Spring mornings are so full of freshness, shards of sparkling sunshine dance on the windows & there’s a sense of “newy newness” in the air. After the dreary drudge of a cold Winter, Spring brings a very welcome & refreshing change. Outside, bursts of beautiful blossoms are emerging from their buds, swathes of leaves suddenly appearing as if overnight & birds are belting out their latest songs, as they flit & flutter amongst the trees. It’s as if we’ve awoken from a deep slumber, like a fairytale Princess in an enchanted castle. I do appreciate not all mornings are fresh coffee & fairytale fabulousness, however this airy light breakfast can brighten even the dullest of days.
As you probably know by now, mornings are my favourite time, perfect for baking, caking & for whipping up a wonderfully easy breakfast à deux – French Toast! Known as Pain Perdu by our French cousins, it means “lost bread” or bread that would otherwise be discarded & is a delightful way to turn lost bread into loveliness. This is my take on the classic French Toast – delicately crispy outside, fluffy inside & thoroughly delicious, accompanied by a pile of fresh berries & warm orange syrup for dipping. There are days when I cook a savoury version of this too, but more about that later!
Everyone has their own level of cooking confidence & this is a really easy recipe for both beginners & seasoned cooks. There is a little pre-cooking prep, but it’s all done by hand & definitely no fancy equipment is needed – well, apart from a tea strainer (that’s as fancy as it gets). Are you ready to bake it happen? Hands washed, aprons on & here we go!
What you need:
4 Large Free Range Eggs
4 Slices Thick Cut Bread (a couple of days old is best), cut into quarters
Half a teaspoon Vanilla Extract (the proper stuff, not “essence”)
100g Salted Butter
4 Medium Oranges or 3 Oranges & 2 Mandarins (whatever you’ve got)
Half a Lemon
1 generous Tablespoon Golden Syrup
Handful of Fresh Raspberries & Blueberries (washed)
Handful of Fresh Strawberries (washed)
What to do:
First, let’s make the orange syrup for dipping. Cut the oranges in half & using a fork, squish out the juice from each orange half into a small saucepan (don’t worry about pips & pith, we’ll deal with that shortly). Repeat with the half lemon. Keep the leftover peels for the composter (they make great soil).
Next, add the syrup & then gently heat the sauce on the stove, carefully stirring until the syrup has melted into the juice.
Get two ramekins or small cups & a tea-strainer, then slowly pour the liquid into the strainer over each cup. This removes any pith & pips that fell into the pan – pop them with the peels for composting. Leave to one side to cool.
Now to prep the fruit! After washing your raspberries & blueberries, pop them onto a dry cloth or kitchen paper, pick up the corners & give them a little shake. This removes the excess water without bashing your berries too much. Share them between a couple of small dishes.
Wash & dry the strawberries the same way, then remove the leaves & stalk (hulling). I like to get a drinking straw for this process – push the straw up through the pointy end of the strawberry & the stalk & leaves will pop out like a mini tree from the top. Again, these can go in the composter. Slice the strawberries into quarters & add to the other berries. Although I’ve used berries here, you can use whatever fruit you like – tinned peaches, pears, apricots, pineapple, bananas, grapes, they all work fabulously.
Next is the egg mixture for the bread. Crack the eggs into a mixing bowl with the vanilla extract & whisk by hand until fluffy & foamy. Keep the whisk at the side when done, you’ll need it again.
Place a frying pan on a medium-high heat & add a quarter of the butter to melt. Take the first two slices of bread quarters & dip each one in the egg mixture, then place in the pan immediately.
After about a minute, give the pan a little shake to loosen them, then turn them over (they should be nicely golden underneath). Add another quarter of the butter to the pan & give everything another little shake, so the butter gets all around the toast.
Cook for a further minute, flip it over & if it’s golden, then it’s ready (if you like it a little more cooked, give it a few more seconds until you’re happy with it). Tip onto a plate & set aside.
Return the pan to the heat, add another quarter of the butter & before dipping the next lot of bread, just give the egg mixture a quick whisk to fluff it up, then repeat the steps above.
Pop your French toast on a serving plate, with the dishes of orange juice dip & fresh fruit – et voilà, it’s ready to eat!
If you prefer your toast a bit sweeter, add your own twist by dusting with a little powdered icing sugar or cinnamon before serving. That’s it, tuck in while it’s still warm! If you want to fancy up your French toast, try using day old croissants or even fruit bread & swap out the syrup for warm chocolate sauce (a very easy dessert for after dinner sweetness).
