This weekend we surprised our dear friend Martha with a belated birthday picnic and I made her this cake to celebrate. It’s rich, sweet and also refreshing because of the berries – perfect for a sunny summer morning with some tea or coffee! The sponge is rich and chocolaty and the frosting is a traditional vanilla buttercream. The filling consists of my favorite berries- raspberries and blueberries.

We made a surprise picnic for Martha at the University by the lake- we brought tea, coffee, water and the cake and enjoyed a nice afternoon tea! Although it was only 4 of us there, it seemed like the cake was a hit as there was only 1 tiny piece left once we were finished!

It’s super easy, so I hope you guys try it out!

Recipe:

Ingredients:

For the cake sponge:

170 g softened (but not melted) butter

120 g caster sugar

60 g cocoa powder

3 large eggs

140 g self-raising flour

60 ml milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

pinch of salt

For the filling:

190 g softened (not melted) butter

250 g powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

100 g fresh blueberries

100 g fresh raspberries

Procedures:

For the sponge:

1. Beat the softened butter and sugar together until fluffy and smooth.
2. Add in the eggs and vanilla; beat until fully incorporated.
3. To the wet mixture add the flour, cocoa powder and salt. Mix and add the milk to get a more spreadable consistency.
4. Once the batter is ready- pour it evenly into two buttered or greased cake tins and bake at 180 degrees C for 25 minutes.
5. When the cakes are done, let them cool completely before assembling.

For the buttercream:

1. Beat the softened sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Add powdered sugar in increments and incorporate smoothly.
3. Add vanilla extract to add flavour- if the frosting is too thick add some milk but be careful not to add too much (I didn’t need any as the butter was very soft already).

Assembly: 

1. Take one of the cake layers and spread half of the frosting onto the top side of the sponge.
2. Top the layer with a mixture of raspberries and blueberries.
3. Take the second layer and add a tablespoon of frosting to the bottom side of the cake and spread evenly- this make the slice stick onto the berries and also makes the cake look better.
4. Once the second slice of cake is on- frost it with the remaining of the buttercream and top with berries. You can decorate it how you want to, but I just did a circle design.

Enjoy!