vanilla & black peppercorn cake with macerated strawberries

floral, delicate and surprisingly complex

it’s my birthday month! i get overexcited every year at the chance to make my own birthday cake

pictured here in a head-to-head tasting with vanilla & sesame cake

this idea started with the classic birthday cake flavour: sweet vanilla (the more artificial extract the better), butter, and sprinkles

i wanted to add a little complexity and depth to the flavour, so swapped the sprinkles for lots of fresh-ground black pepper. combined with the vanilla they make for an almost-intoxicating floral, complex scent that i’d absolutely wear as a perfume

fresh strawberries and a dollop of yoghurt round it all out for a perfect floral, springtime picnic mouthful

serves 8-10

ingredients

vanilla & black peppercorn cake

190g self-raising flour

150g caster sugar

240g soy milk

80g butter, melted

generous squeeze of lemon juice

2 tsp best-quality vanilla extract

40 good cracks black pepper

assembly

your choice of full-fat greek yoghurt, creme fraiche, or some other lightly cultured dairy product

250g punnet fresh strawberries

1 tbsp caster sugar

optional: more fresh-cracked black pepper

method

preheat the oven to 180°C

grease and line an 8-inch cake tin (round or square)

add the flour (190g), sugar (150g), and a pinch of salt to a medium bowl and mix together

pour in the soy milk (240g), melted butter (80g), lemon juice (about 1 tbsp), and vanilla extract (2 tsp) and fold together until just combined

grind over the black pepper (about 40 good turns of the pepper mill) and fold through

pour into the prepared cake tin

bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly golden and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean

let cool completely

assembly

while the cake is baking, thinly slice the strawberries (250g)

add the sliced strawberries and sugar (1 tbsp) to a bowl and toss lightly to coat

let sit to macerate while the cake bakes and cools

the sugar will draw out the strawberry juices and create the most incredible strawberry syrup in the bottom of the bowl

once the cake has cooled, slice and serve with a dollop of greek yoghurt (or creme fraiche, lightly whipped cream, or similar) and a spoonful of the strawberries and their juices on top

optionally: top with a little more fresh-cracked black pepper right before serving