I tend to start the season, serving berries simply with cream, yogurt or ice cream, but as time passes and the fruits become more abundant, it’s nice to try some different ways to enjoy these luscious fruits.
OXO Good Grips sent me this useful three piece berry bowl and colander in which to prepare and store my berries. The bowl had a nice stable base and is just the right size to store a punnet of strawberries, raspberries or blueberries. The matching colander is useful for cleaning your berries before you store them in the lidded bowl. Of course, it’s not only suitable for berries, but you can use it for rinsing and storing other foods too.
I also received this neat little strawberry hull remover, it works best on large strawberries like the Sweet Eve strawberries from Berry World that arrived with the OXO products.
Three piece Berry Bowl set (RRP £15)
Strawberry huller (RRP £7)
Recipe for Strawberry and Blueberry Cake
A soft light sponge topped with delicious summer berries, this Strawberry and Blueberry Cake makes a great dessert or tea time treat.
- 100 gram soft margarine
- 100 gram caster sugar
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 100 gram self-raising flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 200 gram strawberries
- 200 gram blueberries
- 1 tablespoon of sugar
- 2 tablespoons of water
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Heat the oven to 350F/180C/Gas 4 and grease and line a 7 inch cake tin. I used a deep cake tin to get one sponge but you could split the cake between two tins if preferred.
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Place all the ingredients in a bowl and beat well until blended and smooth. Spoon into the tin and smooth the top.
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Bake for 25-30 minutes if using two tins and 35-40 minutes for the deeper tin, test with a skewer which should come out clean when the cake is baked.
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Turn the cake onto a cooling tray and leave to cool
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For the topping
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Hull the strawberries, slice up 6-8 strawberries (depending on size) and heat gently in a pan with a tablespoon of sugar and 2 tablespoons of water.
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Simmer gently until the sugar has dissolved and the berries start to soften, crush the berries and cook for a further 2 minutes until jammy. You should still have some juice left, leave to cool.
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Cover the top of the cake with the 'jam', reserving a couple of teaspoons of the juice. Arrange halved strawberries around the edge of the cake and fill the middle with blueberries, brush the berries with the reserved juice to add shine.
Serve with cream, ice cream or yogurt.
The sponge cake for the Strawberry and Blueberry Cake is a simple Victoria sandwich cake recipe, it makes a great vehicle for the berry topping and soaks up the sweet juices.
You can make the Strawberry and Blueberry Cake look really pretty by making a circle of strawberry halves around the outside and piling blueberries into the middle, then glazing with some jam.
Strawberry and Blueberry Cake makes a fabulous dessert, just add some cream, yogurt or ice cream. It also works as a cake with your morning coffee or afternoon tea.
If you like this recipe here are more fresh fruit and cake recipes
Peach and Bramble Meringue Slice
Rhubarb, Mango and White Chocolate Cake
Peach and Rhubarb Upside Down Cake
I was provided with the Berry Bowl, Strawberry Huller and Strawberries to review, I was not paid and all opinions are my own.
wow this looks so very delicious, I could eat large potion of this cake and have second helpings.
That looks lovely, wish I had some now. I am waiting impatiently for the berries in my garden to ripen!
I am so making this for dessert this weekend. Looks easy to make and delicious to eat. The photograph is so enticing!!!
Dang, that looks moreish! Sadly our strawberries are nearly over but it's been a fab season for them!
Janie x
A very berrytastic cake indeed.Looks rather fab.
sadly (or perhaps thankfully) I have a strawberry allergy – or I'd be eating your cake every day of the week
In this house berries seldom get as far as being used in recipes but I do sometimes make a rather gorgeous strawberry, chocolate and honeycomb crunch cheesecake
Janice that cake looks lovely. One of my favourite recipes to make using both raspberries and strawberries which are both my favourite berries, is Eton Mess so simple but everyone loves it.
Angela
I love berries, especially strawberries and blueberries. This looks like the perfect cake then. Yummy!
I'm a fan of most berries but my favourite is definitely the blueberry, I love them!
I love most berries, especially blueberries!
they all look berry, berry good 😉
I love making a big pavlova and topping it with cream and berries 🙂
Think my favourite recipe would have to be Strawberry & Raspberry Jam with Raspberry Gin on freshly made scones with a dollop of clotted cream – yum!
What a fabulous cake. My favourite recipe – simple though it is – would have to be a raspberry pavlova. I love meringue and grow raspberries which are just divine freish from the garden. Being dairy intolerant I finish mine off with coconut cream.
Such fabulosity! Gone straight to my shortlist for a feature. Thanks! Cheers from Carole's chatter