Old Course chef Martin Hollis tries an old Quaker recipe for a berry crumble traybake
Who can resist a good old-fashioned tray bake – the backbone of the school fete, an easy way to get a midweek treat on the dinner table, a speedy method for dinner party canapés…
Rumour has it that the traybake originated in Tottenham in London where Thomas Chalkley, a Quaker baker, created asimple, affordable sponge cake for the children of the neighbourhood. The sponge was topped with an icing made pink using the mulberries from the tree within the Quaker house.
Try my recipe for berry crumble traybake to make a similar cake.
Ingredients for the berry filling: 200g berries (raspberries, blackberries, cherries, blueberries, blackcurrants all work well, or a mix), 50g caster sugar, 2 tbsp corn flour. For the crumble topping: 110g plain flour, 70g cold unsalted butter, cut into smallish cubes, 30g caster sugar. For the cake: 220g plain flour, ¾ tsp baking powder, ½ tsp cinnamon, 50g ground almonds, 200g caster sugar, 80g butter, melted, 2 free range eggs, 40g yoghurt thinned with 2 tbsp milk.
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Grease and line a rectangular baking tin (approximately 26cm x 20cm/10½in x 8in). In a saucepan combine the fruit with 50ml/2fl oz water. Bring the fruit just to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes. In a mixing bowl combine the caster sugar with the corn flour. Stir into the fruit and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently, until the mixture is thick and jammy. Set aside to cool.
For the crumble topping, add the flour to a mixing bowl and rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs and no large lumps of butter are left. Stir in the sugar and set aside. For the cake, in a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and cinnamon. Stir in the ground almonds until thoroughly combined. In another bowl beat together the sugar with the melted butter, eggs, yoghurt and milk mixture until thoroughly mixed. Stir into the flour mixture just to combine. Don’t overmix it but watch out for big lumps of unmixed flour. Spoon two thirds of the mixture into the lined tin, gently spreading out evenly to the corners. Spoon the cooled fruit mixture evenly over the top.
Using a teaspoon, dot the remaining cake batter evenly on top of the fruit. This will not cover the entire cake but make little hillocks with gaps in between. Sprinkle the crumble mixture over the top, filling in all the gaps to cover the fruit. Bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes, until the crumble topping is golden brown. Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the tin, then transfer the cake in its paper to a cooling rack.
This is cake is beautiful eaten while still warm, with a dollop of crème fraiche or yoghurt – but is equally nice the next day with a cup of coffee.
Chef’s tip: Traybakes are a great idea for feeding crowds, cutting into smaller squares for canapes and most can be easily transported – so great for picnics and a tasty treat on a family day out.
