Blueberry Ripple Sponge Cake

I've been rather experimental in the kitchen of late. Am I enjoying it? Most definitely. I almost feel like a creative chef on the path to making new discoveries. At least that's the aim even though deep down I know just every possible twist and turn on recipes have already been developed.

This cake is a sponge which my dear neighbour Philomena uses in her morello cherry recipe. I'm nicking her sponge cake recipe, but the rest is my own spin.  There's a punnet of blueberries in my crisper that desperately need using and so blueberries it is.

I'm reminded of my fabulous Mulberry and Lime Jelly and I decide to somehow incorporate this into the recipe.  Here goes.

Blueberry Ripple Sponge Cake
90gm caster sugar
3 whole fresh eggs
1tsp vanilla extract
100gm plain flour
1tsp baking powder
approx. 1/4 cup tepid milk
1 punnet fresh blueberries
2 tablespoons jelly, in my case mulberry

• In an electric mixer, beat the eggs, sugar & vanilla extract for about 8-10mins till thick, pale & frothy. 
• Sift the plain flour and the baking powder together three times.  Sift into the egg mixture, pour the milk down the side of the bowl.  Using a whisk carefully fold through till the flour is incorporated.
• Place mixture into a greased, lined baking tin.
• In a separate dish, spoon the jelly onto the blueberries, mix well so that all the blueberries are well coated with the jelly.
• Gently spoon each blueberry over the top of the cake - distribute as evenly as possible.
• You may find some runny jelly left in the bowl. Do not waste. Take a spatula and flick over the top of cake. It makes for a pretty ripple effect.
• Bake till done, about 40mins in a moderate oven.
• Sit for only a couple of minutes. Slide a knife carefully around the sides to loosen the cake; invert onto a metal rack. Peel off the baking paper immediately.  Allow to cool.

Verdict:
The Look: Due to the cake being a light and airy sponge, the blueberries all ended up on the base of the tin. That's not what I was hoping for. I had a dilemma. The top of the cake looked lovely and the pattern was so pretty. But that's as far as the ripple effect went. The blueberries sunk and so it was hard to know what was the main feature of the cake.  The cake really needed to sit on a plate blueberry side up, so the bottom of the cake ended up being the top. 

The Taste: Terrific. Actually really, really good. The sponge was so light and springy and the topping was luscious and sweet with the mulberry flavour surprisingly coming through. I made a pot of custard and together with the cake, it was homely, flavoursome and absolutely delicious. A hit!