Jen D'Agostino

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Pride & Prejudice: Vanilla Cake with Clementines and Peaches

Jennifer D'Agostino

“The next variation which their visit afforded was produced by the entrance of servants with cold meat, cake, and a variety of all the finest fruits in season” ~ Pride & Prejudice, Jane Austen

For February we decided to read the classic novel Pride & Prejudice. Adapted into countless movies and television mini-series, Pride & Prejudice was first published in 1813 and takes place during the Georgian or Regency Era. When I was researching cakes from this era, I found a lot of cake recipes that required a ridiculous amount of eggs. Instead of using 10 eggs for one cake, I thought I’d adapt the recipe a little bit. Be sure to serve this cake immediately, the whipped eggs do a lot of the work for rising and it tends to sink in the middle if you wait too long.

Vanilla Sponge Cake Recipe

Ingredients:

2 cups of all-purpose flour

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

4 large eggs

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 cup milk

3 tsp vanilla extract

3 tsp vegetable oil

Favourite vanilla icing recipe

Clementines + Peaches for garnish

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 F. Grease 2 9” cake pans.

  2. Sift flour, salt, and baking powder together in a bowl. Set aside.

  3. Using a stand mixer, beat eggs and slowly pour the sugar. Continue beating for about 7 minutes on high. It should double in volume.

  4. While the eggs are beating, combine the milk and butter in a microwave-safe bowl and heat up for 2 minutes. Add vanilla and vegetable oil once it’s been heated up.

  5. Once the eggs are whipped, gently add the flour a third at a time until you can’t see flour.

  6. Take about 4 tbsp of the egg mixture and mix it into the bowl with the milk and butter mixture.

  7. Slowly add the milk mixture to the remaining egg mixture until just incorporated.

  8. Pour the batter into pans and bake for 20-25 minutes. Let cool completely before assembly.

  9. Ice the top of one of the cakes, and gently place the other on top. You can either ice the whole cake or leave the sides for a more rustic look. Top with your fruit of choice.