Summer Berry Sponge Cake

It would seem the British summer classic, the Victoria Sponge cake has got a worthy Lithuanian competitor. The Summer Berry Sponge cake. This sweet Lithuanian cake is moistened with fragrant chamomile tea and then coated with fluffy cream. With different flavour options of apricots, plums, cherries or stewed apples with cinnamon, this recipe is perfect for seasonal fruit throughout the year. The cake where summer never ends.

Summer Berry Sponge Cake
8 servings

Ingredients:
For the Cake
7 large eggs
200g sugar
150g flour
30g potato starch
Zest of 1 lemon
For the Icing
500ml chilled sour cream (30-40% fat)
100g icing sugar
1 tbsp vanilla sugar
Juice of ½ a lemon
For the Soaking Syrup
200ml of strong sweetened chamomile tea
For the Filling
600g various seasonal berries: strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries.

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C.
2. Beat the egg yolks with sugar. In a separate bowl mix the flour with potato starch and lemon zest.
3. Beat the egg whites until fluffy .
4. Slowly add beaten egg whites to the yolks. Then add the flour a couple of spoons of flour at a time until it is all combined with the egg mix.
5. Line the base of 20-22 cm diameter springform cake tin with baking paper. Pour in the mixture.
6. Bake for 30-40 minutes.
7. Leave to cool the cut the cake in half. Water both sides with the syrup and leave for an hour.
8. Beat the cream with icing sugar, vanilla sugar and lemon juice until fluffy.
9. Place one damp sponge half on the serving dish. Pour half of the cream on it and spread it across. Place half of the berries on top (cut strawberries in halves). Place the second half of the sponge on top and gently press it down. Pour the remaining cream on top and spread it out. Decorate with the remaining berries.