Cake Corner

Ingredients
150 g unsalted butter , (at room temperature), plus extra for greasing
200 g caster sugar
1 lemon
150 g fine cornmeal
150 g ground almonds
½ teaspoon baking powder
4 large free-range eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
200 g blueberries

Method
Preheat the oven to 190ºC/375ºF/gas 5. Grease a 25cm round cast-iron skillet or cake tin with a little butter.
Place the sugar in a large mixing bowl, finely grate in the lemon zest and rub together with your fingers – this will release the oils and increase the flavour.
Add the rest of the ingredients, except the blueberries, and mix into a smooth batter. Scrape it into the skillet or tin and spread out evenly. Scatter over the berries and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the cake springs back when lightly pressed.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool a little before serving. Delicious served warm with scoops of vanilla ice cream

Ingredients
225 g unsalted butter (at room temperature) , plus extra for greasing
225 g white caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large free-range eggs
225 g self-raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 splash of milk
FILLING
200 ml double cream
1 vanilla pod
1½ tablespoon of icing sugar , plus extra for dusting
250 g fresh strawberries

Method
Preheat the oven to 180ºC/gas 4. Grease and line the bases of 2 round 20cm sandwich tins.
Cube up the butter, then cream together with the sugar in a large mixing bowl until pale and fluffy. Mix in the vanilla extract.
Beat the eggs, then gradually mix into the creamed butter and sugar. Sift, then fold in the flour, baking powder and ¼ of a teaspoon of sea salt with a large metal spoon until just incorporated (don’t overmix).
Stir in 1 splash of milk to loosen the batter, then evenly divide it between the 2 cake tins.
Bake the cakes in the oven for 22 to 25 minutes, or until golden and cooked through. To test, insert a skewer into the middle of a cake; it’s ready when the skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tins for 5 minutes, then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Once completely cool, pour the cream into a large bowl, scrape in the vanilla seeds and whisk until you have soft peaks.
Sift in icing sugar and gently fold through. Place one of the cakes on your chosen plate or cake stand and spread over the vanilla cream, but not right to the edges or it will spill later.
Hull and roughly slice the strawberries, then scatter on top of the second cake. Dust with icing sugar and decorate with extra strawberries, if you like.