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Summer berry buttons

These dainty little sponge cakes are filled with crème fraiche swirled with lemon curd and chopped strawberries, what’s not to like!

Makes 18

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 5-8 minutes

 

3 medium eggs

75 g (3 oz) caster sugar

75 g (3 oz) self-raising flour

Little strawberry sugar, see tip, or caster sugar

3 tablespoons lemon curd

250 ml (8 fl oz) full fat crème fraiche

100 g (4 oz) strawberries, hulled, chopped

 

  1. Preheat the oven to 190oC/375oF/Gas Mark 5. Line 2 large baking trays with non-stick baking paper.
  2. Add the eggs and sugar to a large bowl then set this over a saucepan one third filled with simmering water, making sure that the base of the bowl is not touching the water, using a handheld electric mixer whisk the eggs and sugar together until very thick and the whisk will leave a trail on the surface when lifted above the mixture. If your electric mixer is on a stand then whisk the eggs and sugar in the fitted bowl (not on the pan of water) but it will take a few minutes longer. 
  3. Sift the flour over the surface then using a large spoon fold in gently in a figure of eight movement being careful not to knock out the air until there are no traces of flour. Spoon or pipe the mixture using a 1 cm (1/2 inch) plain piping tube into circles about 4 cm (11/2 inches) in diameter then bake for 5-8 minutes, alternating the baking sheets after 4 minutes so that all the sponge cakes colour evenly.
  4. Take out of the oven and sprinkle with strawberry sugar or a little caster sugar, slide paper and mini sponge cakes on to a wire rack and leave to cool.
  5. When ready to serve, fold the lemon curd into the crème fraiche until only just mixed then spoon over the undersides of half the cakes. Top with spoonfuls of chopped strawberries then the remaining biscuits. Best served within a few hours of assembling biscuits together.

 

COOK’S TIP

To make strawberry sugar, mix 2 tablespoons of strawberry puree (made by pureeing and sieving 50 g (2 oz) hulled strawberries) with 175 g (6 oz) granulated sugar then spread into very thin layer over a sheet of foil set on a baking sheet. Bake at 110oC/225oF/Gas Mark ¼ for 15 minutes. Allow to cool then wrap in the foil and keep in the fridge until needed. Crumble into tiny pieces to use.