One Golden Summer | Vanilla Sponge with Strawberries and Cream
One Golden Summer is the quintessential beach read with the added bonus of depth. At 17 years old, Alice spent a summer at the lake with her grandmother, Nan. Sixteen years later they are back at the old cottage, Nan is healing from a hip replacement and Alice from creative burnout. Longing for simpler times when Alice took photos for fun, she makes a plan to unwind and live this summer like she’s 17 again. Charlie, an incorrigible flirt from across the lake, has his own plans to drag Alice from behind her camera, off of the sidelines and into the moment.
This romance book cranks up the summer vibes with long days at the lake, bikinis, bbqs and warm nights. I’ve already been out swimming in the lake and bbqing but it truly doesn’t feel like summertime for me until I have a slice of vanilla sponge topped with strawberries and whipped cream. So here I am (finally) kicking off summer with one of my favorite recipes. Link to recipe in bio. Is there food or a book that feels like summer to you?
PS Huge thank you to @musiesmamareads for this book rec, it was exactly what I needed to get me through the last few weeks of the kiddo’s school into summer!
Vanilla Sponge cake with strawberries and Cream
Vanilla Sponge Cake
Ingredients
2 ⅔ cups flour
¾ tsp salt
¾ tsp baking soda
2 ¼ tsp baking powder
⅓ cup aquafaba
1 ¼ cup white sugar
½ cup plain dairy-free yogurt
1 ½ tsp vanilla 1 cup dairy-free milk
¾ cup dairy-free margarine
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line two 8” round cake pans with parchment and lightly grease the sides of the pan. In a small bowl, sift together the dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda) and set aside. In a stand mixer or large bowl with a hand mixer, beat aquafaba until foamy, add sugar and continue beating for another minute. Then add the yogurt and vanilla, beating until combined. In a microwave safe dish, heat milk and margarine in the microwave until the margarine is melted and milk is hot. To the stand mixer with the sugar and yogurt mix, add about ½ of the sifted flour mixture and ½ of the hot milk/ margarine mixture, beat together until well combined. Add the remaining flour and milk mixtures to the batter, beat until only small lumps remain. Pour the batter into the lined pans, dividing equally between the two. Bake for 30 minutes until the cake springs back when lightly pressed on top or until a toothpick in the centre comes out dry with a few crumbs. Cool the cakes for 15 minutes then turn it out onto a cooling rack. Once it has cooled, make the whipped cream and strawberries.
Strawberries
Ingredients
Strawberries 2 lbs of strawberries, divided
1-2 Tbsp white sugar
Instructions
Wash strawberries and dry. Choose nine or ten of the prettiest strawberries for the top of the cake, slice in half and set aside. Core and slice the remaining strawberries. Set aside about 20 slices for the middle of the cake. With the remaining slices, place in a bowl and sprinkle with 1-2 Tbsp of sugar.
Whipped Cream
Ingredients
2 cups dairy-free whipping cream
¼ cup icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
For the Whipped Cream: Beat the whipping cream until soft peaks form. Next add icing sugar and vanilla, beat until combined. Taste and adjust for sweetness, adding another one or two tablespoons of icing sugar if you like.
To assemble the cake
Place one cooled cake layer on a plate. If your cakes are domed on top, you may want to level it by trimming the top. Spread about ⅓ of the whipped cream on top of the layer. Cover the whipped cream with sliced strawberries that were set aside for the middle layer (the plain sliced strawberries, NO sugar). Smooth a few more spoonfuls of whipped cream on top to fill in any gaps. Place the second cake layer on top, cover with the remaining whipped cream. Place the halved “pretty” strawberries on top in a decorative form. Serve cake slices with a generous scoop of the sugared strawberries on top. This cake is best when it is fresh. To make a day ahead of serving, prepare your cake and whipped cream, store separately. On the day of, prepare your strawberries and assemble just before serving.
Hi, I’m Beth! I’ve been inhaling books and baking from the time I learned to read…
