![Autumn berry sourdough cake](https://thesourdoughschool.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Summer-sourdough-berry-P-680-x-copy.jpg)
The smell of summer berries wafting across the markets in France is intoxicating. It is rare ever to find such perfumed berries in the UK, especially in the supermarkets. Honestly, there is no comparison; the closest I can get is to grow my own.
This year, I have some of the best berries I have ever grown: small, dark and deeply flavoured Alpine strawberries, redcurrants and Worcester berries are all ripening almost as fast as I can pick them. The problem with picking strawberries slightly warm straight from the garden means that I eat almost as many as I bring back into the kitchen. It is, for a few sweet moments like being seven again.
Combining your unrefreshed sourdough starter into a sponge cake and adding summer berries creates a marriage that teases out the best qualities of both the sponge and the tart berries. The sourdough works wonders, adding lightness and flavour to your cake while tempering the sweetness. You can expect the outside of the slice to have a slight crunch to it, while the inside is wonderfully moist.
Really any berries will do: a handful of raspberries, blueberries or blackberries tumbled over the top of the sourdough sponge will work beautifully. Served with a dollop of softly whipped cream, it is a dreamy Sunday summer afternoon kind of bake.
RECIPE
- 175g caster sugar
- 175g soft butter
- 1 teaspoon Fairtrade Ndali vanilla essence
- 3 free-range eggs, at room temperature
- 100g un-refreshed sourdough starter
- 175g self-raising flour
- 200g blueberries, alpine strawberries and redcurrants
- icing sugar for dusting
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Grease and line a 900g (2lb) loaf tin, measuring 25 x 13 x 8.5cm.
Beat the sugar, butter and vanilla essence until pale and light, then beat in the eggs and sourdough starter, adding them a little at a time for a light consistency. I recommend using an electric mixer. Fold in the flour by hand (don’t beat it in, or the cake will be chewy).
Pour the batter into the prepared tin, spreading out the mix gently. Tumble the fruit on top and bake for 30–35 minutes until the sponge is well risen and golden brown. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out on to a wire rack to cool.
Slice and serve dusted with icing sugar and a dollop of cultured (probiotic) cream.
Vanessa’s Cultured Cream recipe can be found on page 72 of The Sourdough School Sweet Baking: Nourishing The Gut & The Mind.