Jam Tarts And Summer Pudding Cake: Nicola Lamb’s Recipes For Baking With Mixed Berries

First up, a crostata-inspired jam tart that’s cleanable for day beverage aliases nibbling passim nan day. Fennel seeds successful nan buttery pastry springiness a subtle flavour surprise, though you could omit them, aliases effort coriander seeds aliases ginger instead. A mini batch of jam is amazingly speedy to make, but you can, of course, usage shop-bought, aliases make usage of 1 of those jars surviving rent-free successful your cupboard. Then, a summertime pudding-inspired barroom that makes a delightful centrepiece – nan juices from nan berries sorb into nan apical 3rd of nan sponge, giving it a gorgeous, ombre reside that looks arsenic beautiful arsenic it tastes.

Summer pudding tray cake

Use a substance of immoderate berries are plentiful; stiff will activity well, too.

Prep 5 min
Cook 1 hr 10 min, positive cooling
Chill 1 hr
Serves 8

For nan sponge
3 ample eggs
20g rootlike oil
40g whole milk
120g caster sugar
100g plain flour
1½ tsp baking powder
A pinch of flaky salt

For nan soak
550g mixed berries, caller aliases stiff and defrosted
100g caster sugar

For nan cream
300ml double cream
30g caster sugar (optional, depending connected really saccharine nan consequence is)

Heat nan oven to 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4 and statement a 20cm quadrate tin.

Separate nan eggs, and put nan whites successful nan vessel of a guidelines mixer, if you person one. Whisk nan lipid and beverage into nan yolks. Whisk nan ovum whites until foamy, past adhd nan sweetener a tablespoonful astatine a time, whipping connected precocious velocity until you person a stiff, glossy meringue.

Whisk a 4th of nan meringue into nan yolks to lighten, past sift complete half nan flour and nan baking powder, and fold in. Fold successful half nan remaining meringue, followed by nan remaining flour. Finally, fold successful nan past of nan meringue and a pinch of brackish – nan batter should beryllium very airy.

Pour into nan lined tin and dispersed pinch a spatula. Gently pat nan tin connected a antagonistic to burst immoderate ample aerial bubbles, past cook for 30 minutes, until aureate and firm. Leave to cool completely, past return retired of nan tin and put it successful a larger tray aliases serving tin. Poke holes each complete nan apical pinch a skewer aliases fork.

Meanwhile, successful a saucepan, simmer nan berries, sweetener and 100g h2o for 2 to 3 minutes (eight minutes, if utilizing stiff berries), until nan berries merchandise their juices. Strain, catching nan juices successful a bowl, past time off nan juices to cool for 15–20 minutes (you should beryllium capable to dip successful your digit comfortably). Set speech 2 tablespoons of juice to decorate, past move nan remainder slow each complete nan sponge, not forgetting nan edges. Collect immoderate juice pooled successful nan tray and move it backmost complete nan sponge.

Set speech 120g of nan berry pulp, past dispersed nan remainder connected apical of nan cake. Whip nan pick and sweetener to mean peaks, past mildly fold successful nan reserved pulp to make a rippled effect. Save a fewer ample berries for nan top, past dispersed nan pick complete nan sponge, and drizzle connected nan reserved syrup and berries. Chill for astatine slightest an hr earlier serving.

Jammy shortbread tart

Nicola Lamb’s jammy shortbread tart.

Prep 5 min
Chill 30 min+
Cook 1 hr
Serves 8

For nan speedy berry jam
300g mixed berries (frozen are fine)
150g caster sugar
30g citrus juice

For nan shortbread dough
1½ tsp fennel seeds
80g ray brownish sugar
120g room-temperature butter, positive other for greasing
1 egg (about 50g)
240g plain flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp flaky salt

To decorativeness (optional)
Demerara sugar
Fennel seeds
Creme fraiche aliases yoghurt, to serve

Put nan jam ingredients successful a saucepan and bring to a boil connected a mean heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for astir 15 minutes, until glossy and thick, past trial nan set: put a spoon of jam connected a mini plate, popular it successful nan freezer for 2 minutes, and it should shape a tegument that wrinkles erstwhile you resistance a digit done it, without refilling nan gap. If not, navigator nan jam for different 2 minutes and retest. Pour into a cleanable container, time off to cool, past seal and shop successful nan fridge.

For nan shortbread, blitz nan fennel seeds and sweetener successful a blender until good (or crush nan fennel successful a mortar, past operation pinch nan sugar). Mix successful nan food for a infinitesimal aliases two, until mixed and somewhat airy, past operation successful nan egg. Stir successful nan barren ingredients until nan operation comes together into a soft dough, past wrap and chill successful nan fridge for astatine slightest 30 minutes, aliases overnight.

When you are fresh to bake, region nan mixed from nan fridge and fto it soften to room somesthesia (you tin knead it a spot to lukewarm it up). Meanwhile, power nan oven to 190C (170C fan)/375F/gas 5 and grease a 23-24cm fluted tart tin pinch butter.

Set a 4th of nan mixed aside, past property nan remainder evenly into nan guidelines and sides of nan tin. Now dispersed 200-250g of nan jam connected apical (save immoderate excess for porridge aliases toast). Pinch disconnected small pieces of shortbread from nan reserved dough, and usage these to screen nan jam, leaving a fewer mini spaces for it to peep through. Sprinkle pinch demerara sweetener and fennel seeds, past cook for 25-30 minutes, until aureate – nan jam should beryllium bubbling successful places.

Once cool capable to handle, return nan tart retired of its tin and time off to cool earlier serving pinch a spoon of creme fraiche aliases yoghurt, if desired.

• Nicola Lamb is simply a pastry cook and writer of nan play Kitchen Projects newsletter and Sift, published by Ebury Press astatine £30. To bid a transcript for £27, spell to guardianbookshop.com