Fresh picks

Spring’s best berries burst to life with these juicy recipes.

Strawberry Cloud Cake
This stunning dessert is a piece of magic. It looks really impressive with very little effort and you can get it ready early in the day or a few days ahead so you’re free to relax when your friends arrive. You can use any kind of berries for the topping. The coconut lends a tropical taste and interesting texture to the base.
Prep time 15 mins; Freeze time 4 hours; Serves 10-12
150g plain sweet biscuits
½ cup desiccated coconut
1½ tsp ground cinnamon
100g butter, melted
To fill: 2 egg whites, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
250g (1 punnet) ripe strawberries, hulled and sliced
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
To garnish:
fresh raspberries
Berry Syrup (see recipe next page)

Line the base of a 26-28cm spring form cake tin with baking paper or waxed paper. This makes it easy to lift the cake out later.
Make the base by putting the biscuits in a brown paper bag and crushing them into crumbs by beating carefully with a rolling pin. Pour the crumbs into a medium bowl and add the coconut, cinnamon and melted butter. Stir well to combine.
Press firmly into the base of the prepared tin. It doesn’t need to be a thick layer – just enough to cover the bottom of the tin. Refrigerate
the base while you prepare the filling.
Place egg whites, sugar, sliced strawberries, lemon juice and vanilla in the clean, dry bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on high speed for about 6-8 minutes until the mixture is very thick and fluffy and the sugar has dissolved. To test whether it is ready, rub a bit of the mixture between your fingers. You should not feel any gritty sugar. If you do, beat a little longer.
Spoon the filling over the chilled base, smooth the top, cover with a sheet of baking paper and freeze for at least 4 hours. The cake will keep in an airtight container in the freezer for up to a month.
To serve, cut cake into wedges using a knife that has been warmed in hot water. Garnish with fresh raspberries on top and drizzle with Berry Syrup to serve.

Chocolate Cherry Tiramisu

Some recipes make this classic dessert unnecessarily complicated, but this variation is dead easy and wickedly good. Traditionally, tiramisu contains coffee or alcohol, but I’ve made this with Berry Syrup

.Prep time 15 mins + 4-24 hours chilling; Serves 8-10

4 eggs, separated

2 cups (400g) mascarpone

4 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

23cm chocolate cake or chocolate sponge (approx 300g), broken into 2cm cubes

1 cup Berry Syrup (see recipe)

800g fresh cherries, pitted, or 500g fresh or frozen raspberries or other berries

To garnish:

1¼ cups cream

2 tbsp cocoa

Combine the egg yolks, mascarpone, sugar and vanilla extract in a bowl and using a wooden spoon beat until thick and creamy. Put to one side.

Put the egg whites in a clean bowl and beat with a clean whisk until they form soft peaks. Fold gently into the mascarpone mixture.

Place one third of the sponge pieces in the base of a large glass serving bowl. Drizzle a third of the Berry Syrup over the top. Spoon over half the mascarpone mixture then cover with half the pitted cherries or berries.

Layer on another third of the sponge pieces, drizzle with another third of the syrup and top with the remainder of the mascarpone. Top with the rest of the cherries or berries, another layer of sponge and the last of the syrup. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.

Just before serving, whip the cream until it forms soft peaks and spread it over the top of the tiramisu. Sieve the cocoa over the top and chill until ready to serve.

Berry Syrup

This useful Fridge Fixing can be used as a tangy sauce for desserts, or swirled through yoghurt or whipped cream. If you’re short on time, simply scoop ice cream into pretty bowls or glasses, pour on Berry Syrup and garnish with fresh berries.

Prep time 5 mins; Cook time 2 mins; Makes 1¾ cups

3 cups raspberries, fresh or thawed from frozen

½ cup caster sugar

2 tbsp water

Put the berries in a pot and add the sugar and water. Bring to a simmer. Remove the pot from the heat and press the berries through a sieve or mouli to extract the juice and remove the pips. Berry Syrup will keep for up to 10 days covered in the fridge.

Berry Syrup and Yoghurt Parfait

Take 2 punnets of fresh raspberries and drop a few raspberries into the bottom of 6-8 stemmed glasses. Top with yoghurt and drizzle with Berry Syrup (see above). Finish with more raspberries. Serves 6-8.