This madeira like dessert cake is creamy in flavour thanks to the inclusion of Cornish clotted cream and flecked with vanilla seeds. Why not serve it with a quenelle of Rodda’s Crème fraîche mixed with some of the vanilla.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F, gas mark 4).
Put the eggs and sugar into a large bowl.
Split the vanilla pod along its length with the tip of a sharp knife and scrape the sticky black seeds into the bowl (reserve some of the seeds to mix with the serving cream if used).
Using an electric whisk or mixer, or a rotary whisk, whisk the eggs and sugar until they are very thick and mousse-like and the whisk leaves a thick trail when lifted out of the mixture.
Stir the cream until smooth, and gently stir into the mixture with the salt. Sift the flour into the bowl and carefully fold in with a large metal spoon. When thoroughly combined, transfer the mixture to the prepared tin and spread evenly.
Bake in the preheated oven for 50 mins – 1 hr, until the cake is a good golden brown and firm, and a cocktail stick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Leave for 5 mins to firm up, then carefully remove from the tin, discard the lining paper and leave to cool completely on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container.
Comments (1)
This cake is deeeeelicious. I didn’t have vanilla pod but used vanilla essence instead and tasted fine. Might add strawberries next time.