FOLDING COOLING RACK RECIPES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 9-inch cake pans.
• Cream white sugar, 1 1/2 cups butter, and eggs together in a bowl. Beat well.
• Combine flour, baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add to the sugar mixture alternately with milk. Add vanilla extract. Beat until batter makes ribbons when falling from the whisk or beater. Divide batter among the prepared cake pans.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool layers on a rack before icing, at least 1 hour.
• Combine brown sugar, 1 cup butter, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until brown sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes. Add evaporated milk and continue stirring. Bring to a gentle boil and let bubble for about 4 minutes, stirring constantly to avoid sticking. Remove from heat and allow to cool, about 5 minutes.
• Mix confectioners' sugar and vanilla extract into the butter-milk mixture using an electric mixer until icing caramelizes and thickens to the desired consistency.
• Spread icing onto the cooled cake layers. Stack layers; ice top and sides.

Steps:

• For the jam, place the strawberries in a large saucepan and crush with a potato masher.
• Add the jam sugar and heat gently, stirring continuously, until the sugar dissolves.
• Keep stirring, increasing the heat, bringing it to a full rolling boil, one that bubbles vigorously, rises in the pan and cannot be stirred down.
• Start timing and boil for four minutes only. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
• For the sponge, preheat the oven to 190C(170C fan)/375F/Gas 5. Lightly grease the tins with butter.
• To make the cakes, cream the butter and caster sugar together until the mixture is pale and light. Gradually add the beaten eggs, mixing well between each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl from time to time. Add the vanilla extract and mix to combine.
• Sift the flour into the bowl and fold in until the mixture is glossy and smooth.
• Divide the mixture between the mini sandwich tin cups and level with a teaspoon.
• Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for about 15 minutes until golden-brown and springy to the touch.
• Leave the cakes to cool in the tin for two minutes and then ease onto a wire cooling rack and leave to cool completely.
• Whip the cream to soft peaks and spoon into a piping bag fitted with a small plain nozzle.
• Cut each cake in half horizontally with a bread knife.
• Pipe one dot of the cream in the middle of each cake base and the rest in dots around the edges. Drizzle the jam over the cream, place the sponge tops on and lightly sift icing sugar over the cakes.