Sometimes the simplest cakes are the most delicious, and this is no exception. The light batter with a hint of lemon is an excellent base to showcase the punchy fruit.
The gooseberry cake is just as good eaten cold with coffee or served warm as a dessert with cream or custard. I make it in the winter with frozen gooseberries, and I don’t bother to top and tail the fruit.
This recipe also works well with blackcurrants – simply replace the gooseberries with an equal quantity of blackcurrants.
Ingredients
- 240g / 12 oz self-raising flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 120g / 6 oz Muscovado sugar
- Grated rind of 1 lemon
- 120g / 6 oz margarine or butter, melted
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 90 ml milk
- 450g / 1 lb gooseberries, topped and tailed
- Sprinkling of Demerara sugar
Directions
- Grease a 20 cm / 8” loose-bottomed tin. Heat the oven to 180*C / 375*F / Gas mark 4.
- Put all ingredients (except gooseberries and Demerara sugar) into a bowl and mix.
- Put half of the cake mixture into the tin, and spread it out.
- Add the gooseberries on top, spreading them evenly across the cake mixture.
- Spoon the remaining cake mixture over the gooseberries. Sprinkle the Demerara sugar on top.
- Bake for 1 hr 20 mins until golden brown and shrinking away from the sides of the tin.
- Serve warm with cream or custard.