This is a truly old-fashioned cake iced with a simple ‘American frosting’ of sweet whipped egg white.
Cake tins needed: 3 x 20cm (8in) sandwich tins
225g (8oz) butter, softened
225g (8oz) caster sugar
4 large eggs
225g (8oz) self-raising flour
2 level tsp baking powder
100g (4oz) walnuts, finely chopped
for the frosting
2 large egg whites
350g (12oz) caster sugar
4 tbsp water
¼ level tsp cream of tartar
to decorate
walnut halves
Step one Preheat the oven to 160°C/Fan 140°C/gas 3. Grease the tins then line the base of each tin with non-stick baking parchment.
Step two Measure all the ingredients for the cake into a large bowl and beat until thoroughly blended. Divide the mixture equally between the tins and level the surfaces.
Step three Bake for 25–30 minutes until the cakes are golden and springy to the touch. Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes then turn out, peel off the parchment and finish cooling on a wire rack.
Step four To make the frosting, measure all the ingredients into a bowl over a pan of hot water and whisk for 10–12 minutes until thick. Sandwich the cake layers together with a little of the frosting, then use the remainder to cover the top and sides of the cake, swirling the icing to form softened peaks. Work quickly as the icing sets rapidly. Leave to set in a cool place, but not in the fridge.
Step five Decorate with the walnut halves.
Don’t be tempted to use more baking powder than specified, or the cake will rise up and then sink back again. In this all-in-one method, self-raising flour and baking powder are used together to give the cake the necessary lift. The quickness of the method means that less air is whisked into the mixture than if the cake is made the traditional way.