Eton Mess Cake
A three-layer naked cake with flowers filled with whipped cream, fresh fruit, and meringues, then topped with strawberries, edible flowers, and more meringues.
Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 683kcal
Ingredients
For the cake
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups white granulated sugar
- 1 ¼ cups unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 5 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the filling
- 1 ¾ cups heavy whipping cream
- 4 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 8 small store-bought or homemade meringues
- 2 cups strawberries, chopped
- 2 cups raspberries
- ½ cup strawberry jam
To decorate
- 6 small store-bought or homemade meringues
- strawberries
- raspberries
- mint
- thyme
- edible flowers
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease and line three 8-inch baking pans.
- In a small bowl, combine 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1 teaspoon salt then set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add 1 1/2 cups white granulated sugar and 1 1/4 cups unsalted butter, softened to room temperature and beat together until light and creamy. Add 5 large eggsone at a time, beating well between each addition.
- Add 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and beat again to combine.
- Pour the flour mixture into the mixing bowl and beat on a very low speed until just combined.
- Divide the cake batter between the three baking pans and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the cakes are a light golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
- Allow the cake layers to cool in the pans for 10 minutes then invert onto a wire rack to completely cool.
Eton mess filling
- Put 1 3/4 cups heavy whipping cream and 4 tablespoons powdered sugar into a large mixing bowl and beat until the cream holds its shape. Remove one third of the whipped cream and set aside for later.
- Use your hands to crush 8 small store-bought or homemade meringuesthen add them to the remaining whipped cream along with 2 cups strawberries, chopped and 2 cups raspberries. Gently fold everything together.
Decorate the cake
- When the cake layers have completely cooled, place one on a serving plate or platter in front of you.
- Spread half of 1/2 cup strawberry jam over the entire surface of the cake. Next, add half of the Eton mess filling and use a palette knife or spoon to spread it into an even layer.
- Repeat these steps for the second cake layer.
- Place the final cake layer on top and press down gently to stabilize the cake. Spread over the whipped cream you reserved earlier then add the rest of the toppings: 6 small store-bought or homemade meringues, strawberries, raspberries, mint, thyme and edible flowers.
Notes
- Storage: This cake should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. We do not recommend freezing this cake.
- To make an impressive three-layer cake, we used three 8-inch baking pans. If you prefer, you could make this in two 8-inch pans or two 9-inch pans. However, the cake layers will be thicker than those photographed. Note: the baking time will vary if you use fewer/different pans.
- When you whip the heavy cream, it’s important not to whip it to very stiff peaks as whipped cream tends to curdle if it’s over-whipped. The cream should be softly whipped but able to hold its shape so it doesn’t run off the cake.
- Crushing the meringues and incorporating them into the filling is a wonderful way of getting an authentic Eton Mess taste and texture into the cake. However, the nature of meringues means they will dissolve eventually, and so for that reason, this is a cake best eaten within a day or two of baking.
- We used edible flowers to decorate this cake as they really encapsulate the summery vibes. Please ensure any flowers you use are indeed edible.
