Celebrating Midsummer with the Cake Ladies (on a dreary June evening)

I've been spoiled the last couple of months with places at Edinburgh Cake Ladies events, so I was pretty much ok with not getting a spot on this month's event...but those cake gods must have been smiling down on me yesterday.  I happened to check my phone at the right time and discovered a tweet calling on last minute bakers to fill the places of some ladies who didn't want to battle the elements (safety before cake).  I typed furiously back...fingers crossed...and before I knew it I was frantically thinking about what to bake.  

The theme this month was Fruit...I quickly popped to the shop on the way home from school and picked up some odd pieces of fruit and went home to create (quickly). I left the kitchen in a cloud of icing sugar and rushed out to Craigie's Farm in South Queensferry.  

As always the cakes looked incredible and tasted wonderful and there was certainly no danger of any of us not getting our 5-a-day.  Even though the weather was horrible the hospitality of the Craigie's staff and (of course) the wonderful Cake Ladies meant that the evening was warm and inviting.  A record 4 males were in attendance, and there was barely a crumb left at the end of it all.  

I don't normally single out the cake of the night, but I had to share this one with you...

The baker of this cake was a contestant on a popular competitive baking show a couple of years ago and this is the cake that she baked for the show...not only does it look totally stunning (and mirror her personality perfectly...she wouldn't mind me saying) but it tastes incredible. Chocolate layer cake with mascarpone and raspberries slathered in ganache...and pistachios and topped with massive double dipped strawberries, raspberries and a rather deadly slice of pineapple.  Cutting into this cake was terrifying (she had the serve it up for me) but eating it was a delight.  

My own offering was rather less refined...

Swedish Summer Berry Cake, which I have renamed Scandinavian Midsummer Cake.  Layers of sponge with fresh cream and loads of fruit.  There is a version of this cake in all of my scandinavian cookbooks, and even in Nigella's Kitchen.  The recipe I used was from my recent gift The Nordic Bakery Cookbook, but I just used whatever fruit I could get my hands on...A nectarine, an apricot, strawberries, leftover pineapple, a banana and a couple of kiwis. 

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