• Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Snapchat
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

MsMarmiteLover

  • Food
    • Recipes
    • Vegetarian
    • Vegan
  • Travel
    • France
    • Italy
    • Spain
    • UK
  • Wine
  • Gardens
  • Supperclubs/Events
  • About
    • Published Articles
    • Books
  • Shop
    • Cart

Recipe: Union Jack Cake

May 30, 2012 8 Comments Filed Under: Food, Recipes, Uncategorized

This cake uses a technique called ‘biscuit joconde’. It’s not as hard as it looks, and I hope I’ve explained it adequately. Here is a step by step how to make it:
Ingredients for sponge:
85g ground almonds 
75g icing sugar
25g plain flour 
3 large eggs 
3 large egg whites
10g caster sugar
30g unsalted butter, melted
Ingredients for piping:
200g unsalted butter, softened
200g icing sugar
7 egg whites 
220g plain flour
Food coloring in blue and red
Ingredients for the tricolour, raspberry, blackberry and vanilla bavarois for the interior:
1 barquette of raspberries
1 barquette of blackberries
500ml double cream
100ml water
12g of gelatin sheets (silver)
250g caster sugar
Pinch of salt
A few drops of vanilla
Method for sponge:
Whisk the egg whites and white granulated sugar to firm, glossy peeks. Reserve in a separate clean bowl for later use. 

Sieve ground almonds, icing sugar, plain flour together.
On medium speed, add the eggs a little at a time to the dry mixture until well combined.
Fold in one third whisked egg whites to your mixture to lighten the batter. 

Then fold in the remaining whisked egg whites until just combined.
Add the melted butter.
Cover with cling film and keep the batter, we will use it later.
Method for the piping decoration:
Beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. 

Gradually add egg whites. Beat continuously.
Fold in sieved flour.
Divide batter into two bowls.

They will be red and blue.

Add the coloring until you get your desired shade.
Put the red and blue into separate piping bags.
Then, using a silpat (this is one of the things you really should buy, along with a digital thermometer and a decent peeler) placed on a flat baking tray (or turn it upside down) pipe out your Union Jack. I googled one and followed it.
Once you have done your design, place the silpat in the freezer for half an hour.
I did this twice, in order to have enough length of pattern to circumnavigate the cake. 
Method for the cake:
Preheat your oven to 250c (or use the baking oven of the Aga).
Once your design is frozen, gently spread, using a spatula, the sponge batter over the frozen design in a long rectangular shape. It should be about 3mm thick.
Then bake it. Really quickly. In a normal oven it should take about 15 minutes, but in mine it took five! So… keep checking. 
Prepare a rectangle (bigger than the cake) of greaseproof paper dusted with icing sugar.
After 5-10 minutes of cooling, no longer, flip over your sponge onto the icing sugar dusted paper. You will now see the pattern. Yay!
Using a ruler or a straight metal edge, cut, with a sharp knife, the sponge strip to the height of your bottomless cake mould. Straighten the edges too.
I used a springform ring from Lakeland. 
Place the cake ring on top of a flat sheet of greaseproof paper and on top of that put a flat sheet of clingfilm.
Pull the clingfilm up tightly outside the cake ring.
Cut a length of greaseproof paper to fit the inside of the cake ring. It should be a centimeter taller than the cake ring.
Carefully, taking your strip of patterned sponge, line the inside of your cake ring.
The pattern should be facing outwards, so when you remove the ring, you can see it. Use the second strip of patterned sponge, pressing the sides together, if one isn’t big enough.
I cut strips of leftover sponge to fit the bottom.

Method for the tri-colour bavarois:
First rub the raspberries into a sieve. This is a bit of a pain and you could use raspberry jam but really the lovely acidity of fresh is worth the effort. Keep pushing it through the sieve over a bowl. You’ll end up with a lovely seed-free purée.
In a separate bowl, do the same with the blackberries.
Leave both bowls of fruit purée to the side.
Soak the gelatin sheets in cold water.
Combine the sugar and the water in a pan and heat until dissolved. Let it cool.
Squeeze out gelatin sheets, add to the sugar syrup.
Mix one third into the raspberry purée, one third into the blackberry purée.
Whisk the cream to soft peaks.
Mix one third of the cream into the raspberry purée and fold gently until combined.
Mix one third of the cream into the blackberry purée and fold gently until combined.
Into the last third of cream, add a few drops of vanilla. Into this also add the last third of gelatiney sugar syrup. Combine, gently.
Into your cake mould, pour the raspberry mixture.
Put it in the freezer for 15 minutes.
Then pour in the blackberry mixture.
Freeze for 15 minutes.

Cut the greaseproof paper inside the cake ring level with the top.
Lastly, pour in the vanilla mixture. Smooth it out nicely with a spatula.
Put the whole cake in the fridge. Allow to set for a few hours.

