Treat yourself to a berry Christmas

6- INGREDIENT LAMINGTON WREATH WITH BERRY CREAM TRY YOUR HAND AT THIS DECADENT DELIGHT OR SOME MORE WHOLESOME TREATS

SERVES 10. PREP 40 MINS. COOK 35 MINS.

INGREDIENTS

• 500g frozen strawberries ( see notes)

• 2/ cup caster sugar

3

• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste

• 2 cups thickened cream

• 26 lamington fingers ( see notes)

• 500g small fresh strawberries

METHOD

1. Place frozen strawberries and ½ cup sugar in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook, crushing strawberries with a wooden spoon, for 10 minutes or until sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium- low. Simmer for 10 minutes or until mixture is syrupy.

2. Remove from heat. Strain syrup mixture through a fine sieve into a jug. Discard solids. Wash and dry pan. Return syrup to pan. Stir in vanilla bean paste. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer for 12 minutes or until slightly thickened. Remove from heat. Set aside to cool completely.

3. Using an electric mixer, beat cream and remaining sugar until just- firm peaks form. Add 1/ cup

3 strawberry syrup to cream. Fold through to create a rippled effect.

4. Carefully spoon cream mixture into a large snap- lock bag. Snip 2cm off one corner. Pipe a 23cm ring on a flat serving plate to form the base. This ring will secure the lamingtons to the plate.

5. Pipe a little cream mixture on to one face of one lamington. Place lamington on its side on cream ring to start assembling the wreath. Pipe a little cream on to one face of the next lamington. Place in front of lamington on plate and sandwich together. Repeat process with remaining lamingtons and cream mixture to form the wreath.

6. Reserve 12 fresh strawberries. Hull and finely dice remaining strawberries. Cut three of the reserved strawberries in half. Using the picture as a guide, top wreath with the whole, halved and diced strawberries. Spoon over remaining syrup mixture. Serve immediately.

NOTES •

We used frozen strawberries so this can be made all year and remain affordable. It also saves time as you don’t need to hull them. You can use fresh strawberries instead.

• There are 18 lamington fingers in a packet, available from the supermarket.