Delicious Chocolate Sponge with fresh fruit and cream

Back in my teens I used to make this sponge all the time. With the hens on the farm there was always plenty of eggs to be used. That was nearly 30 years ago now, but the recipe is still as good as ever. I'm really not sure where the recipe came from originally; probably one of the 1070's farming womens' publications. It's easy to make and always goes down well with a crowd. Use whatever summer fruit is available to make this delicious cake for dessert or afternoon tea.



My family still farm the same land, and thanks to my mother's care and attention there is always plenty of eggs in the hen house. Looking after the chickens is one of our Little Blossom's favourite farm chores. 






Chocolate Sponge with fresh fruit and cream

6 eggs - separated
300g caster sugar
200g plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons butter
4 heaped teaspoons cocoa powder
6 tablespoons warm water

For the filling:
2 cups cream
4 tablespoons icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla essence 
2 cups fresh raspberries - if fresh is unavailable, jam will do the trick. 
an extra 2 to 3 cups fresh seasonal fruit

Preheat the oven to 180deg. C. Line a 18 x 25cm or similar sized baking tin with baking paper. 

Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add approximately half the sugar, a tablespoon at a time and beat until the mixture holds firm peaks. 

In a separate bowl beat the egg yolks and sugar until they are pale and doubled in volume. 

Don't add the sugar to the yolks until you are ready to beat them or lumps of yolk will form around the sugar. 

Place the water, cocoa and butter into a small saucepan and heat gently until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth and glossy. Allow to cool. 

Fold the yolk mixture into the beaten egg whites. Now fold the cooled cocoa mixture into the eggs. Double sift the flour and baking powder and gently fold it into the egg mixture.









Pour the sponge mixture into the prepared baking tin. 












Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the sponge is well risen and bounces back when pressed. 

Allow the sponge to cool in the tin, then turn it out and remove the baking paper. Using a large serrated knife cut the sponge length-ways into two pieces. 







Beat the cream and icing sugar to soft peaks. Add the vanilla essence. 

Mash the first measure of raspberries and spread them on the bottom layer of sponge. 

Cover with cream and sprinkle with whole raspberries. 

Place the top layer of sponge on top and cover with the remaining cream. Arrange the extra fruit on top and serve!  

Blackcurrant ice cream topping

We've had blackcurrant bushes growing in the garden at the farm for as long as I can remember. As children we were regularly given berry picking chores. The bushes themselves are very easy to grow and have a long season. My late Grandmother used to make this fruit sauce all the time during summer. She always had vanilla ice cream in the freezer and this fruit sauce only takes minutes to make; a super simple and delicious dessert. This recipe makes enough to serve 6 people with some left over for your morning cereal. 

Blackcurrant ice cream topping

3 1/2 cups blackcurrants - fresh or frozen
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornflour
1/4 cup cold water

Wash the blackcurrants, especially if the weather has been dry as they can get quite dusty. You can use frozen if the season has finished. 

Place the currants into a pot with the water and bring up to a simmer. 







Cook for 10 minutes before adding the sugar. Once added, stir until the sugar is dissolved. 

Taste and add more sugar if required. 

Stir the cornflour into the 1/4 cup of cold water. Add to the blackcurrant mixture, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens. 

Cook for a further few minutes, then set aside to cool before transferring to a suitable serving jug. 

It is best served warm over ice cream. Store any left over in a covered container in the fridge.

Happy cooking xx

Honey Rhubarb Tart

The long weekend at the farm afforded me the time and luxury of doing a little more baking. A quick rummage in Mum's garden and I turned up a big bunch of new seasons rhubarb. Having made so many things with apples over the last few months, it's great to have some alternative fruit to gather from the garden. For this recipe I decided to by-pass the refined sugar in favour of honey instead.  

While I was in the kitchen, someone was driving Nana around on the lawnmower.












Honey Rhubarb Tart

For the pastry:
1 cup flour
125g butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3-4 tablespoons cold water

Sift the flour, cinnamon and salt together. 

Rub in the butter. You can use your fingertips or one of these handy little gadgets. 

I don't use a food processor for this recipe, as it tends to over mix the pastry.

Bind the pastry together using the cold water and form into a ball. 

Wrap in plastic food wrap and chill for about half an hour.

For the rhubarb filling:
8 or 9 large stalks of rhubarb
1/2 cup honey, plus an extra 2 to 3 tablespoons for spreading over the top of the tart.

Peel and slice the rhubarb into a range of lengths. 

Place into a large bowl and stir in the first measure of honey. 

Set aside, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has been released.




Preheat the oven to 180deg. C.

To assemble:
Roll out the pastry on a floured board or bench. 

Make it a little larger than the baking dish you intend to use.

Press the pastry into the baking dish. 













Drain the rhubarb and stand the slices up in the pastry lined dish. 

Trim the pastry from the edges of the tin and roll and tuck in the edges. 

Melt the extra measure of honey and drizzle over the tart. 

Bake for approximately 40 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and the rhubarb softened. 

We served ours with some natural yoghurt, but whipped cream or custard are also awesome! 

Happy baking!