When you come to serve it, peel away the cake ring carefully. You should see your beautifully patterned Union Jack bavarois cake.
Decorate on top with a mix of raspberries and blackberries. You could also use cherries, strawberries and blueberries.
Serve cool with a glass of sweet champagne. Toast the Queen even if you disagree with the monarchy. She’s done a good job hasn’t she?

Recent posts

Spring budget recipes for Willesden Library

March 23, 2023

Smoked haddock chowder recipe in Suffolk

March 17, 2023

Jewish Italian food; artichoke season

March 11, 2023

Previous Post: « The Three Sisters and other companion planting ideas
Next Post: Jubilee Mad! »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jules

    May 30, 2012 at 9:15 am

    Fabulous cake. The biscuit jaconde works really well with the union jack pattern.

    Reply
  2. tori

    May 30, 2012 at 4:26 pm

    Brilliant stuff.

    Reply
  3. tori

    May 30, 2012 at 4:26 pm

    Brilliant stuff.

    Reply
  4. James

    May 30, 2012 at 6:11 pm

    Bloody hell! Clever stuff!

    Reply
  5. Alicia

    May 30, 2012 at 10:08 pm

    Wow!! Impressive and it looks totally delicious.

    Reply
  6. Dom at Belleau Kitchen

    May 31, 2012 at 12:04 am

    The pictures help!!

    Reply
  7. Anonymous

    May 31, 2012 at 6:41 pm

    what a fabulous cake!

    Reply
  8. Sylvain

    June 3, 2012 at 5:07 pm

    Wow, it looks as funny as delicious 🙂

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

MsMarmiteLover aka Kerstin Rodgers.

Chef, photographer, author, journalist, blogger. Pioneer of the supperclub movement.

This is my food and travel blog, with recipes, reviews and travel stories. I also stray into politics, feminism, gardening.

