Fern Cakes
Traditional Scottish Fern Cakes made with a sweet shortcrust pastry, filled with raspberry jam and almond frangipane sponge. Topped with white icing and feathered dark chocolate. One you'll recognise from Scottish bakeries and supermarkets.
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Servings: 12
INGREDIENTS
For the Pastry
- 175 g Block Margarine or Butter (at room temperature)
- 65 g Caster Sugar
- 250 g Plain Flour
- 150 g Raspberry Jam
For the Filling
- 75 g Soft Margarine (or Butter) (at room temperature)
- 75 g Caster Sugar
- 75 g Ground Almonds
- 1 tbsp Self-raising Flour (see Self-raising Flour note below)
- 1 Free-range Egg (at room temperature; see Egg Size note below)
For the Icing & Decoration
- 150 g Icing Sugar
- 1-2 tsbp Boiling Water
- 50 g Dark Chocolate
EQUIPMENT
INSTRUCTIONS
For the Pastry
- In a large bowl, cream together the margarine/butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Sift in the flour and mix until a soft dough forms. Use your hands to bring it together if needed. Gently knead the dough, wrap it in clingfilm, and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 180°c (160°c fan-assisted ovens, Gas Mark 4 or 350°F). Grease a 12-hole muffin tin with a little excess margarine/butter, lightly dust with a little excess flour, and set aside.
- Roll the chilled dough to 5mm thick. Using a round cutter slightly larger than the muffin tin holes, cut 12 circles. Carefully transfer each circle to the prepared tin, pressing it into place.
- Prick the base of each pastry cup, line with a paper cupcake case, and fill with baking beans. Bake for 10 minutes until partially baked.
- Remove from the oven, and carefully remove the baking beans. Spoon 1 teaspoon of raspberry jam into the base of each pastry case while still warm. Set aside to prepare the filling.
For the Filling:
- In a large bowl, cream together the margarine/butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the ground almonds and self-raising flour. Add the egg and mix until a smooth batter forms.
- Spoon the batter into the part-baked pastry cases, on top of the jam, filling them about ⅔ full.
- Return to the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the filling has risen slightly and is light golden. Leave to cool in the tray before icing.
For the Icing and Decoration:
- In a small bowl, mix the icing sugar with boiling water, adding a little at a time until you reach a thick but pourable consistency. You may not need all the water.
- Spoon the icing over the top of each cooled cake, filling to the edges but avoiding spills.
- Melt the dark chocolate (either in short bursts in the microwave or over a bain-marie), then drizzle over the icing in thin zig-zags. Drag a toothpick through the chocolate in one direction to create the fern leaf pattern.
- Allow the icing to set for at least 2 hours, or ideally overnight, before serving.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
All my recipes are developed using a digital scale and the metric system (grams and millilitres). Cup measurements are available as a conversion but these, unfortunately, won't always be as accurate. For best results, I always recommend baking with a digital scale.
NOTES
Egg Size:
When it comes to eggs, I always buy mixed-weight free-range eggs. Generally speaking, egg size doesn’t make a huge difference in most baking, unless you are using sizes that lean towards the extremes. If you’re unsure which eggs to use, I recommend medium eggs in the UK, which are roughly equivalent to large eggs in the US. That’s what this recipe has been tested with.Self-raising Flour:
Don't have self-raising flour? For this recipe, since it only uses a small amount of self-raising flour in the filling, you can simply use some plain flour (all-purpose flour) instead. If you bake regularly, you can also make a large batch of self-raising flour to keep in your baking cupboard. For full instructions, cup conversions and answers to common questions, see my Self-raising Flour Ingredient Guide.Substitutions:
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- Pastry: You can use a ready-roll pastry if you prefer, or are short on time. But my sweet shortcrust pastry is definitely worth the effort, if you can.
- Margarine: For the pastry, I would recommend using a block margarine (or butter). But for the filling, I use a soft baking margarine, as I find it more predictable and gives a lovely light finish. Butter can be used for the filling as well, if you prefer – just make sure it is very soft before you start.
- Jam (Jelly): You can swap raspberry jam for strawberry or blackcurrant, if you prefer.
Storage:
Once the icing has set, Fern Cakes can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. If your kitchen is particularly warm, keep them somewhere cool to stop the icing and chocolate from softening.Make Ahead:
You can make the pastry a day or two in advance; just keep it in your fridge until ready to use. The full Fern Cakes are best assembled and iced on the day you plan to serve them.Freezing:
Fern Cakes freeze well, even with the icing and chocolate. Pop them in a single layer in a container or wrap individually, then freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost at room temperature before serving.Tried this recipe?
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