Strawberry Lamington Cake

Strawberry Lamington Cake
Ingredients

Butter vanilla sponge cake
4 large eggs, at room temperature
225g unsalted butter, softened
125 ml milk (whole or low fat, not no fat), room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
300g cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
330g caster sugar
3/4 tsp salt
100g desiccated coconut, to decorate the cake

Strawberry glaze
450g powdered sugar
5 tbsp milk
2 tbsp strawberry jam
30 g unsalted butter, melted
1 drop of pink food colouring

Chantilly cream
250 ml whipping cream, cold
250g mascarpone, cold
20g icing sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract

Method
For the cake:
Preheat oven to 180C or 160C (fan/convection).
Place the rack in the middle of the oven.
Prepare 2 x 20cm cake pans with baking paper and baking spray and set aside.
Add the eggs, milk, and vanilla in a bowl and whisk till combined.
Add the cake flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a bowl and whisk till combined.
Add the softened butter to the flour mixture and whisk till the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
Add the egg mixture and beat until combined.
Add the remaining egg mixture, and beat until smooth.
Divide between the prepared cake pans, and bake for 25 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Allow the cakes to cool on a cooling rack.

Strawberry glaze:
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until combined, if the mixture is too thick and not spreadable add in a few extra drops of milk until you have reached the right consistency.

Chantilly cream:
Add all the ingredients to a large mixing bowl and whisk until you reach stiff peaks. Don’t mix any further or else you’ll end up with a disaster!

Assemble:
Place the cooling rack with both cake layers on over a baking tray, drizzle the strawberry glaze over each cake, and use an offset spatula or the back of a spoon to glaze the sides of the cakes.
Dust each cake with desiccated coconut.
Transfer one cake layer onto a cake board. Spoon over strawberry jam. Spread 3/4 of the chantilly cream over the jam layer.
Add the final cake layer on top.
Add the remaining chantilly cream to a piping bag fitted with a star tip, and pipe swirls on top of the cake.
Use the back of a spoon to make a divot on top of each swirl and fill it with strawberry jam.
This cake is best kept refrigerated. Enjoy!