Sunny days aren’t complete without this juicy berry, and the best of the summer's crop is available now!
1 STRAWBERRY CUPCAKES
Preheat the oven to 160°C/Fan 140°C/Gas 3 and line a 12 hole muffin tin with paper cases. Combine 125g unsalted butter with 200g caster sugar in a large bowl until it’s light and fluffy. Mix in 3 eggs, stirring well. Then sift in 225g self-raising flour, mix well and add a teaspoon of vanilla extract and 100ml milk. Mix together, and then equally divide the mixture between the muffin cases. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes until well risen and springy to touch. Leave to cool, then place 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and 150g strawberries into a blender and blitz until smooth. In another bowl, combine 175g unsalted butter and 600g icing sugar, pour in the blended fruit and beat with a whisk. Spread the icing on top using a spoon and palette knife and top each with a strawberry.
2 STRAWBERRY JAM
Place 130g strawberries and 100g sugar in a large pan with lemon juice and heat gently, stirring occasionally until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil for 5 minutes, until the setting point is reached. Test this by placing a teaspoon of jam on a cold saucer. Push your fingers through the jam after a couple of minutes, if it wrinkles it is set, if not return to the heat and boil for 2 minutes, repeat until setting point is reached. Then, skim off scum and leave to cool for half an hour. Stir and ladle into sterilised jars. Store in a cool, dry place for up to 6 months.
3 STRAWBERRY TRIFLE
Make up strawberry jelly according to packet instructions. Lay 4 trifle sponge squares at the bottom of a serving dish and pour the jelly mixture on top. Leave to set in the fridge for around 4-5 hours. Once set, pour over a tin of custard, spreading evenly. Then, in a separate bowl whisk a pot of double cream using an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Pour this on top of the custard. Sprinkle with hundreds and thousands and return to the fridge. When ready to serve, remove from the fridge and top with strawberries.
4 STRAWBERRY PAVLOVA
Preheat the oven to 150°C /Fan 130°C/ Gas 2. Whisk 6 large egg whites in a clean bowl until they form stiff peaks. Gradually add in 300g caster sugar a bit at a time and a pinch of sea salt. Whisk for 8 more minutes until the meringues are white and glossy. Divide the meringue mixture evenly between two lined baking trays into circles. Bake in the oven for 1 hour until the meringues are slightly golden. Wh
