Rice Pudding Cake

‘This is every bit as wonderful as it sounds: an Italian torta di riso, refracted through the prism of someone who loves a bowl of very British rice pudding. It’s time-consuming to make, but not difficult. Wonderful drizzled with a sauce made by heating 200g seedless raspberry jam with 2tbsp lemon juice.’ Hands-on time 40min, plus cooling. Cooking time about 1hr 20min. Serves 8-12

● 150g Arborio rice

● 700ml full-fat milk

● Finely grated zest and juice 1 lemon, keep separate

● 75g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra to grease

● 3 large eggs, separated, at room temperature

● 75g caster sugar

● 2tsp vanilla extract

● Nutmeg, to grate

1 Put the rice, milk, lemon zest and ¼tsp fine sea salt into a medium heavy-based pan. Over high heat, and stirring regularly, bring up to the boil (but don’t let it boil). Turn heat down to low, and cook for about 30min, stirring occasionally, until rice is cooked and milk absorbed. Keep an eye on it, as you don’t want the milk boiling, nor the rice to stick to the bottom of the pan.

2 Remove pan from heat and stir in butter, until melted. Scrape into a large heatproof bowl and set aside for 1hr to cool.

3 Preheat oven to 160°C (140°C fan) mark 3 and grease a 20.5cm round springform cake tin. Put egg whites into a large bowl (or the bowl of a freestanding mixer). Put yolks into a separate bowl. Using a handheld electric whisk beat whites until stiff; set aside. Add sugar to yolks; whisk until pale and moussy.

4 Beat vanilla and 2tsp lemon juice into the yolk mixture, then pour gradually into the cooled rice, folding it in well as you go. Dollop a large spoonful of egg whites into the rice bowl and stir firmly, then fold in remaining whites a ⅓ at a time. Scrape mixture into greased tin.

5 Grate nutmeg over generously and bake for 45min; the top should be set, with no hint of wobble underneath. Sit on a wire rack until just warm, about 1hr. Slip a palette knife all around the edges, unclip tin, and transfer (still on its base) to a cake stand.

6 Serve in slices drizzled with raspberry sauce or rhubarb compote, when in season.

PER SERVING (if serving 12) 174cals, 9g protein, 5g fat (5g saturates), 19g carbs (9g total sugars), <1g fibre

TO STORE Cool, cover and chill within 2hr of baking. Chill for up to 3 days, serve cold.