Sam creates the 'Elizabeth Sponge' in tribute to the Queen - with a nod to Paddington
A Shropshire schoolboy has used his cookery skills to devise his own personal tribute to the Queen and he now hopes that his recipe might become a British culinary classic.
Sam Colton, a 10-year-old pupil at Beckbury Primary School, enjoys making Victoria Sponge cakes but felt the standard recipe should be updated to recognise both the Queen Elizabeth II's service to the country and her long reign.
He has now hit on the idea of people baking an 'Elizabeth Sponge', with the inclusion of, what else, but marmalade.
His recipe includes the filling, with a nod towards the Queen's televised appearance with Paddington Bear during her Platinum Jubilee celebrations during which she produced a marmalade sandwich from her handbag.
Sam's recipe also calls for three tiers of sponge instead of the standard two-tier cake as a mark of respect for the length of time the Queen reigned.
He said: "I think my idea of an Elizabeth Sponge is genius. I hope it might become a new British classic."
Sam's mother, Jade Colton, a 41-year-old event manager, from Kemberton, near Telford, said: "Sam is a keen baker and his favourite cake is a Victoria Sponge. He was asking me about its origins and I told him about Queen Victoria and he said that there should be an Elizabeth Sponge.
"Sam was able to cook eggs when he was five-years-old and he hopes one day to become a chef. It certainly would be wonderful if his idea caught on across the country."
Sam Colton's Elizabeth Sponge recipe
Ingredients
300g self-raising flour
300g unsalted butter (softened)
300g caster sugar
6 medium eggs
1.5 tsp baking powder
2tsp vanilla extract
For the filling: half a jar of marmalade; Double cream; Caster sugar.
Method
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4; Grease and line 3 x 18cm/7in cake tins with baking paper; Cream the butter and the sugar together in a bowl until pale and fluffy.
Beat in the eggs, a little at a time, and stir in the vanilla extract. Fold in the flour using a large metal spoon to create a batter with a soft dropping consistency. Divide the mixture between the cake tins and gently spread out with a spatula.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown on top and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Remove from the oven and set aside for five minutes, then remove from the tin and peel off the paper. Place onto a wire rack.
Whip the cream and sugar with a whisk or electric handheld mixer until it forms soft peaks when the whisk is removed. Sandwich the cakes together using the whipped cream and an even spread of marmalade.
Dust with icing sugar.
