STRAWBERRY TRIFLE ROULADE

YOU will need a 30 x 20cm (12 x 8in) Swiss roll tin or baking tray. Serves 6-8

FOR THE SPONGE

Oil, to grease

1 lemon

3 eggs

85g (3oz) caster sugar, plus extra to dust 1½ tbsp warm water 85g (3oz) plain flour A pinch of salt

FOR THE FILLING

200g (7oz) small strawberries

2-3 tbsp Pedro Ximenez sherry

1½ tbsp icing sugar, or to taste, plus extra to finish 3 tbsp good-quality strawberry jam ½ quantity creme patissiere (see below)

TO SERVE

Strawberry sugar (see note at end of recipe) or freeze-dried strawberries To prepare the strawberries for the filling, hull them and chop into small pieces. Put in a bowl with the sherry, add the icing sugar and stir gently. Leave to soften while you make the sponge. Heat the oven to 180c/fan 160c/gas mark 4. Lightly oil the baking tin and line with baking parchment. Finely grate the lemon zest and break the eggs into a large heatproof bowl. Add the sugar and lemon zest and, using an electric whisk, start whisking on a low speed without moving the whisk, until combined. Place the bowl over a saucepan of just-boiled water, making sure the base of the bowl is not touching the water, and whisk for three to four minutes. Increase the speed and continue whisking for about five minutes until the mixture becomes very fluffy and mousse-like. Remove the bowl from the pan and continue whisking until the bowl has cooled slightly, a further two to three minutes. Lastly, whisk in the water. Sift the flour and salt over the whisked mixture and fold in carefully, using a large metal spoon or spatula. Spread in the prepared tin, gently smoothing it to the edges. Bake in the middle of the oven for 12-15 minutes until light golden-brown and, when lightly pressed, no indentation remains. Remove from the oven and, while still warm, invert the sponge on to a sheet of greaseproof paper sprinkled with caster sugar and carefully peel off the baking parchment, using a palette knife to support the cake. Trim off the dry edges. Make a shallow cut across the width of the sponge, 1cm (½in)in from the edge. Spread the jam over the warm sponge. Transfer the strawberries to a plate with a slotted spoon. Stir a little of the syrupy juice from the bowl into the creme patissiere, to taste (but don’t make it too thin), then spread over the jam layer. Distribute the strawberries evenly over the creme patissiere. Using the paper under the sponge to help, roll up the sponge firmly and evenly from the shorter side, enclosing the filling. Chill the roulade, wrapped in the paper, to set its shape, for 15-20 minutes. To serve, carefully remove the paper. Sprinkle the roulade with strawberry sugar or icing sugar and a sprinkling of crushed freeze-dried strawberries. Cut into slices.

To make strawberry sugar: * Blitz a handful of freeze-dried strawberries in a spice grinder to a powder, then mix with icing sugar to taste. Any freeze-dried fruit, such as rhubarb or raspberries, can be used to make fruit sugars and will last for several weeks in an airtight container. Freeze-dried fruit can be found in large supermarkets or from online specialist food companies.