Mary Berry's Cardamom sponge with white chocolate icing

Ingredients

For the cake

225g/8oz butter

4 free-range eggs

225g/8oz caster sugar

225g/8oz self-raising flour

2 tsp baking powder

12 cardamom pods

For the icing

100g/3 oz white chocolate

50g/1 oz butter, softened

75g/2 oz cream cheese

200g/7oz icing sugar

tsp vanilla extract

icing sugar and dove stencil, to decorate (optional)

Method

Preheat the oven 180C/160C Fan/Gas4. Grease two 20cm/8in loose-bottomed

sandwich tins and line with non-stick baking paper.

Place the butter, eggs, sugar, flour and baking powder into a large bowl and

beat together (using an electric hand whisk if you have one) until well

combined.

Bash the cardamom pods with a rolling pin to release the seeds. Tip the seeds

in a pestle and mortar and mash until fine. (Be sure to crush the cardamom

seeds only, not the pods as these do not tenderize down.) Stir the crushed

seeds into the cake batter, then pour the mixture into the prepared tins.

Bake for about 25 minutes until golden-brown and springy to the touch. Remove

from the oven and leave to cool for 5 minutes and then turn them out to cool on

a wire rack.

To make the icing, gently melt the white chocolate in a bowl over a pan of just

simmering water. (Do not overheat the white chocolate otherwise it will not

set.) Stir until runny then set aside to cool and thicken a little.

Whisk the butter and cream cheese together until fluffy and soft. Add half the

icing sugar, whisk again, add the vanilla and the remaining icing sugar and

whisk again. Stir in the white chocolate until combined. Transfer to the fridge

for about 20 minutes until thickened to a spreading consistency.

Slice each cake in half horizontally to give 4 thin sponges. Sandwich together

with the icing and arrange on a cake stand so you have 4 layers of cake and 3

layers of icing leaving the top of the cake plain.

Sprinkle with icing sugar, using a decorative dove stencil if you have one.