There’s something especially delicious about a cake made by someone you know. Which is why, every year, Breast Cancer Care ask food lovers to get baking and host a Strawberry Tea to raise money for a very good cause.
By hosting a Strawberry Tea fundraiser this summer you’ll be helping to support the 49,000 people who are diagnosed with breast cancer every year.
Breast Cancer Care offer expert information, practical support and a friendly ear, to anyone dealing with the confusion and fear of this life-threatening illness.
A Strawberry Tea is a great excuse to catch up with friends, family or colleagues – but it will also make a real difference to every mum, sister, grandma and best friend living with breast cancer.
Register for your handy guide and start planning this year’s tea party – visit the website www.breastcancercare.org.uk/strawberry
Or call: 0870 164 9422
To inspire you into the kitchen, here’s a handful of scrumptious strawberry recipes that make full use of the season’s first British fruit.
Sweet Eve strawberry oven baked risotto with buttermilk © sweetevestrawberry.co.uk
Risotto doesn’t have to be laborious, you can make it in the oven. In this recipe, rich buttermilk is used as a more acidic foil to cut through the sweetness of the strawberries. If you can’t find buttermilk, just add a generous squeeze of lemon juice to the same quantity of fresh milk.
Serves 4
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Ingredients
250g of Sweet Eve strawberries
1 litre of buttermilk (or plain milk with the juice of 1 lemon mixed in)
100g soft brown unrefined cane sugar
Zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
200g of Arborio or Carnaroli risotto rice
1 cinnamon stick
250ml fresh cream, for serving
Unsalted butter for the roasting tin
Method
Pre-heat the oven to 180°C. Butter a small roasting tin, or small apple crumble pyrex dish.
Hull the strawberries and cut them into small pieces. Place them in a small bowl and set aside.
Combine the buttermilk, the sugar and the lemon zest in a bowl and mix well.
Scatter the risotto rice and strawberry pieces evenly across the buttered roasting tray. Break the cinnamon stick in two pieces and place them, set apart, in the tin. Pour the milky liquid evenly throughout the roasting tin.
Bake the risotto in the pre-heated oven for around 30 minutes, or until the rice grains are very soft, and the top of the risotto is crisp and browned. You may need to cover the top of the rice pudding with aluminium foil to stop it from darkening too much.
When ready, remove the roasting tin from the oven and set the rice pudding aside for 5 minutes to cool slightly, before serving with double cream.
Fresh strawberries and cream milkshake © Le Creuset
Makes 2
A simple and quick way to prepare creamy milkshakes to enjoy at any time of the day. And a great way to use up very ripe strawberries.
Ingredients
250g (9oz) very ripe strawberries
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
150ml (5floz) full cream milk
150g (5 ½ oz) or 3 ice cream scoops vanilla ice cream
Method
Rinse and dry the strawberries on kitchen paper. Remove the green stalks and leaves.Place cleaned strawberries into a blender or food processor retaining two for decoration later.Add the vanilla extract and milk and blend until smooth.Add the scoops of ice cream and blend until well mixed.Pour the milkshake equally between the two mugs.Slice the two remaining strawberries and decorate the top of the milkshake.Serve with two pink straws.
See more recipes at Le Creuset.
Strawberry jam and custard lamingtons © Le Creuset
Makes 12
Lamingtons originate fromAustralianamed after the governor of Queensland Lord Lamington and date back to the late 1800s. Lamingtons were traditionally plain little square cakes dipped in chocolate icing and coated in coconut. Their popularity has led to many variations in more recent times including lemon, raspberry and strawberry versions. This recipe adds yet another twist filling the centre with fresh vanilla custard. The lamington is famous as a fundraising cake and is still being made today in what are called lamington drives to raise money for good causes.
Ingredients
Cake
300g (10oz or 2 cups) plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of salt
2 large eggs
100g (4oz) softened butter + a little extra to grease the dish
150g (5½ oz or ¾ cup) caster sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
125ml (4floz or ½ cup) full cream milk
Baking parchment
Custard
150ml (5floz) milk
100ml (3 ½ floz) double cream
2 tablespoons custard powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons caster sugar
300g (10oz or 1 cup) smooth strawberry jam
+ 2 tablespoons water
150g (5 ½ oz or 2 cups) desiccated coconut
Method
Oven: 180°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4, pre-heated
Fan Oven: 160°C
To make the cake
Grease the dish with a little butter and line with a strip of baking parchment.Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.In a separate bowl add the butter and sugar. Beat together until pale and creamy.Beat in the eggs one at a time then add the vanilla.Stir in half the flour with a silicone spatula followed by the milk and finally the remaining flour.Pour into the lined dish and smooth out the mixture evenly.Place into the oven and bake for 30-35minutes. The cake is done when a skewer comes away cleanly when inserted into the centre of the cake.Turn the cake out onto a cooling rack.
To make the custard
Heat the milk and cream in a small saucepan to boiling point.In a jug mix together the custard powder, vanilla extract, egg yolk and sugar.Stir in the hot milk and return the mixture to the pan.Gently heat the custard stirring all the time until thickened.
To assemble
Warm the strawberry jam and water together either in a saucepan over low heat or in a bowl in the microwave.Square off the edges of the cooled cake and cut in half lengthways (see cook’s note 1).Spread a thin layer of jam on the base layer.Pour the thick custard on top and spread out evenly to the edges.Replace the top section of cake, cover with lightly cling film and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hour to set.Once set cut the cake into 12 squares using a bread knife.Re-warm the jam if it has set. With the aid of a silicone pastry brush, dip and brush each cake in the jam on all the sides and dust well in the coconut. Repeat the process with the remaining cakes (see cook’s note 2).Place the lamingtons onto a platter and chill until required. The cakes will be at their best within 24 hours of making.
Cook’s notes
If you desire perfect squares and your cake has risen a little too much in the centre simply slice a sliver off the top with the bread knife at the same time as trimming the edges. Set up a production line whilst applying the jam and coating the cakes in coconut.
See more recipes at Le Creuset.