And for those who like their syrup a little extra zingy, try adding about a teaspoonful of grated fresh ginger to the juice before heating – perfect for adding a little spice to your syrup. This also makes great shots to brighten your morning – try adding the juice of two extra oranges, a whole lemon instead of half & when cooled, pour into little glasses (it freezes well too, so you can make it in advance in ice cube trays).
Fancy a savoury slice instead of sweet? Leave out the vanilla & add a pinch of sea salt & black pepper to the egg mixture, then fry in olive oil instead of butter.
This works really well with seeded bread too, adding a little extra crunch to each bite. I like to serve this version with a quick homemade brown sauce for dipping – stir a good splash or two of Balsamic vinegar into 4 tablespoons of tomato ketchup, add a pinch of pepper & that’s it!
However you like it, whether it’s a birthday, holiday or just a Tuesday, this delicious delicacy is a fabulously fragrant treat anytime! Stay hungry! Aimee 😉 x
Autumn is definitely making her presence felt, with sultry November sunrises becoming crisp, chilly mornings splashed with sunshine. The trees have turned tinted leaves into a stunning array of amber hues & luscious colours. This collection of colourful foliage always draws my admiration, as they seem to suddenly appear in full beautiful bloom & disappear just as quickly. Recently, whilst parked under a particularly pretty tree at a local supermarket, I managed to snap some shots of it’s vibrantly golden leaves shimmering in the sunshine.
Nature is my biggest inspiration (as you probably can tell from my sugar artwork) & this time of year is no exception. It’s a deliciously indulgent season, perfect for hot chocolate & comfort foods to sustain us until Spring. And what better way to celebrate the changing of the seasons than with a sumptuous chocolate cake, layered with rich dark cherries & fluffy cream! Ready to bake it happen? Hands washed, aprons on & here we go! 
Sieve all the dry ingredients into a bowl & mix well with a fork. Put to one side.
Sift half of the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture & using a spatula, fold in until all completely blended. Add the rest of the dry ingredients & repeat until the mixture is a thick, smooth batter & there is no flour visible.
Split the batter between the two tins evenly, smoothing the tops lightly with the spatula. Place in the oven (lower rack) for approximately 30 minutes, until the tops are risen & cracked. Poke a stick of spaghetti in the centre & if it comes out clean, your cakes are done.
Run a spatula knife around the edge of each cake to separate it from the tin. Carefully remove the cakes & place on the racks to cool. Be very gentle, as your cakes will be fragile & soft. Leave to cool completely before removing the greaseproof disc gently from underneath.
Carefully drape your strips of leaves over a rolling pin & leave until completely set. They will become curved & softly shaped, perfect for topping your cake.
Take the other chocolate cake & flip it over, so the flat side is on the top, then place it on top of the filling. This will leave you with a nice flat surface for decorating! If you’re serving this later, pop your cake in the fridge in an air-tight container (to stop it drying out).
Time to indulge, so grab some plates & serve! The fluffy, almost fudge-like texture of the cake is complimented by the cloud of mascarpone cream & crisp, chocolate leaves that crackle as you bite them. This cake also looks fabulous with frilly white chocolate leaves mixed in with the dark, dusted with grated white chocolate too. If you have any extra chocolate leaves, save them for nibbling with your morning coffee or add them to the frothy tops of hot chocolate, amid swirls of cream & marshmallows.
The seasons have started to shift, it’s almost as if you can taste it in the air, as we swap long lazy Summer days for softer sunsets & cosy nights. Hot-headed August has passed the baton to sultry September, bringing with her the bountiful & beautiful beginnings of a delicious Autumn. There is nothing as therapeutic as an early morning meander in the countryside, especially during September! Gloriously gorgeous berries adorn the brambles & hedgerows, while trees are groaning under the weight of their fruity loot. Nature is amazing, turning tiny Spring blossoms into an Autumnal array of plump berries & fragrant fruits, with a little help from her pollinator peeps of course!
Firstly, we’re going to make the plum compote. Half the fruit, carefully remove the stones (you can put them in the composter). Set aside a few plums in a dish, cover & pop in the fridge to keep them firm for later (these will be for your topping).
Gently heat until the sugar dissolves into the water, carefully nudging everything around the pan with a wooden spoon or spatula. Bring to a boil & simmer gently for about 15 minutes on a medium heat, stirring regularly to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan. It should reduce to a sunset-coloured jammy syrup that smells like Autumn.
