If you have friends coming over then make this easy dessert the day before then slice and decorate when you need it.
Couldn’t be simpler and a great hit with adults and kids.
Serves 10
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
Sponge base:
- 100g (4oz) soft margarine
- 100g (4oz) caster sugar
- 100g (4oz) self-raising flour
- 2 eggs
- Grated rind of 1 lemon
- 3 tablespoons water
- 2 teaspoons powdered gelatine
- 225g (8oz) strawberries, hulled
- 150g (5oz) raspberries
- 150ml (1/4 pint) double cream
- 400g (14oz) can full fat condensed milk
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 225g (8oz) strawberries
- 150g (5oz) raspberries
- Few extra strawberries, hulled, sliced
- Few extra raspberries
- Few sugar confetti hearts, optional
- Few red hundreds and thousands, optional
- Little icing sugar, sifted
- Preheat the oven to 180oC (350oF), Gas Mark 4.
- Line an 18 x 28 x 4cm (7 x 11 x 1½ inch) loose bottomed rectangular cake tin with non-stick baking paper, snipping diagonally into the corners of the paper and pressing into the tin so that the base and sides are lined.
- Add all the sponge ingredients to a bowl or food processor and beat together until smooth.
- Spoon into the paper lined tin and smooth into a thin even layer.
- Bake for 15 minutes until golden and the sponge springs back when lightly pressed with a finger.
- Leave to cool in the tin.
- Meanwhile, make the mousse by adding the water to a small heatproof bowl; sprinkle the gelatine over the top so that all the dry powder is absorbed.
- Leave to stand for 5 minutes then stand the bowl in a saucepan of hot water and simmer gently for about 5-10 minutes until the gelatine is a clear liquid.
- Puree the strawberries and raspberries in a food processor or liquidiser then press through a sieve.
- Lightly whisk the cream in a bowl until it forms soft swirls then whisk in the condensed milk and lemon juice until thick and smooth.
- Whisk in the fruit puree then gradually fold in the gelatine, pouring it into the bowl in a thin steady stream.
- Pour the mousse over the sponge base.
- Freeze overnight, loosely wrapping in foil when set.
- To make the sauce, puree the berries then press through a sieve, pour into a plastic box and chill in the fridge overnight.
- When ready to serve, remove the dessert from the freezer.
- Unwrap, remove from the tin and peel away the lining paper.
- Cut into 10 bars with a knife dipped in hot water.
- Transfer to serving plates.
- Arrange extra berries, sugar confetti and hundreds and thousands on top, dust with sifted icing sugar and serve with a separate jug of pureed berries.
About this post -
Recipe and photo credit by Seasonal Berries
