Lancashire Courting Cake

Lancashire Courting Cake

To show off their baking skills to their fiancé/betrothed (or maybe their future mother in law) girls from Lancashire baked this cake. The bottom half is a cake version of shortbread. The top half is just a lovely cake. It's a nice summer treat and you can use up slightly dented, soft or over-ripe strawberries. In addition you can use  dollops of fresh whipped cream and strawberry jam to sandwich the cakes together. 

It takes plusminus 3 hours to make in total.


Shopping List:

For the bottom layer:

170 gr. golden caster sugar ( or light brown sugar)
125 gr butter softened
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 large egg (free range)
325 gr plain white flour

For the top layer:

112 gr butter softened
112 gr caster sugar
2 eggs, beaten
175 gr self-raising flour
15 ml milk
strawberry jam
150 ml fresh double cream
225 gr strawberries, sliced ( or whatever you have left)
icing sugar to decorate with

For the bottom layer:

Preheat your oven to 180C. Cream together the butter and the sugar until it is pale and fluffy. Fold in the eggs until nicely combined. Sieve in the baking powder with the plain flour over the butter mixture and fold in gently but firm until well combined. ( This will happen). Roll the dough out on a lightly floured work space and cut out into a heart shape of about 25 x 22 cm .
Bake in your preheated oven for about 20 minutes but keep your eyes onto your oven! It can easily burn. Take the heart out of the oven and sprinkle with caster sugar while still hot.
Let it cool completely and out of harms way.

For the top layer:

Grease or spray and line a 23-24 cm cake tin or use your sillicone heart cake shape. Your round cake can be cut to shape and match your bottom layer when all have cooled.
Your oven should still be @ 180C if all is well. If not re- preheat your oven.

Cream the butter and the sugar together until pale and fluffy. Add the beaten eggs slowly and bit by bit to your butter mixture. Beat it after each addition. Gently fold in your self-raising flour and add enough milk to give the mixture a soft dropping consistency. Pour the mixture into your prepared tin ( be it round or heart shaped) and bake for 25 - 30 minutes until firm to the touch and your cake tester comes out clean. It can easily burn! Leave to cool and turn out onto your wire rack to cool completely.

To assemble : whip up the cream and delicately smooth this over the bottom cake. If neccesary cut the cake(s) into a heart. Add the sliced strawberries. Smooth dollops of strawberry jam on the bottom of the top cake and sandwich this on top of the bottom cake. Sprinkle the assembled cake with icing sugar and put two of your best strawberries on top to resemble two lovers.

This cake was baked in The Netherlands!


                                                             "Enjoy"