Ingredients
- 200g butter, softened
- 150ml Quebec maple syrup
- 4 eggs
- 200g self-raising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 100g unsweetened strawberry jam
- 150ml heavy cream, whipped
Method
- Preheat oven to 165°C (325°F). Grease two 20cm sandwich tins.
- Beat butter and Quebec maple syrup until creamy. Whisk in eggs gradually.
- Fold in the self-raising flour and baking powder gently.
- Divide batter between tins. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden and springy.
- Cool completely, then sandwich together with jam and whipped cream.
Conversion and rationale
Original sweetener (classic version): 200g caster sugar
Conversion used: Swapped 200g caster sugar for 150ml maple syrup. Oven reduced by 15°C to avoid burning the maple sugars. Excluded the 2 tbsp milk usually present.
Why Quebec maple syrup: Substituting refined sugar with Quebec maple syrup yields a moister crumb and introduces earthy, woody undertones with a reduced carbon footprint.
General rule: 1 cup (250 ml) sugar ≈ 3/4 cup (180 ml) maple syrup; reduce liquids by 45–60 ml per cup of syrup and lower oven by 15 °C. Substitution calculator →