Eton Mess Cake For St George’s Day

St George’s Day Eton Mess Cake; the classic Victoria Sponge Cake meets the old-school Eton Mess in this marvellous mash-up of traditional English desserts! Recipe courtesy of Kelly Cletheroe of Maverick Baking.

The 23^rd of April marks the day of celebration for the feast of old St George. A man held to be the patron saint of England, earned himself the title of being one of the most prominent military saints, and was forever immortalised in the myth of St George and the Dragon. All this before he even reached the age of 30, not bad, eh?

In modern times, St George’s Day is considered to be a celebration of England and its traditions. Wearing red roses and flying the red and white flag are great ways of displaying national pride, as is whipping up a lovely celebratory dessert!

This St George’s Day Eton Mess Cake is a perfect bake if you want to celebrate your English pride, your heritage or you just fancy a nice treat. A nod to the light and buttery Victoria Sponge, and to the fresh sweet and creamy delight of the Eton Mess. It’s a great collaboration between two traditional English desserts, making one truly delicious dessert or tea-time treat that you won’t be able to resist.

Two layers of classic fluffy Victoria sponge, filled and topped with fresh English strawberries, whipped vanilla cream, and crushed meringues, all arranged to honour old St George and his cross. This fabulous Eton Mess cake is easy to whip up, and will be sure to impress your family and friends!

Ingredients:

For the Victoria sponge cake:

300g soft butter or margarine
280g caster sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
5 large or 6 medium eggs
300g self-raising flour

For the filling and decoration:

150g strawberries
4 tbsp strawberry jam
300ml double or whipping cream
125g clotted cream or mascarpone cheese
1 tbsp caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3-4 meringue nests

Instructions:

For the Victoria sponge cake:

Preheat your oven – 180 degrees for conventional ovens or 160 degrees for fan ovens.
Grease two 8 or 9 inch cake tins with butter/margarine and line their bases with a circle of greaseproof paper.
Place all of the sponge cake ingredients into a large bowl and use an electric whisk, standing food mixer or a regular whisk to thoroughly beat everything together into a light cake mixture.
Divide the mixture evenly between the cake tins, levelling the tops of each out with a spoon or spatula.
Bake the cakes in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes until risen, golden and a skewer inserted into the centre can be removed cleanly.
Allow the cakes to cool in their tins for 10 minutes, before removing them and allowing them to cool completely on wire racks.

For the filling and decoration:

Use a sharp knife to remove the green tops from your strawberries and cut them into thin slices or fairly small chunks.
Place the sliced strawberries into a bowl and mix in 2 tbsp of the strawberry jam. Set aside.
In a large bowl or jug, beat the cream, clotted cream/cheese and vanilla together with a regular or electric whisk until thick and spreadable. This should take no longer than 5 minutes, careful not to over-whisk it!
Once the cakes have cooled, place one onto your serving plate.
Spread the remaining 2 tbsp jam onto the top of this cake.
Spread half of the whipped cream on top of the jam.
Spoon half of the strawberry mixture over the whipped cream.
Crush half of the meringues and scatter over the filling.
Place the other cake on top, gently pressing it down to help it stick to the filling.
To top the cake, repeat the steps for filling it, arranging the strawberries and meringue pieces into an England flag.
Slice, serve and enjoy!

If you you enjoyed this Eton Mess Cake recipe, let us know on our Facebook and Twitter, and visit Partyrama to buy England themed party supplies for your party this St George’s Day!