When I was little, clotted cream was a rare treat. I remember once, when my uncle came back from Devon with two precious pots of the stuff for us, I immediately set to baking a batch of scones, which we ate warm from the oven with jam, lashings of that amazing cream and butter (to this day, I always have my scones with cream and butter). So it was with delight, many years later on a blistering hot day in Tlacotalpan, Mexico, that I came across a woman selling a basket of cakes made from clotted cream. I can still taste them as I write this.
Clotted cream loaf cake with elderflower drizzle and macerated strawberries
Elderflower, vanilla, strawberries and lemon in a squidgy, almond, creamy loaf cake.
Prep 30 min
Cook 1 hr
Serves 10-12
200g butter, softened, plus extra to grease
200g caster sugar, plus extra to macerate the strawberries
1 tsp vanilla essence
4 eggs
150ml clotted cream, plus extra to serve
1 lemon, zested and juiced
150g plain spelt flour
100g ground almonds
½ tsp salt
1½ tsp baking powder
300g strawberries
For the drizzle
100ml elderflower cordial
2 tsp caster sugar
Heat the oven to 170C (150C fan)/325F/gas 3. Grease a 1½lb loaf tin. Put the butter, sugar and vanilla in a bowl and, using an electric hand whisk, beat until pale, light and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, incorporating each one before adding the next. Whisk in the cream and lemon zest, then fold in the flour, ground almonds, salt and baking powder.
Transfer to the greased tin, smooth out the top and bake for one hour, until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the centre.
Meanwhile, heat the cordial and sugar in a small pan and, once the sugar dissolves, take off the heat and stir in the juice of half the lemon. If the cordial is homemade, you may need a little more sugar.
Hull the strawberries and put in a bowl. Add the remaining lemon juice and a sprinkling of caster sugar, toss and leave to macerate while the cake bakes.
Once the cake is out of the oven, pierce the top all over with a skewer, then drizzle with the syrup. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then run a butter knife around the edge to loosen, turn out on to a rack and leave to cool. Slice and serve with the strawberries and more clotted cream on the side.
And for the rest of the week …
Mash leftover strawberries in the elderflower drizzle and lemon zest and stir through vanilla ice-cream, or make a quick vanilla, elderflower and strawberry chia jam for a batch of fresh scones.
