NEAPOLITAN TRAYBAKE

Neapolitan traybake image

Try this bake for pure nostalgia in cake form. With vanilla, chocolate and strawberry flavours, it's topped off with whipped cream and a chocolate flake

Provided by Liberty Mendez

Categories Dessert

Time 1h10m

Number Of Ingredients 13

Ingredients

200g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for the tin
100g strawberries, hulled and quartered
200g caster sugar
3 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract
200g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp cocoa powder
3 tbsp milk
drop of pink gel food colouring
200ml double cream
2 tbsp icing sugar
6 chocolate flakes, cut into thirds

Steps:

Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Butter a 20cm square baking tin and line with two criss-crossed, overlapping strips of baking parchment (this will help you remove the traybake later). Put the strawberries in a food processor or mini chopper and blitz to a purée. Tip into a small saucepan and simmer for 3 mins until slightly reduced. Pour into a bowl and leave to cool.
Beat the butter and sugar together in a bowl using an electric whisk (or do this in a stand mixer) for 4-5 mins until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract. Mix in the flour and baking powder.
Divide the cake batter between three bowls, weighing for accuracy, if you like. Mix the cocoa and 2 tbsp milk into the first bowl until smooth and combined. Mix the cooled strawberry purée and a drop of pink food colouring into the second bowl, and stir the remaining milk into the last bowl.
Drop alternating spoonfuls of the three batters into the prepared tin until all three have been used up (an ice cream scoop is useful for this). Try not to mix the colours together, but spread each blob out slightly using the back of the spoon. It's easiest to use three separate spoons to prevent colours mixing, or rinse the spoon before moving to a different coloured batter.
Bake for 30-35 mins until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 15 mins, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Once cool, will keep covered in the fridge for up to three days. Next, make the topping. Whisk the cream and icing sugar together to soft peaks - it should be thick and spreadable. Spoon the topping into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle, if you like. Or, you can spoon on the topping.
Cut the cooled sponge into 16 even squares, then pipe or spoon a dollop of the topping over each. Decorate each square with a chocolate flake before serving.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 324 calories, Fat 21 grams fat, SaturatedFat 13 grams saturated fat, Carbohydrate 30 grams carbohydrates, Sugar 20 grams sugar, Fiber 1 grams fiber, Protein 4 grams protein, Sodium 0.3 milligram of sodium