Turn down the heat, remove the spices & orange strips, then a
Roll out the pastry a couple of inches larger than your tin & about half a centimetre thick. Lay it carefully over your rolling pin & gently lift onto the baking tin, allowing it to drape into the middle. Push it into the edges gently, so that it covers the entire base & sides of your tin evenly.
Grab a bit of greaseproof paper, screw it up to make it easier to shape to your tin & then loosely place on top of your pastry. Tip some baking beads or dry pasta shapes onto the paper, spreading them all across the top & filling the pastry case.
Tip the Mascarpone cheese, double cream, Greek yoghurt, lemon curd & vanilla extract into a large mixing bowl & briefly whisk together until thick & fluffy. It’s going to be piped on top of your dessert, so it needs to be thick enough to do so. If it’s too thick, add a little more Greek yoghurt to loosen a little (a couple of teaspoons should do the trick). Once you’re happy, pop the bowl in the fridge to chill.
Now for those pretty plum slices we made earlier! Place the slices skin-side up at intermittent gaps across the top, like shards of sunshine peeking through the clouds. Add a couple of mint leaves at intervals – you don’t need many, just a few will do. Pop your dessert in the fridge for about ten minutes or so.
This delicious dessert would make a pretty Autumnal centrepiece for a special dinner or celebration. Refreshingly tangy, softly spiced plum compote, crowned with a feather-light fluffy cloud of Mascarpone cream & fresh plums, all sat atop a crisp, melt-in-the-mouth pastry base. If you have any of that delicious plum compote left over, it’s a magical multi-tasker – it tastes rather lovely spread on hot buttered toast, or try a spoonful with a few slices of cheese & crackers too.
Weekends are perfect for baking & I especially adore Sunday mornings! It’s as if time stands still, those precious couple of hours when it’s just you, your cup of coffee calmness & the birds singing outside. Although I do love baking anytime, there’s a ravishingly relaxing appeal about weekend baking – up & at ’em early, whipping up a batch of bakes, their heavenly scent perfuming the whole house while everyone sleeps. Plus, we all have those days where only cake will do, even for breakfast. This is one of my favourite family “weekend baking” recipes & it fills that cake-shaped gap we sometimes have.
When I wrote this recipe, I wanted the fluffiness of a cupcake combined with the moist fruitiness of a muffin, so I created my brown sugar cuffins – no, that’s not a spelling error! My cuffins are just what Sunday mornings need – a delicious cupcake-muffin hybrid that’s a little bit lazy & fabulously faff-free. There’s not a drop of oil in sight, definitely no buttercream & there’s more whisking than stirring (electric whisking too, so very little effort required). They’re not going to win any awards for their supermodel looks either – cuffins are meant to be gloriously rustic homemade fayre, rather than delicate dainty perfection. Over the years, I’ve used different fillings (raspberry & white chocolate is always popular), but these are my favourite version. I’ll admit, they’re not the healthiest option, but they are exquisitely satisfying & if you do eat them for breakfast, you’ve got the whole day to burn off those calories!
The recipe below makes a dozen cuffins, although I like to bake double this amount & freeze some for future cuffin cravings (it’s real, trust me!). Ready to bake it happen? Hands washed, aprons on & here we go!
Leave them for a couple of minutes, until the syrup has soaked nicely into the top of each cuffin. If you allow to cool completely, you can freeze them in small batches using a bag or air-tight container. They take a few minutes to defrost on a cooling rack & will still be as moist & fluffy as when you first baked them – perfect for when you crave a cake, but don’t want to bake!
Before the rest of the family get up, go pour yourself a cup of coffee or tea, grab a cuffin or two & indulge in a little cakely goodness before you start your day! Stay hungry! Aimee 😉 x
Early mornings are the best time of day for me, when everyone else is either sleeping or getting ready to go out. It’s usually dark when I leave & I love catching that inky blue sky as it slowly melts into an array of pretty pinks & golds. It’s a serene time of day for me & as Christmas is getting closer, people are bustling about, bags bulging & feet burning, so I like to soak up the calm before the chaos.
little cute creatures from my homemade modelling chocolate, ready to be wrapped & hopefully not eaten. This time of year can become a bit of a whirlwind of things to do & when this happens, I find it soothing to put on an apron & bake a cake. Cake should be created with care, not rushed but relished & enjoyed. A happy Cook makes a happy cake!
known for, my Lemon Drizzle Cake. Lighter-than-air layers of lemon cake & whipped buttercream that seem to evaporate like a zesty zephyr with every mouthful. It tastes like freshly squeezed sunshine & sherbet lemons, almost defying you not to feel brighter & more cheery as you eat it. This recipe is for a seven inch three layered cake, perfect for afternoon tea with friends or a celebration of your own & yes, even Christmas!
