Union Jack Jubilee cake recipe

A fabulous traybake cake, topped with acres of fresh summer fruits.

This lovely Union Jack Jubilee is simple to make and pretty foolproof - even a novice baker can master it. It's all one layer, so there's no need to master cutting it in half or adding a buttercream to the middle. In fact, the trickiest bit is arranging the fruit on the top into the perfect British flag. The results are really impressive - it makes a great centrepiece for a big celebration, and it's nice and large so it can feed a crowd of up to 18 people - probably more if some just want a nibble. It takes less than two hours to make (plus a little extra too allow for cooling).

Ingredients

• 350g soft margarine
• 350g caster sugar
• 450g self-raising flour
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• 6 medium eggs, beaten
• Grated rind 2 lemons
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Red and blue paste food colouring (optional)

To decorate:

• 350g butter, at room temperature
• 675g icing sugar, plus a little extra
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 200g white ready to roll icing
• 250g blueberries
• 150g raspberries
• 225g baby strawberries with green hulls still on

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Line the base and sides of a 30 x 20 x 5 cm/12 x 8 x 2 inch rectangular cake tin (or roasting tin with the same base measurement) with a large piece of non-stick baking paper, snip diagonally into the corners then press the paper into the tin so that the base and sides are lined and the paper stands a little above the top of the tin sides.
2. Cream the soft margarine and sugar together in a bowl or food processor until light and fluffy. Mix the flour and baking powder together then gradually mix in alternate spoonfuls of egg then flour until both have all been added and the mixture is smooth.
3. Stir in the lemon rind and lemon juice until the mixture is a soft dropping consistency. Spoon the cake mixture into the lined tin, or for a patriotic red, white and blue marble cake, spoon half the cake mixture into the lined tin. Then divide the remaining cake mixture between two bowls, colour one half red, the remainder blue. Add spoonfuls of the coloured mixtures to the lined tin then swirl together with a small knife.
4. Bake for 40-45 minutes until the cake is well risen, golden brown and a skewer comes out cleanly when inserted into the centre of the cake. Leave to cool for a few minutes then invert the cake on to a wire rack, remove the tin and leave to cool.
5. To make the buttercream, beat the butter and one third of the icing sugar together in a bowl or food processor until smooth. Gradually beat in the remaining icing sugar and lemon juice until light and fluffy. Cover and keep at room temperature until ready to use.
6. Peel the paper off the cake, turn the cake over and trim the top level if needed. Cut in half then sandwich back together with a thin layer of buttercream. Put top down on a large plate, tray or cake board.
7. Spread a very thin layer of buttercream over the outside of the cake to stick the crumbs in place then spread a thicker layer all over the cake and smooth with a palette knife, reserving a couple of tablespoons for piping later.
8. Knead the ready to roll icing to soften then roll out half into a long strip on a work surface lightly dusted with sifted icing sugar. Trim to make 2, 4 cm (11/2 inch) wide strips long enough to make a cross over the centre of the cake then trim the ends level with the edges of the cake. Mix the trimmings with the remaining icing then roll out and cut two long strips about 2.5 cm (1 inches) wide and long enough to go diagonally from corner to corner of the cake, trimming the strips to sit flush with the wider white cross.
9. Arrange the blueberries between the strips of white ready to roll icing. Spoon the remaining buttercream into a paper or plastic piping bag, snip off the tip then pipe dots on to the diagonal white strips and arrange the raspberries in lines on top. Add dots of icing over the central cross and stick the whole strawberries in place. Chill in the fridge until ready to serve.

Top tip for making Union Jack jubilee cake

If you can't find small strawberries, use large ones and slice them. Lay them in layers as in the main picture here and they will look just as pretty.

Can I make this Jubilee cake in advance?

You can make the cake and ice it in advance, but we recommend adding the fruity flag on a couple of hours before you intend to serve it, so the fruit remain fresh and pretty. If you really want to get ahead, you can make a freeze the sponge, and defrost before icing and decorating.

I can't find fresh fruit for the cake topping - what can I used instead?

You could ice it with buttercream in red, white and blue instead. Spilt the buttercream into three bowls. Leave one plain and colour one red and one blue, using food colouring gel. Alternatively, you could drizzle on a flag pattern using strawberry and blackcurrant jam.

Can I use frozen instead of fresh fruit for the topping of my Jubilee cake?

Fresh fruit will look more appealing, but if you cannot find what you're after, you can use frozen raspberries for the red part of the flag, and frozen blueberries for the blue. Frozen strawberries tend to discolour a little, so are best avoided here.

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