Bettys’ lemon and strawberry torte

You will need acetate to line the base and sides of the tin, for a clean finish.

MAKES A 18CM TORTE INGREDIENTS For the base

175g lady fingers (sponge fingers) 50ml water

75g caster sugar

Zest and juice of 1 lemon 25ml limoncello

For the mousse filling

8 fresh strawberries 200ml whipping cream 8g leaf gelatin 150ml strawberry purée 250g mascarpone 50g icing sugar

For the mirror glaze

4g leaf gelatin 100ml strawberry purée

METHOD

Cut a sheet of acetate to line the bottom of an 18cm sandwich tin. Cut two strips of acetate to fit around the sides of the

tin, so they reach 3cm above the sides.

Finely crush the lady fingers and set to one side.

In a heavy-based pan, make a syrup by bringing the water and sugar to the boil and simmering for five minutes. Add the zest and juice and the limoncello and warm through.

Reserve one tablespoon of the syrup to help set the strawberries to sides of the acetate.

Pour the rest of the syrup into the biscuit mixture and mix well. Place into the prepared tin and press down with the back of a spoon. Chill for 30 minutes to set.

Cut the tops off the strawberries to give a straight edge and slice each strawberry in half. Dip the cut side of each strawberry into the syrup. Stick them to the acetate sides lining the tin, leaving a 2cm gap between each strawberry. Ensure they sit no more than ½cm taller than the side of the tin or else the filling will not cover the top. Set aside.

For the mousse filling, whip the cream to soft peaks and set aside. Soak the gelatin in a bowl of cold water for two to three minutes to soften.

Place the strawberry purée in a small pan and gently warm through, but do not boil. Remove from the heat, check that the temperature of the purée is warm and not hot. Squeeze the excess water from the softened gelatin and dissolve in the warm purée.

In a separate bowl, mix together the mascarpone and icing sugar until smooth. Add the purée and gelatin mix and stir until well combined.

Carefully fold in the whipped cream, being careful to knock out as little air as possible. Gently pour or spoon the mousse into the prepared tin. Level the top and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until set.

For the mirror glaze, soak the leaf gelatin in a bowl of cold water for a few minutes to soften.

Warm the strawberry purée in a small pan. Squeeze the excess water from the gelatin leaves and dissolve them in the warm purée. Allow to cool slightly, then pour evenly over the set strawberry mousse.

Chill for two hours. To serve, remove the torte from the sandwich tin and carefully peel away the acetate and allow to come to room temperature.