Add one egg, beating well until your mixture is glossy & fluffy. Repeat with the rest of the eggs, one at a time.
Using the spatula, press it into the butter & scoop from the sides of the bowl, folding & pressing until all the sugar is squished into the butter to form a very stiff paste.
Strain 100ml of the lemon juice into a measuring jug. Add the sugar evenly until the liquid has risen to 150ml – you should have an equal stripe of sugar & lemon juice in the jug.
Time to start assembling your cake! Get yourself a lovely serving plate & remove the buttercream from the fridge. I’m going to give you a couple of tips here that I’ve learned over the years too.
Using a stem of spaghetti or a skewer, poke several holes all over the cake.
Take the next layer of cake, flip it over as before & carefully lay it on top of the buttercream, making sure it’s level & even.
Sprinkle strands of fresh lemon zest all over the top of your cake, with a few on the plate around the edge. That’s it, your cake is ready to slice & share! I recommend keeping it as simple as this for an afternoon treat with friends, but if it’s for a birthday or celebration, decorate as you like!
Sultry September has arrived with a slight coolness about her & although the mornings are a little chilly now, the sunrises are just as spectacular. Getting up early means I see some amazing sunrises & Autumn never fails to deliver. An array of moody clouds smooched across the sky this morning, kissing the rooftops as it gave way to the sunshine before we’d finished breakfast. The garden looks prettily overgrown at the moment, all luscious long grass, wispy branches 
& a scattering of jewel-coloured blackberries on the hedgerows, contrasting with their dark green background. They are happily growing at a rapid rate, replacing the ones that have already been plucked & packed in a pie with sweet sliced apples & cinnamon sugar.
a good fruit pie! Although a slightly stodgy pie is very welcome at this time of year, sometimes we like something a little lighter but just as indulgent. On one of my recent shopping trips to our local shops, there were shelves stacked with punnets of pears. They looked so beautiful & fresh, with pale juniper green skins & a smattering of gold around the bottom. Obviously, I had to buy some & starting thinking of how to do them some justice in a lighter pie, recipe calculating in my head as usual. By the time I got to the checkout a few minutes later, I’d packed my basket with a selection of ingredients & headed home excitedly to start my next creation.
The filling would have included single cream, however there was a slight incident. Upon opening the fridge, the cream pot leapt from the top shelf, unceremoniously smacking into the floor & spectacularly showering me & everything in it’s path. Cue a huge clean up operation & a slight delay in my creation. When things like this happen, I tend to have a look around to see what I can replace it with, rather than hit the shops again & I had some lovely over-ripe bananas that were the perfect replacement! My Pear & Almond Tart (Crostata di Pere e Mandorle) is a simple but pretty dessert, easy to make & the addition of the dark chocolate makes it deliciously decadent. Ready to bake it happen? Hands washed, aprons on & here we go!
4 ripe Pears, peeled & cored
Roll out your pastry to a couple of inches larger than the pie tin. Using your rolling pin, flop the pastry over onto it & carefully drape it over your pie tin, so it reaches all the inside edges.
Remove your tin from the oven & put on a cooling rack. Leave the greaseproof paper & baking beans in place for at least 5 minutes (they will be hotter than the sun), then lift them out on the greaseproof paper & put in a heatproof bowl or similar to cool.
Now to make the filling! Take the pears & halve them. Use a teaspoon to scoop out the core. Slice each half into fine, frond-like fingers. Place one half in the pastry case, rounded side up & gently press to fan them out. Add the next pear half & repeat, making sure each is nicely spaced apart.
Scatter the chocolate pieces all over the pears evenly.
Stir the ground almonds & flour together in a separate bowl, then fold into the wet ingredients until blended thoroughly.
Remove & put on a cooling rack to rest. Once cool, trim off the pastry edge until level with the pie tin. Set aside while you make the decorations.
