Blackberries!

So summer is over and autumn has begun and with the first frost just around the corner the fields and hedgerows are brimming with bounty. When I arrived in Cornwall last weekend I was delighted to see the wiry brambles climbing over from the farmers field were hanging heavy with juicy ripe blackberries. Last Monday morning with scratched limbs and stained fingers I returned to the kitchen triumphant, with a bag full of deliciously fragrant blackberries and set to work making an autumn take on the classic Victoria sponge.

For the filling I put about 200gs of the blackberries in a pan with a handful of sugar, a little water and a dash of elderflower cordial made earlier in the year from blossom collected from the very same hedgerow as blackberries. I left this to gently simmer until the blackberries broke down and the liquid reduced to a jam like consistency.

For the cake I creamed 200g of softened butter and 200g of golden caster sugar with the zest of a lemon until light and smooth; adding the zest at this early stage really helps to release the citrus oils and gives the finished cake a more lemony flavour. I then added four eggs one at a time and 200g of self-raising flour added a tablespoon at a time with each egg and the remainder at the end. Once mixed until smooth I poured the mixture into a pre greased tin and cooked in a 180’ preheated oven for about 60 minutes until golden brown on top and cooked through to the centre.

While the cake was in the oven I made a mouth-watering topping of cream cheese, icing sugar and lemon juice beaten with a whisk then chilled in the fridge for twenty minutes or so. This is a fairly runny topping that can be drizzled over a cake rather than spread, if you are making this recipe at home don’t be alarmed by the consistency.

Once the sponge was cool enough to handle I cut it in half and filled generously with the blackberry filling. I placed the sandwich on a cake stand and poured over the cream cheese topping and watched it drizzle down the sides, I topped with a handful of fresh blackberries and gave a generous dusting of icing sugar to finish. We took my autumnal creation round to our French neighbors and enjoyed a slice while watching the typically English rain drizzle down the window- Autumn has definitely arrived.