Andrea Britland and Chris Hood from the Dearden Tea Rooms in Haslingden share their popular recipe
Ingredients
340g unsalted softened butter, plus extra to grease
340g caster sugar
340g self raising flour
40g strawberry jam
6 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
Red food dye
For the butter cream
300g icing sugar
100g unsalted softened butter
1tsp vanilla extract
White chocolate to garnish
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C, gas mark 4 and lightly grease a 20cm round sandwich tin. Cut a long sheet of greaseproof paper and fold in two large pleats the height of the tin. Carefully use to line the tin so you have three equal-sized rectangles inside the tin.
Beat the butter, sugar and a pinch of salt together until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, adding the vanilla with the final egg. Fold in the flour and baking powder, then divide the mixture into three bowls. Colour all three with red food colouring to make them pink, each one darker then the last.
Spoon the mixtures into each third of the tin, starting with the starting with the darkest. Spread to level out. Place in the oven and bake for 45-55 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Leave the cakes to cool in the tin before trimming and slicing.
For the buttercream:
Beat together the butter, icing sugar and vanilla until light, pale and fluffy. Spread one layer with jam, sandwich with the next layer and spread over the rest of the icing, before topping with the final plain layer.
Decorate with white chocolate shavings.