Lift the paper up & place on a cooling rack until completely cool.
decadent desserts. On my way back from the train station on Friday, I decided to pop into my local shops to pick up a chicken for dinner & somehow got side-tracked by the most delightful fresh figs. Anyone who knows me will tell you that I can’t just pop in anywhere for one thing & will always leave with a jam-packed shopping bag, crammed full of inspirational ingredients that take my fancy.
slender slices of sweet, jammy baked figs took over, I swiftly put two trays in my basket. 
Turn out your pastry onto a lightly floured worktop & shape into a rectangle. Roll away from you into a long piece, about a centimetre thick. Try to keep the edges as straight as you can, but don’t worry too much or you’ll drive yourself loopy! Using a dry pastry brush, dust off any excess flour as you go, especially when folding the layers (otherwise it may affect the recipe & you want flaky pastry, not floury).
Take one of the three pieces of butter & cut into small chunks of about 1cm (you can just pull it apart, but the heat from your hands might melt it).
Dust the worktop with a little more flour. Turn the pastry one turn to the right & roll out again, just as you did above.
Lay your pastry on a piece of greaseproof paper, fold the top of the paper over your pastry & put it on a plate in the fridge for an hour (you might need to leave it longer during hot weather, so probably add another ten minutes if you’re not sure – I’ve left it a couple of hours before & it didn’t do any harm). If you’re like me & like to get organised, this would be a good time to make the ice-cream (my recipe is a bit further down).
Tip the Mascarpone & Greek yoghurt into a large mixing bowl. Add the vanilla extract, one tablespoon of the lemon juice & a good pinch of the zest (you want a subtle hint of lemon here, not a “smack you round the chops” kind of taste that makes your ears flap).
Once you’re happy with it, spoon the mixture into a couple of plastic tubs, only filling about halfway up & put the lids on.
August is always a busy month of celebrations for our family & this one is no exception. It begins with our Son’s birthday, swiftly followed the very next day by mine (he is truly the best birthday present I could have wished for) & finally crowned with our wedding anniversary just after mid-month. There are some pretty cakes to be shared & catch ups with family & friends, sometimes with a glass of 
Prosecco of course (although I never get to finish my drink because we’re all too busy chatting).
add a handful of fresh plump, ruby 
jam & piped with cream, then layered up into a tall, slender slice of sweetness. Sometimes the top would be iced with white & chocolate icing in a delicate feathered pattern (so simple, yet so effective), then sometimes it would simply be dusted with a light sifting of icing sugar. Either way, they would always be welcome as a tea-time treat or special Sunday dessert!
Cut the pastry into equal sized rectangles, using a ravioli or pizza cutter (I find these give a smoother, clean cut).
Bake in the centre of the oven for about 6-8 minutes, until fluffed up & slightly risen. They won’t be very coloured at this stage.
Remove from the oven & carefully transfer each pastry slice to a cooling rack. Leave them to go completely cold.
In a large bowl, whip up the cream with a tablespoon of icing sugar, until fluffy & smooth. The icing sugar just adds a little stiffness to the cream & allows it to set, which is perfect if you’re serving them in Summer.
Time to cut your pastry pieces in half. Along the side of each piece of pastry, you will see where the layers have separated. Using a serrated knife (a sharp bread knife will do), slice carefully through the centre horizontally. Lay them on the cooling rack.
Pipe neat, small splodges of the cream on the bottom layer of pastry – you should be able to comfortably get eight spots of cream on there.
Dust them lightly with icing sugar, using a tea strainer to get a fine sugar powder.
If you don’t have raspberries, why not try strawberry slices instead? This works just as well with other berries too, so you could make them with blueberries, blackberries or cherries. Sometimes, I just use a little jam or preserve on the bottom instead of fruit, so the choice is yours (try apricot – it’s fabulous!). For a truly decadent treat, try making my version of Pain au Chocolat (or Chocolatines) – add a couple of pieces 
of dark chocolate to each slice of pastry, then roll them up, place on a baking tray & glaze with beaten egg. Bake at 190*C for 10 minutes, then turn up the oven to 210*C for the last 15 minutes. When they’ve cooled a little (flaming hot chocolate needs to rest for a few minutes), sprinkle with icing sugar & serve. These go very well with a cup of coffee, as it brings out the 
flavour of the chocolate.
