This one’s got heart, soul, and a splash of house-made gin.
Inspired by the juicy local haul from @newbrightonmarkets — the first strawberries of the season, and they taste like actual sunshine.
This cake is part tart, part trifle, and part pudding — layered with vanilla custard, macerated strawberries and a soft, almondy crumb. Pour over the leftover strawberry gin syrup and you’ve got yourself a gooey, grown-up dessert that still feels nostalgic.
CAKE INGREDIENTS:
• 3 cups almond meal
• ⅔ cup potato starch
• 2 tbsp arrowroot
• 1 cup organic raw caster sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp bicarb soda
• Pinch of salt
• Seeds from 1 vanilla pod
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• ¼ cup olive oil
CUSTARD:
• 1½ cups milk
• Seeds from 1 vanilla pod
• ⅓ cup caster sugar
• 4 egg yolks
• 2 tbsp cornflour
• 2 tbsp butter
MACERATED STRAWBERRIES:
• 500g strawberries, hulled and halved
• ¼ cup sugar
• Squeeze of lemon juice or a cheeky splash of gin (we used our house-made Davidson Plum version)
TO FINISH:
• 500g fresh strawberries
• Icing sugar for dusting
METHOD:
1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a pie tin.
2. Macerate strawberries: combine berries, sugar and lemon/gin. Set aside.
3. Make custard: heat milk + vanilla. Whisk yolks, sugar and cornflour. Slowly whisk in warm milk, then return to pan and stir until thickened. Finish with butter. Cool slightly.
4. For cake: combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk wet ingredients separately. Fold together until just combined.
5. Press cake mixture into tin, pushing up the sides to form a well. Pour in custard. Swirl macerated strawberries gently through the centre.
6. Bake 35–40 mins until golden and just set. Cool completely.
7. Decorate with fresh strawberries and a dusting of icing sugar.
✨ To serve: slice generously, spoon over extra macerated strawberry syrup (and a dash more gin if you’re feeling festive).