Additional Ingredients

For the filling

Further Additional Ingredients

To decorate

1 tbsp	Apricot Jam
150 grams	White Ready To Roll Icing (Silver Spoon Create)
150 grams	Blue Ready to Roll Icing (Silver Spoon Create)
150 grams	Red Ready to Roll icing (Silver Spoon Create)

How to make Union Jack Sponge Cake

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1. Heat the oven to 180c, 160c fan, gas 4. Grease and Line 2x 20cm (8in) round sponge tins with a circle of baking parchment.
2. Place the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat with a wooden spoon or electric mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs a little at a time until smooth, adding a little flour if the mixture curdles.
3. Stir in the flour, baking powder and vanilla extract until smooth.
4. Divide the mixture between the cake tins and bake for 25 –30 minutes until golden brown and just firm to the touch. Allow to cool on a wire rack then remove the paper.
5. Prior to icing the cooled cake with the Union Jack design, brush the sponge with a little warmed apricot jam.
6. Dust the work surface very lightly with icing sugar and roll out the white icing, using the cake tin as a guide cut out a 20cm, 8in circle of icing and place on top of the sponge.
7. Roll out the red icing into 2 strips approx 2cm wide by 20cm (using the template as a guide, and 2 x1cm x20 cm strips. Brush the back of the strips of icing very lightly with a very slightly damp pastry brush (don’t use too much water or the icing will get sticky). Place one wide strip across the centre of the cake and place the other one horizontally across it to make the large cross. (If liked you can carefully cut away the icing underneath, where it overlaps). Cross the thin stripes diagonally over the large cross.
8. Roll out the blue icing and cut triangles to make the flashes in between the stripes, again brushing with water to help secure in place if needed.
9. Spread the other cake with jam and top with blue berries or raspberries then spread with whipped cream and place the iced cake on top. Serve within 1 hour.
10. To make the Union Jack Template; Draw around the cake tin onto baking parchment. Cut out the circle of parchment. Fold it in half and draw a line 1cm, from the folded edge , turn over and do this on the other side. Open out the circle and fold in half the other way and repeat the lines- this will give you the large red cross shape. Fold the semi circle in half and in half again, mark the creases well and open out then draw 1cm wide lines along the folds to make the smaller red cross. Snip triangles from each eighth to make the blue flashes.

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