Coronation cake recipe

A beautiful, celebratory triple-layer coronation cake decorated with fresh fruits in the shape of a Union Jack.

This cake looks so impressive, it will make a perfect centrepiece for any coronation weekend street parties, garden parties or family celebrations. The cake is a basic sponge, like a Victoria sponge. It has equal weights of butter, sugar, flour and eggs, plus a little vanilla essence for extra caky flavour. Because it's such a simple base it, it's really easy to bake - it's even suitable for beginner bakers. All the fanciness is in the decorating, but don't worry - that is pretty easy to do too: all you need is a bit of patience to get the flag right on top. 

Ingredients

• 220g unsalted butter softened
• 220g caster sugar
• 4 eggs beaten
• 220g self-raising flour sifted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp milk (optional)

For the filling:

• 400ml clotted cream
• 100ml double cream
• Blueberry jam
• Raspberry jam
• 200g raspberries
• 100g blueberries

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Great and line 3 x 20cm round cake tins.
2. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy and gradually beat in the eggs. Add the vanilla essence and lightly fold in the flour.
3. Loosen the mixture with the milk if needed - the mixture should drop easily from the spoon. Divide the mixture evenly between the tins and level.
4. Bake for 25-30mins until risen and lightly browned. A skewer inserted in the middle should come out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
5. Combine the clotted and double cream in a bowl. If the mixture is too running gently whisk by hand until it forms soft peaks.
6. Take one sponge and spread it generously with blueberry jam. Follow this with a thick layer of cream. Be careful not to spread to the very edge of the cake otherwise it will spill out when you add the next layer!
7. Place a second sponge layer on top of the first, gently pressing down until level.
8. Spread the second layer generously with raspberry jam followed by the cream and the final layer of sponge.
9. Spread the remainder of the cream on the top of the cake and decorate with the fresh berries in the shape of a Union Jack.

Top tip for making this coronation cake

You can use strawberries or redcurrants instead of raspberries on top of the cake, and for the layer of red jam. Just pick a red jam that's a really vivid red so it contrasts with the other layers. If you can't find blueberry jam, blackcurrant would make a nice contrasting, almost blue-ish shade.

How can I make sure my cake is even and not wonky?

To ensure the most even rise possible, make sure the oven temperature is exactly right using an oven thermometer. Bake the layers in the centre of the oven and keep monitoring the temperature throughout cooking.

What can I do if my layers come out wonky?

Choose your best, flattest layer for the top of the cake, as this one will show the most. Even out the other layers with a big cake knife, but bear in mind you can hid a little unevenness in the filling layers.

Can I bake more than one layer in one tin and halve it?

We would say, don't be tempted to bake more than one layer in a single cake tin. You could do this and cut it in half to make two layers, but you'll get a better, more even rise from baking all three layers in different tins. If you only have one or two tins, bake the layers one after the other.

You might also like...

• Jubilee cakes
• British cakes
• Union Jack jubilee cake