Jubilee treats...part one of two

If you live in the UK, the chances are you’ve realised that this weekend is a four day Golden Jubilee celebration marking Our Maj’s 60 years on the throne (stop sniggering!).  Let’s just say it’s garnered a mention or two in the media....

Being an old curmudgeon, I shall be avoiding street parties like the plague (the last street party I went to was for the Silver Jubilee in 1977; I had green balloons attached to me and wore a label identifying me as a Birds-Eye pea pod.  This stuff scars you for life – believe me) but instead decided on a nice meal with my family.

This post covers the dessert and afternoon tea cake.  As I was roasting a huge rib of beef on the day, I wanted to pick recipes that could be prepared in advance, would have a broad appeal, would suit the occasion and look good without much faff.  I think the strawberry mousse, and the raspberry and blueberry cake achieved this!

Let’s start with the strawberry mousse: it’s a gelatine set mousse containing both cream and natural yoghurt; this stopped it being too sweet.  I like leaving little flecks of cream in my mousse as they feel delicious in your mouth; the trick is to fold the mousse just enough but not so much that it becomes a single colour and texture.

The darker topping is just strawberry puree, sweetened to taste with some icing sugar.  I served the mousse with shortbread biscuits (the recipe for which can be found here)

The raspberry and blueberry sponge is my attempt to get patriotic by picking out the colours of the Union flag (yes, I am a pedant – it’s only the Union Jack when it’s at sea.  Pedantry over.)  This is a big cake and it serves a lot of people – I used my 23cm round tin which is a tin that doesn’t get a lot of airings in my kitchen!

Raspberries and blueberries are probably my favourite fresh fruits to bake with as they add such a pop of colour and a fabulous texture to any cake as they collapse and squidge into the batter during baking.  All this cake needed was a simple vanilla buttercream to set it off.

I hope everyone enjoys the extended weekend...and please come back and visit early next week to see my other Jubilee bake involving golden syrup and cream cheese (and no – it’s not a cheesecake!)

 

Ingredients for the strawberry mousse

625g strawberries, washed and hulled
Icing sugar – to taste
3 tablespoons runny honey
4 leaves gelatine
250ml double cream
250g natural yoghurt

To serve: shortbread biscuits – recipe can be found here

Method for the strawberry mousse

Take 225g of the strawberries and blitz in a food processor or blender.

Pass through a sieve and taste – add icing sugar if needed.  I added 1 ½ tablespoons to my strawberries.

Pour into a jug and refrigerate until serving.

Now make the mousse: blitz the remaining strawberries and sieve.

Stir in the honey.

Fill a small bowl with cold water and place the gelatine leaves in it to soften.

Pour about 1/3 of the larger puree into a small saucepan and heat until just bubbling.

Remove from the heat.

Squeeze all the water out of the now soft gelatine leaves and whisk into the hot puree.

Put to one side until cool, then whisk into the other 2/3 of puree.

Whip the cream until it forms soft peaks.

Add the yoghurt and whip until combined.

Fold in the strawberry puree.  If you like creamy little bits left in your mousse take care not to fold it too much.

Ladle into four 250ml glasses and cover with clingfilm.

Refrigerate until you wish to serve.

When serving, pour some of the puree on top, and serve with tiny shortbread biscuits.

Bask in the glory of the wonderful thing you have created.

Eat.

Ingredients for the raspberry and blueberry cake

For the cake:

200g unsalted butter, at room temperature
200g caster sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 eggs
325g plain flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
150ml milk
125g fresh raspberries
125g fresh blueberries

For the buttercream:

150g unsalted butter, at room temperature
200g icing sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk

Method for the raspberry and blueberry cake

Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan oven 160°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.

Line a 23cm round springform tin with baking paper (a 20cm square tin would also work).

Beat together the butter and sugar until smooth, light and whippy.  Don’t skimp on this stage – this is where you get all the air into your batter.

Beat in the vanilla.

Beat in the eggs, one at a time.

Measure out the flour and then take two tablespoons of it and sprinkle over the fruit – this ensures that the fruit is dry and won’t sink in the cake.

Fold the flour and baking powder into the batter, followed by the milk.

Tip the floury fruit into the batter and gently fold trying not to break the fruit – some will break, don’t worry!

Spoon into the tin and level the surface.

Bake for 50 minutes – 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.  Mine took an hour.

Leave to cool, in the tin, until it is cool enough to handle and safely de-tin.  Leave to cool completely on a wire rack.

Now make the buttercream: beat the butter until it is soft.

Add the icing sugar and beat together – start with the mixer on a low number to avoid dusting your kitchen with icing sugar!

Add the vanilla  and milk and beat until smooth.

Spread over the top of the cake and decorate as desired.

Bask in the glory of the wonderful thing you have created.

Eat.