Sitting at my desk writing my blog this morning, drinking a cup of tea as the warm sun is sparkling through last night’s rain on the window, it occurs to me that we’re hurtling into Summer rather rapidly. The changeable weather is free-wheeling, which is giving us all wardrobe issues (cue carrying various rainproof supplies – brolly, raincoat, shoes instead of sandals, to name a few!). We layer up in the damp, chilly morning, only to find that by lunchtime it’s blazing brilliant sunshine! One thing that is benefiting from all this random weather is the garden. Our pots of plants are flourishing & fabulous flowers are blooming between splashes of rain & sporadic sunshine, giving us some glorious fruit & vegetables to look forward to, hopefully very soon!
Husband calls me the Bee Whisperer, because I’m always rescuing them. The bees are very important to us & we should look after them – after all, no bees means no fruit & veggies (or wine, beer & chocolate!). If you see one resting on the ground, he’s probably just tired & needs a rest. Gently move him to safety (use a piece of paper to slide underneath) & give him an energy boost – dissolve a little sugar in some tepid water & put it in a little bottle cap next to him. Trust me, once they’re rested & recuperated, they will buzz back with all their little friends (aka the Pollinators!).
Pour the condensed milk into a saucepan with the butter & chocolate. Heat gently to melt, stirring carefully until everything is fully combined & melted into a dark, delicious pan of gooey gorgeousness (resist the urge to taste it – it will be quite warm!). Turn off the heat & leave to one side to cool for a couple of minutes.
Remove the biscuit base from the fridge & pour the chocolate sauce on top & return to the fridge to set for an hour.
the kettle 
Hungry for more? Thought so! These sweet shots of fast fruity cheesecake can be prepared in moments. As these are individual portions, I prefer to serve them in some pretty wine glasses, such as Champagne saucers, Martini glasses or just large wine glasses (you can use tea-cups for children’s portions – the handles make it easier for them too). Aprons on, hands washed & here we go!
Spoon or pipe swirls of the strawberry Mascarpone generously over the crushed biscuits, or perhaps add a few chopped fresh strawberries to the mixture beforehand. If you’re going to pipe it, forget using a nozzle, just snip the end off a piping bag instead.
Top with a couple of fresh strawberries, dust with a little icing sugar if you like & serve immediately. I like to slice them 3/4 of the way to the top & leave them attached, then fan them out on these dinky desserts. If you don’t want to use strawberries, try using apricots, raspberries or blueberries, swapping the jam for whichever fruit you use. If you fancy something a bit special, cherries go very well with the delicate almond flavour of crushed Amaretti biscuits – just sprinkle a few toasted almonds on top to decorate before serving. Bellissimo!
So when you need to whip up a dessert storm, try these swift, sweet solutions for after dinner! Stay hungry 😉 A x
until it was silky smooth (although simple to make, profiteroles need strong arms & plenty of stamina). Once baked & filled, these piled up plump little pastries would be generously glazed with glossy, rich chocolate sauce & adorned with sparkly spun sugar. I would watch in amazement as my Mum swiftly whipped a sugar-dipped fork through the air & glittery, golden sugar strands would appear as if by magic! Although I don’t tend to make spun sugar very often, I do still make proper profiteroles & once you have tried them, you’ll be hooked too. So, hands washed & aprons at the ready!
Once cooled, your profiteroles are ready! If you are preparing them in advance, you can freeze them a few at a time in a single layer – they crisp up beautifully after a few minutes in a warm oven & you’ll be able to dish up a dessert at a moment’s notice.
Generously drizzle warm, chocolate sauce over them & serve! You want the recipe for chocolate sauce, don’t you? It’s really easy to make & one of my favourite “chuck it all in a pan” recipes. I make jars of this & store it in the fridge or the cold pantry, then warm it up to make it runny enough to pour over cupcakes (it tastes fabulous spread on hot toast too). Here it is!
the leaves, all the way around & it should come out. The more ripe the strawberries, the easier it is.
When you’ve finished, you should have a beautiful strawberry sponge square cake (yes, I’m aware it’s not square, just go with it). Dust lightly with icing sugar all over the top (use a tea strainer for this & you only need about a teaspoonful of icing sugar to do the whole thing) & serve immediately.
could just hide the rest in the fridge for nibbling on later (I think you’ve earned it!). If you don’t like strawberries, use blueberries or even your favourite jam. One of my favourite variations is to make a tiramisu filling instead of using cream, then mix some Sherry or Brandy with an equal amount of espresso coffee to drizzle over the sponge & replace the icing sugar on top with finely grated dark chocolate. Decorate with a few coffee beans & a sprig of fresh mint.