STRAWBERRY HULLED RECIPES

Steps:

• Butter and line the bases of three 18cm cake tins. Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Blend the butter and sugar in a food processor until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs, flour and yogurt and blend again. Add 200g strawberries (save the best ones to decorate) and the vanilla. Blend once more, until the mixture is well combined.
• Divide the cake batter evenly between the three cake tins. Spread and smooth the tops with a spatula, then bake for 25-30 mins, until the cakes have risen and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Return to the oven for another 5 mins if any wet mixture clings to the skewer. Leave in the tins for 5 mins, then turn onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely. The cakes can be made up to two days before icing, or frozen for two months.
• For the icing, blend the butter and half the sugar until smooth and creamy, add the soft cheese and the remaining sugar and blend again. Be careful not to over mix as the icing will become runny. (If you do overmix, don’t worry – keep mixing with an electric whisk and it’ll thicken back up).
• Layer the cakes with the jam and half the icing. Invert the final cake on top, so the base of the cake it now the top, giving you a flat surface. Pile the rest of the icing on top of the cake, using a palette knife to spread the icing over the top and down the sides. Save a little icing to pipe rosettes around the edge of the cake, if you like. Top with the remaining strawberries. Can be made up to a day ahead of serving, keep somewhere cool or in the fridge. Will keep for three days.

Steps:

• Prepare the strawberries by wiping them with a piece of damp kitchen paper. (Wiping the strawberries rather than washing them ensures the fruit doesn’t absorb lots of water – too much water and the jam won’t set easily.) To hull the fruit, use a knife to cut a cone shape into the strawberry and remove the stem. Cut any large berries in half.
• Put the strawberries in a bowl and gently toss through the sugar. Leave uncovered at room temperature for 12 hrs or overnight. This process helps the sugar to dissolve, ensures the fruit doesn’t disintegrate too much and helps to keep its vibrant colour.
• Before starting the jam, put 2 saucers in the freezer. Tip the strawberry mixture into a preserving pan with the lemon juice. Set over a low heat and cook very gently. If any sugar remains on the sides of the pan, dip a pastry brush in hot water and brush the sugar away.
• When you can no longer feel any grains of sugar remaining, turn up the heat to start bubbling the jam and bringing it to the boil. (The sugar must be completely dissolved before increasing the heat, otherwise it will be difficult for the jam to set, and it may contain crystallised lumps of sugar.)
• Boil hard for 5-10 mins until the jam has reached 105C on a preserving or digital thermometer, then turn off the heat. If you don’t have a thermometer, spoon a little jam onto one of the cold saucers. Leave for 30 secs, then push with your finger; if the jam wrinkles and doesn’t flood to fill the gap, it is ready. If not, turn the heat back on and boil for 2 mins more, then turn off the heat and do the wrinkle test again. Repeat until ready.
• Use a spoon to skim any scum that has risen to the surface and discard this. Do this only once at the end, rather than constantly during the boiling stage, to reduce wastage.
• Add a knob of butter, if you like, to the finished jam, and stir in to melt. This will help to dissolve any remaining scum that you haven’t managed to spoon off the top. Leave the jam to settle for 15 mins – this will ensure that the fruit stays suspended in the mixture and doesn’t all float to the top of the jam jar. Meanwhile, sterilise your jars.
• Ladle into warm jars, filling to just below the rim. Place a wax disc on top of the jam (this prevents mildew forming), then cover with a lid or a cellophane circle and elastic band. Pop on a label (include the date), plus a pretty fabric top, if you like. The jam can be stored for up to 1 year in a cool, dry place. Refrigerate after opening.