This is the tall, over-the-top cake of summer, perfect for celebrations. It’s supposed to feel blooming, abundant and slightly messy. Make sure the cake batter is evenly split between the cake tins.
I also suggest you don’t use strawberries – keep things fabulous with darker berries.
Ingredients
For the cake
200g butter, melted and cooled, plus extra for greasing
360g plain flour
325g caster sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
90ml groundnut or sunflower oil
100ml whole milk
5 large eggs
finely grated zest of 2 lemons
For the filling
200g blackberries, plus more to decorate
200g blueberries, plus more to decorate
juice of ½ lemon
100g caster sugar
200g raspberries
250g mascarpone
200ml double cream, whipped
100g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 tbsp soft-set berry jam
For the icing
1 tbsp lemon juice
140g icing sugar, sifted
Method
Step 1
Heat the oven to 180C/170C fan/gas mark 4. Butter 3 x 20cm tins, then put a disc of baking parchment into the base of each one. Butter the paper too.
Step 2
Put 360g plain flour, 325g caster sugar and 1 tbsp baking powder into a large bowl.
Step 3
Mix together 200g melted and cooled butter, 90ml groundnut or sunflower oil, 100ml whole milk, 5 large eggs and the finely grated zest of 2 lemons in a jug or large bowl and whisk with a fork.
Step 4
Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ones, mixing with a wooden spoon or whisk.
Step 5
Divide this evenly between the tins and bake for 20-25 minutes. Test to see whether the cakes are cooked by inserting a skewer into the centre of each one. The skewer should come out clean
Step 6
Leave them to cool for 15 minutes then turn them out on to a wire rack.
Step 7
Meanwhile, for the filling, put 200g blackberries, 200g blueberries, juice of ½ lemon and 100g caster sugar into a saucepan.
Step 8
Set these over a low heat for about 2 minutes, or until the berry juices start to run. The fruits shouldn’t collapse into a purée but keep their shape.
Step 9
Remove from the heat, leave to cool a little then add 200g raspberries. Set aside.
Step 10
Cut off the domes of 2 of the cakes, so they have flat tops. If the third sponge is a little domed, that’s fine; it will go on the top.
Step 11
Mix 250g mascarpone with 200ml whipped double cream, 100g icing sugar and 1 tsp vanilla extract then divide the mixture in half.
Step 12
There will be plenty of juices from the berries in the pan. For the icing, strain 5 tbsp of the juice through a sieve into a bowl. Add 1 tbsp lemon juice and 140g sifted icing sugar. Mix until you have a smooth icing.
Step 13
Put the first sponge on a serving plate. Spread 2 tbsp soft-set berry jam on top, then half of the mascarpone mixture. Spread it right to the edges then pierce the sponge with a skewer.
Step 14
Spoon half of the fruit mixture on top. Let the fruit juices run down the sides of the cake and into the holes.
Step 15
Add the next sponge, the remaining 2 tbsp jam and the rest of the mascarpone, spreading it out to the edges.
Step 16
Spoon on the rest of the fruit. Let the fruit juice run down the sides as before.
Step 17
Put the last sponge on top and add the icing (it’s supposed to be messy).
Step 18
Decorate with whole fresh blackberries and blueberries.