A Jubilee Sponge Fit For A Queen

BART’S JUBILEE SPONGE

Bart Ingredients, the name behind a fine range of herbs and spices, has been working with Edd Kimber, winner of The Great British Bake Off to come up with a modern twist on the Victoria Sponge to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee this summer. The recipe features a unique and exciting blend of ingredients from all over the world, from cinnamon to their signature Bart Bristol Blended pepper and even a refreshing hint of mint to tingle the tastebuds!

I was challenged to have a go at making this cake using this selection of Bart Ingredients spices.  Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

Serves 10

½ tsp Bart Bristol Blend Five Peppercorns

½ tsp Bart Ground Cinnamon

1 tsp Bart Ground Ginger

¼ tsp Bart Ground Nutmeg

2 tsp Bart Mint (Freeze Dried)

250g self-raising flour

¼ tsp salt

250g margarine or butter

250g Bart Vanilla Sugar

4 eggs, beaten

For the Filling and Topping

250g cream cheese

150ml double cream

100g icing sugar

250g strawberries, quartered

200g blueberries

Method

• Grease and line 2 20 cm round sandwich tins. Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas 4.
• Cream together the margarine and vanilla sugar until light and creamy.
• Mix all the dry ingredients together and slowly add to the mixture, along with the eggs.
• Divide the mixture between the two prepared tins and smooth the tops. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until well-risen and golden brown and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
• Leave to cool in the tins for 10 minutes then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.
• When completely cool, cut each cake in half horizontally so you have four thin cakes.
• To make the filling, beat together the cream cheese, cream and icing sugar until thick and smooth. Spread the cream on top of one cake layer and scatter over one quarter of the strawberries and blueberries. Top with another cake and repeat.

Edd Kimber's Bart's Jubilee Sponge

My Verdict

I have to admit that when it came to the crunch I was a little bit too scared to add the pepper and mint.  (Next time I'll be more brave!)  I also deviated by only making a two layer sponge and instead of a full Union Flag on top, I went for a St George's cross (reduces the amount of fruit needed if like me you are on a tight budget!)  Nevertheless, I was very impressed with my finished cake (although it is not as elegant as the amazing cake made by Edd Kimber)!!  It looked quite grand and the addition of the spices added a subtle warmth to the flavour of the sponge, that I would never have thought of  adding myself.  The Bart spices themselves were lovely to use and smelt really lovely and fragrant.  I was very impressed that the ginger and cinnamon are organic.

The Strawberry Cross

Strawberries and Cream

A Slice For Me!!

If you feel inspired to bake a Jubilee Sponge I'd love to see how yours turns out!  Would you be brave enough to add pepper??

Bart Ingredients are running a competition to win a masterclass with Edd Kimber by submitting your own Jubilee creations.  Full details at  http://www.bartoffers.com/jubilee/

Tippitoes Seaborne Baby Sponge Review

Baby's skin is so precious.  When I see my baby boy ready for his bath he looks so perfect and I don't want to use anything harsh on his delicate skin.  I make sure that I use gentle, organic bath products to keep his skin clean and healthy, but I've never really considered what sponge I use.  Surely, if I go to the trouble of using pure, natural products, I shouldn't be using a synthetic sponge to wash him with?

So when I had the opportunity of trying the Tippitoes Seaborne Baby Sponge for review, I was intrigued to see whether it would be any different to use.  It is suitable for use from birth and offers luxury straight from the sea bed!

The sponge arrived in its own container, which was a lovely detail, providing a place to store it and keep it clean between uses (once it has dried).

The sponge itself was a perfect size for baby.  It is 100% natural, extracted directly from the seabed in specially controlled extraction areas which does not harm the environment.  I must admit I did keep having the urge to sing the theme tune to Spongebob Squarepants ...but that is not a bad thing!!

Absorbent and yellow and porous!!

Natural sea sponges are the perfect choice for bathing for these reasons:  

• highly absorbent

• soft texture

• durable

• long lasting

• they hold water

• self-cleaning

• do not retain odours

• won't peel

Tippitoes say:

"This luxurious and soft new sponge is perfect for bathing Baby; its porous texture makes it ideal for gentle cleansing, daily facial care, cleaning and exfoliating Baby's skin."


This is my experience of using the Seaborne Baby Sponge:


When dry, the sponge is quite hard, but when put in water it takes on the expected sponge-like texture and was really soft and squishy.  It was very absorbent and soaked up the bubbly bath solution perfectly, making a little product go a long way.


It felt gentle and soft on the skin and Freddy enjoyed being washed down with the foamy sponge.  It had none of the 'slimy' feeling that the synthetic sponges have.


It perfectly complemented the bath time products we use on Freddy, and I felt confident knowing that it was completely natural. 


It needs to be rinsed out after use and left to dry naturally, whereby it reverts back to its dried state.  If well looked after it is a long lasting, quality, baby bath product!  

A cheeky bathtime wink!

Tippitoes offers affordable quality and for £7.49 this 100%  natural bath time sponge really delivers!