cakes to cool down.
• To make the buttercream, sift the icing sugar with the butter, then add the vanilla extract and milk, and mix again to get a silky cream.
• To assemble the cake, spread the icing over the bottom of one cake, spread the jam over, and top with the second cake.

MARY BERRY'S MAPLE SYRUP CAKE

Steps:

• You will need a deep, round, 8 inch cake tin.
• Lightly grease the cake tin and line the base with a circle of nonstick baking parchment.
• Pre-heat the oven to 325.
• Put all the ingredients for the cake except the pecan nuts into a large mixing bowl and mix well until evenly blended; an electric mixer is best for this but, of course, you can also beat by hand with a wooden spoon.
• Stir in the chopped pecan nuts.
• Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake tin and level the surface.
• Bake for 1-11⁄2 hours, until well risen, golden and springy to the touch.
• Allow to cool slightly, then turn the cake out onto a wire rack, peel off the lining paper and leave to cool completely.
• Whip the cream until it just holds its shape and then fold in the maple syrup.
• Split the cake horizontally into three and fill and cover with the cream, using a small palette knife to smooth it evenly over the top and sides.
• Decorate the top with the shredded orange zest.
• Store in the refrigerator.