PASSIONFRUIT TART

A glorious spring tart with a silky-smooth passionfruit filling. To save time, you can use shop-bought ready-rolled shortcrust pastry.

SERVES 8 PREPARE 30 MINUTES, PLUS CHILLING COOK 1 HOUR 10 MINUTES

PASTRY

200g plain flour, plus extra for dusting

65g icing sugar, plus extra for dusting

100g unsalted butter, diced and chilled

1 large egg yolk (reserve the white for glazing)

FILLING

8 large passionfruit (to yield 100ml passionfruit juice) 5 medium eggs

175g caster sugar juice of 1 small lemon 150ml double cream

For the pastry, pulse together the flour and icing sugar in a food processor. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk and 2 tbsp cold water. Pulse again to bring the dough together (add a drop more water if needed). Shape the

dough into a ball then flatten to about 3cm thick, wrap in clingfilm then chill for 1 hour to firm up.

Preheat the oven to 200C/ 180C fan/gas 6. Lightly dust the work surface with flour and roll out the pastry to a circle about 3mm thick. Use to line a 23cm fluted tart tin leaving the extra pastry overhanging the edges. Prick the base all over with a fork and chill for 20 minutes.

Line the pastry case with a large circle of baking parchment (scrunch it up first then smooth it out) and fill with baking beans or rice. Sit the tin on a baking sheet and bake on the middle shelf for 20 minutes, until starting to turn golden.

Carefully lift out the baking paper and beans and return the pastry to the oven for 10 minutes until the base looks cooked. Brush the base and sides with a little of the reserved egg white and return to the oven for a final 3-5 minutes to seal the pastry.

While the pastry is in the oven, make the filling. Scoop the passionfruit pulp into a sieve and press it with a wooden spoon to extract the juice – you want 100ml in total. In a mixing bowl, use a hand whisk to gently whisk together the eggs and sugar with a pinch of salt until just combined (you don’t want any air bubbles). Lightly whisk in the passionfruit juice and the lemon juice, and then the cream. Pass the mixture through a sieve into a jug and chill until ready to use.

Remove the pastry case from the oven. Cool for about 30 minutes, then use a serrated knife to trim the excess pastry from the edges. Dust out any crumbs from the middle.

Turn down the oven to 150C/ 130C fan/gas 2. Carefully pour the filling into the tart case and bake for 30-35 minutes, until there is just a slight wobble in the middle of the tart. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely before serving. Serve dusted with icing sugar, if liked.

BERRY AND CREAM SHORTBREADS

You can use any berry jam in the filling of these pretty sandwiched shortbreads.

MAKES 8-10 PREPARE 30 MINUTES, PLUS 30 MINUTES CHILLING COOK 20 MINUTES

110g unsalted butter, at room temperature 50g caster sugar, plus an extra tbsp for sprinkling ½ tsp vanilla bean paste 170g plain flour

¼ tsp fine salt

FILLING

100g berry jam (use strawberry, blackberry, raspberry or a mixture of different jams)

1-2 tbsp clotted cream

Place the butter, sugar and vanilla in a mixing bowl and cream with electric beaters for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the flour and salt then beat with a wooden spoon to a smooth paste.

Bring the dough together with your hands and place on a large sheet of baking parchment. Cover with another large sheet of baking paper and pat out between the sheets, to about 1.5cm thick. Chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 170C/ 150C fan/gas 3½ and line a large, flat baking tray with baking parchment. Remove

the dough from the fridge and, still between the parchment, roll out to 3mm thick all over. Remove the top layer of paper and use a 7cm round biscuit cutter to stamp out as many biscuits as possible.

Taking half of the biscuits, stamp a 3cm circle (the base of a piping nozzle should be about the right size or cut freehand with a sharp knife) in the centre of them. Carefully lift the biscuits (removing the holes from those that have been stamped out) on to the lined baking tray. Re-roll the holes and any other scraps of dough to make more biscuits (you may need to chill the dough in between rolling if it becomes too soft).

Scatter the biscuits with the extra sugar and bake for 14-16 minutes until they are a light golden colour. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the filling, mix the jam and cream together to a smooth, glossy mixture. Spread a teaspoonful over the unsugared side of the whole biscuits and top with the stamped-out biscuits.

These are best eaten the day they are made. If you want to make them in advance, store the unfilled biscuits in an airtight container and sandwich with the jam just before serving.

TIP

CARROT AND COCONUT LAYER CAKE

This makes a fabulous centrepiece and the flavours of carrot and coconut go fantastically well together.

SERVES 12 PREPARE 40 MINUTES, PLUS COOLING COOK 30 MINUTES

150ml sunflower oil, plus extra for greasing

150g plain flour

1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon ½ tsp ground ginger

1½ tsp baking powder

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda ½ tsp fine salt

4 medium eggs

180g golden caster sugar 225g coarsely grated carrot (about 4 medium carrots) 100g desiccated coconut 3 tbsp coconut flakes

FROSTING

125g unsalted butter, softened

175g icing sugar, sifted 2 tbsp coconut cream 180g Philadelphia soft cheese

Preheat the oven to 180C/ 160C/gas 4. Grease and line the base and sides of two 20cm round cake tins with baking parchment.

Combine the flour, spices, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt in a bowl.

Place the oil and eggs in a large mixing bowl and use

electric beaters to whisk for 2-3minutesuntilpaleand aerated. Beat in the sugar for another minute, then beat in the dry ingredients. Finally, stir through the carrot and desiccated coconut.

Divide equally between the cake tins and bake for 25-30 minutes or until risen and a skewer inserted at the centre comes out clean. Cool completely in the tins set on a wire rack.

Place the coconut flakes for the topping on a small roasting tray and bake for 3-4 minutes until lightly golden; set aside.

For the frosting, place the butter in a bowl and use electric beaters to beat for 1 minute until pale and light. Sift in 100g icing sugar and beat until smooth. Add the coconut cream and the soft cheese and beat until combined. Finally beat in the remaining 75g sifted icing sugar to make a thick frosting.

To assemble, place one cake on the base of a plate or a cake stand. Spread the top with half of the frosting. Repeat with the remaining cake and frosting, and sprinkle with the toasted coconut flakes.