Subscribe to my mailing list

msmarmitelover

Kerstin Rodgers/MsMarmiteLover
Doing a spring budget recipe cooking demo for @bre Doing a spring budget recipe cooking demo for @brentcouncil Willesden library. I’ve been doing this a few times a year for the last few years. Wouldn’t it be great if they had a kitchen set up permanently. Libraries are community centres and could be used to teach how to cook from scratch.
Mother’s Day flowers from @siennamarla who is ex Mother’s Day flowers from @siennamarla who is experiencing her own first Mother’s Day with Ophelia. I’m still living in chaos & work was slow yesterday due to rain. Only another month…
Last week I did a wild foraging walk with @luciath Last week I did a wild foraging walk with @luciathewildkitchen in Kent @kent_downs_aonb just outside Canterbury. I’m going to help out during her May wild asparagus workshop. This chef lived in France, is a brilliant forager and cook. Her campfire meal of lentils, wild garlic raitha and a dukkah of alexanders, Parmesan was genuinely delicious not worthy like so much foraged food.
I did a bushcraft workshop with @naturalpathwaysbu I did a bushcraft workshop with @naturalpathwaysbushcraft Hannah Nicholls in Kent. An all female group, this felt very empowering and I must get myself one of these fire sticks. @kent_downs_aonb
Me @hamyardhotelsoho where I participated in a BRI Me @hamyardhotelsoho where I participated in a BRILLIANT block printing workshop with @mollymahonblockprinting it was a belated birthday present from @siennamarla The hotel is gorgeously designed, look at the fabric wallpaper behind me. Every corner is a feast for the eyes. Lunch was included and unlike many hotel restaurants the food was so tasty (and vegetarian), perfectly judged in quantity. Congrats to the chef. I got so excited on Friday I bombarded my timeline with stories which may have been a tad overwhelming. I’ve had a great week, going to Kent @kent_downs_aonb to meet foraging chef @luciathewildkitchen and bushcraft teacher hannah @naturalpathwaysbushcraft so it’s been one of extremes, from urban high glamour to roughing it outside in frosty countryside. I’m loving life as a journalist and photographer, I get to meet so many inspiring people. At home things are a bit grim because I’m having building work done and for almost 3 months I’ve lived in rubble, without heating, and sometimes without cooking or hot water. So these days out are fab for my mental and physical health. I will be posting more on Kent, Molly Mahon, Ham Yard hotel and the building works. #springiscoming🌸 dress by @designerfriday
Artichoke lasagne. I made a white lasagna with bec Artichoke lasagne. I made a white lasagna with bechamel, Parmesan, mozzarella and artichokes. I prepped the artichokes from fresh but you could use jarred. I had this @nonna_betta in Rome. It was so good I had to figure out how to make it myself. #artichokes #carciofi #romanjewishfood
Hags by Victoria Smith @glosswitch on twitter. On Hags by Victoria Smith @glosswitch on twitter. On the demonisation of middle-aged women. We are all karens now. We’ve passed our last fuckable day. This book, an easy read, not an academic one, is brilliantly written, with an ice cold anger at the way women over 40 are erased, told to shut up. Yes we call the manager. We are sticking up for ourselves. We don’t take shit anymore. We aren’t beholden to being liked by men, being girl-friend material anymore. Embrace your hagdom. You can buy your own flowers. #books #feminism #hags
Carciofi alle giudia, artichokes, Roman Jewish sty Carciofi alle giudia, artichokes, Roman Jewish style. I learnt how to prepare these from @silvia_nacamulli a local Jewish Italian cook and teacher, who recently wrote a book ‘Jewish flavours of Italy’ available from @green_bean_books you need the right type of artichokes: mammole are currently available @natoora via @ocadouk have some lemon quarters to rub on the newly exposed parts of the artichoke and put them in water with lemon juice to stop them going black. #you take off many of the outer leaves until they are half pale green. Then cutting in a circular upward stroke, you take off the hard green purple tops of leaves. It ends up looking like a peony. Cut off the fibrous parts of the stalk. Smear salt and pepper inside the flower. Fry at 150c for 15 minutes. Remove and drain, open up to look like a sunflower. Then fry again at 180c until the outer leaves are golden and crispy. Serve immediately. Divine! #jewishitalianfood #carciofi #artichokes #mammole #artichokeseason
@silvia_nacamulli has just brought out a fantastic @silvia_nacamulli has just brought out a fantastic book ‘Jewish flavours of Italy’ . She lives local to me so I went round to see how she prepares artichokes for the famous carciofi alle guidea and artichoke stew. You need mamole artichokes that are in season now from @natoora I’ll be publishing a longer video on YouTube and a piece on her cooking in the @hamandhigh
Whipped feta dip is so simple: a block of feta, a Whipped feta dip is so simple: a block of feta, a couple of spoons of yoghurt, some lemon juice, whizzed up. Add black pepper or herbs. #5minuterecipes
This is what I’ve been doing for the last month. This is what I’ve been doing for the last month. Want to replace window overlooking garden with a wider, lower one but struggling to find something nice. All new sash windows look kinda fake. #vintagewindows #building #exposedrafters
Baking for the builder: cranberry pie with cream. Baking for the builder: cranberry pie with cream. Just because you are a builder it doesn’t mean you don’t appreciate pretty pink china and home baking. #builders
My piece is The Great Read: My piece is The Great Read:
Naples at Christmas- discovering piennolo di vesuv Naples at Christmas- discovering piennolo di vesuvio,the Christmas 🍅, which lasts up to a year fresh. It’s given boxed as gifts around Christmas being the only local fresh tomato available. It dresses all the Christmas pizzas and pastas. It’s grown on volcanic Vesuvius soil and sparsely watered. As a result it has thick skins, and a sweet intense flavour. #tomatoes #italy #naples
Not cooking much at the moment due to a thick laye Not cooking much at the moment due to a thick layer of dust over my kitchen. This will be my dining room/photography studio. Done on a whim.#unplanneddemolition
Another picture of my granddaughter Ophelia in a n Another picture of my granddaughter Ophelia in a nest of apricot tulle (found at portobello market). Isn’t she lovely? #granfluencer
Broccoli Stilton soup. This freezing week is defin Broccoli Stilton soup. This freezing week is definitely a week for soups. My friend @jimfrommanc is staying & needs his hot lunch.
Cheese on toast with crushed chilli 🌶️ in Ven Cheese on toast with crushed chilli 🌶️ in Venice the fresh food market sells bouquets of colourful chillies. I’ve still got mine, drying in an enamel jug. #travelandfood
The Christmas tomato or piennolo di vesuvio. Read The Christmas tomato or piennolo di vesuvio. Read all about it: https://msmarmitelover.com/2022/12/christmas-in-naples.html  Got a couple of bunches hanging in my kitchen. #naples #campania #tomatoes🍅 #travelphotography
Opheliagram. This morning I photographed her in an Opheliagram. This morning I photographed her in an Italian outfit I bought in Naples on a William Morris playmat which looks great and is practical for tummy time. So many things are different about parenting now. Parents use apps to track feeding, pooing, weeing etc. You don’t bathe them anymore for the first few weeks because you want to leave the vernix ( the white waxy stuff they are covered in at birth) on their skin as long as possible. Nappies now have a line on them that turns blue if they’ve done a pee. White noise apps to help them sleep. New technology guides new parents. As well as ancient probably prehistoric customs being rediscovered. #granfluencer #grandaughter I’ve tagged in @siennamarla and @jamescalmus as the authors of this baby.
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Archives

Copyright © 2023 msmarmitelover