The Genoise Cake with Raspberries and Cream Recipe This delicate, whisked cake makes an impressive dessert, but is also ideal as the centerpiece for an afternoon picnic on a sunny summer’s day.

For the cake:

3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus extra for greasing

1 cup all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting

4 large eggs

1.2 cup sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

finely grated zest of 1 lemon

For the filling:

2 cups heavy cream

11oz (325g) raspberries

1 tbsp confectioner's sugar, plus extra to serve

Method

1 Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease the cake pan and dust with flour.

2 In an electric mixer with whisk attachment, or using a large bowl and a hand mixer, whisk together the eggs and sugar for at least 5 minutes, until they are thick, pale, and at least doubled in volume.

3 Sift the flour and carefully fold it into the mixture. Fold in the vanilla, lemon zest, and butter.

4 Put the batter into the cake pan and bake immediately for 40 minutes, or until the top is springy and a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.

5 Leave the cake to cool in the pan for a few minutes, then turn out and leave to cool completely on a wire rack.

6 When the cake is cold, cut it very carefully horizontally into three equal pieces, using a serrated bread knife.

7 In a large bowl, whip the cream until stiff. Crush the raspberries lightly with the confectioner's sugar and fold into the cream, leaving behind any juice so that the cream is not too wet.

8 Spread half the cream and raspberry mixture onto one piece of the cake, and top with a second piece. Spread the remaining cream mixture on to the second layer of cake and top with the final layer. Dust the cake with confectioner's sugar and serve immediately.

PREPARE AHEAD:

The cake will keep, unfilled, in an airtight container for one day.

BAKER’S TIP
This is a classic Italian cake that uses very little fat, and only a little melted butter, for flavor. These cakes are infinitely adaptable, and can be filled with anything you like, but should ideally be eaten within 24 hours of baking, because the lack of fat means they do not store as well as other cakes.

Genoise Cake with Raspberries and Cream