Jam and Coconut Sponge Cake with Homemade Custard

Ingredients

• 130 g Salted butter (Room temperature)
• 120 g Vegetable oil
• 250 g Caster sugar
• 4 Large eggs
• Salt (A pinch)
• 270 g Plain flour
• Fresh nutmeg (A pinch, freshly grated)
• 2 tsp Baking powder
• 0.2 tsp Baking soda (The source specifies ⅕ teaspoon)
• 100 g Sour cream
• 2 tsp Vanilla bean paste
• Raspberry or strawberry jam (Spread a layer over the cooled cake)
• Desiccated coconut (Sprinkle generously over the jam)

Steps

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 160°C fan. Line a 9 × 9-inch square cake tin, or a similarly sized cake tin, with baking paper.

2. 2

   Add the caster sugar, vegetable oil, and room-temperature salted butter to a stand mixer. Beat for 4–5 minutes, until the mixture is light and fluffy.

3. 3

   Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition so that each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next.

4. 4

   In a separate bowl, pre-mix the plain flour, salt, fresh nutmeg, baking powder, and baking soda.

5. 5

   Gradually add the dry mixture to the stand mixer and mix only until just combined.

6. 6

   Add the sour cream and vanilla bean paste, then mix until incorporated. Avoid overmixing once the flour has been added.

7. 7

   Pour the batter into the lined cake tin and spread it evenly. Bake at 160°C fan for approximately 45–55 minutes; the source notes that baking may take up to an hour or longer depending on the tin shape and oven.

8. 8

   Check the center with an instant-read thermometer. Remove the sponge when the center reaches approximately 93–94°C, as it will continue cooking briefly after leaving the oven.

9. 9

   Let the cake cool before adding the topping.

10. 10

    Spread a layer of raspberry or strawberry jam over the cooled cake.

11. 11

    Finish with a generous sprinkle of desiccated coconut. Serve with homemade custard.

Notes

The creator says the custard is based on a separate Christmas spiced brown sugar vanilla custard recipe, made without the spices. The source mentions egg yolks, light muscovado sugar, corn flour, and a hot vanilla milk mixture for the custard, but provides no quantities or complete method, so it is not fully extracted here.

Nutrition per serving

• dessert
• cake
• British-inspired
• baked
• vegetarian
• comfort food
• jam
• coconut