Strawberry and white chocolate picnic cake

A classic, easy melt-and-mix cake that travels well for picnics, and is also delicious served for dessert with a dollop of cream. It can also be made with other fruit.

Strawberry and white chocolate picnic cake. Credit: Everyday Gourmet with Justine Schofield

• serves

  10-12

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  1 hour

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 225 g Cadbury white chocolate melts
• 125 g block cream cheese, softened
• 125 g butter, softened
• 1 cup caster sugar
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup plain flour
• 1 cup SR flour
• 500 g strawberries, halved

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 160°C.
2. Combine the chocolate, cream cheese, butter, sugar, milk and vanilla in a saucepan and stir over a medium heat until the chocolate and butter have melted. Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool. Grease and paper lined 31cm x 21cm slab pan.
3. Add the eggs and sifted flours and whisk until combined. Pour half the mixture into the prepared slab pan and scatter over half of the strawberries. Pour over the remaining mixture and stud with remaining strawberries.
4. Bake in for 1 hour or until cooked when tested with a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake. Stand for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Cool. Slice and serve with a dollop of cream.

Note

You can substitute strawberries for slices of fresh peach, plum or apricot.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.