Whipped Cream Cake

‘Is it time for another cake recipe yet?’ you ask.

Yes. Always. Especially when that cake is as acceptable for breakfast as it is for dessert, decked out with fresh seasonal fruit and the simplest, most perfect cloud of softly whipped cream topping it all off. There are no multiple layers here to frost between; no dividing the batter between pans or washing your mixer just so you can dirty it by making frosting for your cake five minutes after you put the cake in the oven, and most importantly: it’s delicious.

I’m thinking you’ll probably do the same thing as I did with this cake, which is snooze on it because, I mean, it’s a white cake that doesn’t even have proper frosting. But don’t let a day go by before you make this cake. It’s seriously that good.

Let me explain to you how delicious this cake is: when I made it, the center puffed up in the oven such that it wasn’t flat on top and was going to look strange topped with whipped cream, so I sliced the top of so that it would be flat. But the thin shavings that I sliced off were so good, Judson and I were even fighting over them.

This cake is so rich and plush, I could eat it plain with a hot cup of coffee, or bedecked with whipped cream (as shown here), or with yogurt (for breakfast! Done that too), or with heaps of chopped berries (strawberries in their juice! Also tried it that way). I’d even hazard a guess it would be great with a drizzle of ganache topping the whipped cream or a puff of mascarpone in place of the whipped cream, but regardless, it’s not going to let you down. This is the perfect cake to make just now, when all the berries are in season and ready to go- it’s a simple cake that you won’t feel too guilty about, perfect for bringing to your next brunch party.

It’s the kind of thing I imagine Eleanor making on a Friday to enjoy over the weekend with friends stopping by for a morning cup of coffee, and the type of thing that makes me wish I took more time for reading the newspaper on weekend mornings instead of waking up early to take the dog out and then promptly falling asleep with her on my chest on the couch in the sun. I’m always looking for recipes simple enough to crank out on a weeknight and this one definitely fits the bill- in fact, I’m making it again this weekend to enjoy while I recover from Eurovision.

The verdict:

4 spoons out of five. The cake as made gets 5 spoons, but I’m knocking one off because the whipped cream topping means you really need to eat this within 36 hours of making it for it to be at its best.

One year ago: Fried Chicken & German Potato Salad
Two years ago: Green Salad with Toasted Sesame Vinaigrette

The recipe:

Whipped Cream Cake

The directions:

Preheat oven to 175C/350F.
Grease and flour an 8-inch springform pan.
Sift together flour, 1 c sugar, baking powder and salt, then set aside.
Whip 1 c cream until it holds soft peaks.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Stir in vanilla gently.
Add flour mixture and stir until well-blended.
Pour into prepared pan and bake 40-50 minutes until light golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Let stand in pan 5 minutes after removing from oven, then remove sides of springform and set cake on wire rack to cool completely.
Once cake is completely cooled, whip remaining 1 c cream with 1 tbsp sugar until soft peaks form.
Pipe or spread onto completely cooled cake and garnish with blueberries, strawberries or any other in-season fruit.

The ingredients:

1 ½ c flour, sifted
1 c + 1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
2 c whipping cream, divided
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla