Summer’s arrived! And what could be better for a sunny summer’s day (or Father’s Day!) than giving a classic Victoria sponge a seasonal boozy makeover? This week, I’ve infused fruity IPA into this super-light sponge, and topped it with sweet British raspberries.

I’ve also filled this cake to the brim with extra-fruity jam and tangy cream cheese frosting, making it a show stopping treat for Father’s Day or to celebrate someone special.

So grab the following ingredients, and let’s get baking!

Ingredients

For the sponge:

225g unsalted butter, at room temperature

200g caster sugar + 100g caster sugar, separated

4 large eggs, yolks and whites separated

1 tsp vanilla extract

250ml IPA beer, we recommend something fruity, like mango

2 tsp baking powder

360g plain flour

Pinch of salt

1 punnet/150g raspberries fresh, or defrosted

For the decoration:

220g full fat cream cheese

115g unsalted butter at room temperature

350g icing sugar + extra to dust

1 tsp vanilla extract

150g raspberry jam

1 punnet/150g fresh raspberries

First, let’s bake the cake.

Step 1: Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 5/190ºC/170ºC fan. Grease and line two 20-inch round cake tins.

Top tip! Don’t have two cake tins? Weigh your mixing bowl before you start, so you can work out the total weight of your cake batter. Then pour half of it into  your tin at a time and bake in two batches for evenly sized layers.

Step 2: Using an electric whisk, cream together the butter and 200g of the sugar for 5 minutes until it has lightened in colour and become fluffy.  Then add the egg yolks one at a time, beating well between each addition.

Step 3: Beat in the IPA and vanilla extract until the liquid is no longer pooling at the bottom of the bowl.  This will take a little while, and will still look slightly curdled at the end, but don’t worry that is normal!

Step 4: Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into the bowl and mix until just combined. Then add 75g of raspberries to the bowl and beat for another minute until lightly crushed.

Step 5: In a second bowl whip the egg whites until they form stiff peaks, then slowly beat in the remaining 100g of sugar. Using a wooden spoon, gently fold the egg whites into the cake batter until completely combined.

Step 6: Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake tins, then press the remaining 75g of raspberries into the top of the batter. Bake in the middle of the oven for 30-35 minutes until golden brown and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Allow your cakes to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before removing, then leave them to cool completely on a wire rack.

Now let’s make the cream cheese frosting

In a large bowl, cream the butter, cream cheese and vanilla until completely combined.  Sift in the icing sugar and beat for 5 minutes until light, white and fluffy.

Top tip! To stop clouds of icing sugar covering your kitchen, drape a clean tea towel around the open top of the bowl (hold the towel in place so it doesn’t get caught in the whisk).

Finally, let’s decorate!

Step 1: Add half of the raspberries to the jam and stir to crush slightly.  Spread the jam over the bottom layer of the cake.

Step 2: Dollop ¾ of the icing on top of the jam and use a spoon to evenly spread it out.

Step 3: Add the second cake on top of the icing.

Step 4: Dollop the remaining icing in the centre of the cake and decorate with the reserved raspberries.  Finish with a dusting of icing sugar.