Recipe for Victorian Tea Cake

225 g/8 oz/1 cup butter or margarine, softened

225 g/8 oz/1 cup caster (superfine) sugar

225 g/8 oz/2 cups self-raising (self-rising) flour

25 g/1 oz/¼ cup cornflour (cornstarch)

30 ml/2 tablespoons caraway seeds

5 eggs, separated

Granulated sugar for sprinkling

Method:

Cream together the butter or margarine and sugar until pale and fluffy. Fold in the flour, cornflour and caraway seeds. Beat the egg yolks, then mix them into the mixture. Whisk the egg whites until stiff, then gently fold them into the mixture using a metal spoon. Spoon into a greased and lined 20 cm/8 in cake tin (pan) and sprinkle with sugar. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4 for 1½ hours until golden brown and beginning to shrink away from the sides of the tin.