Peanut butter-and-strawberry jam cake

“We used one batch of mixture but triple it if you want to make a layered version.” – Abigail Donnelly

1. To make the strawberry jam, preheat the oven to 180°C. Arrange the strawberries on a baking tray in an even layer, then drizzle over the lemon juice. Sprinkle over the caster sugar in an even layer. Roast for 40–45 minutes, shaking the tray occasionally as the strawberries release their juices. Once they have completely collapsed, remove from the oven and allow to cool completely, then spoon into a jar.

2. To make the cake, preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease and line a 23 cm springform cake tin. Cream the butter, sugar and peanut butter together in a stand mixer until pale and fluffy.

3. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until fully incorporated before the next addition. Add the vanilla. Mix the flour and baking powder, then add to the mixture alternating with the milk.

4. Spoon the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 35 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

5. To make the icing, place all the ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat for 3–5 minutes until smooth and creamy.

6. To assemble the cake, pipe the icing around the edge of the cake, then fill the centre with the jam. Repeat with the remaining layers if using, and stack. Store any leftover jam in a jar in the fridge for up to a week.

Cook's note: You can freeze the peanut butter cakes for assembling later. Once defrosted, they’re even more moist than when fresh. To make a gluten-free version, replace the flour with almond flour.

Find more cake recipes here. 

Photograph: Jan Ras
Production: Abigail Donnelly and Hannah Lewry
Food assistant: Josh van Zyl and Tahila Pillay