Strawberry macaron cake

Ingredients

• 250g ground almonds
• 350g icing sugar
• 6 large egg whites
• Pinch of salt
• 150g caster sugar
• 50g toasted flaked almonds, to decorate
• Icing sugar, to decorate

For the filling

• 300ml double cream
• 250g mascarpone
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 6 tbsp good-quality strawberry jam
• 200g fresh strawberries, roughly quartered
• Fresh redcurrants, to decorate

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C (325°F/Gas 3) and line three baking sheets with non-stick baking paper.Draw a 23-cm circle in pencil on each one (use a cake tin as a guide).

2. Put the ground almonds and icing sugar into a bowl and stir to combine. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt to soft peaks then whisk in the caster sugar, a little at a time, until the mixture is thick and glossy.

3. Use a large metal spoon to fold the icing sugar and ground almonds into the glossy egg whites.

4. Spoon three circles of the mixture on to the prepared baking sheets and use a palette knife to level off. Give the baking sheets a sharp tap on the worktop to ensure a good base on the macaron (also known as a ‘foot’). Leave them to stand at room temperature for about 15 minutes to form a slight skin on the surface of the macarons.

5. Put the macarons into the preheated oven to bake for about 20 minutes until crisp around the edges. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on the paper on the baking sheets.

6. Make the filling.Whisk together the cream, mascarpone, vanilla extract and sugar until stiff peaks form. Put in a covered bowl in the fridge until you are ready to assemble and serve the cake.

7. Carefully remove each macaron from the baking paper. Place the first one on your serving plate and spread with 3 tablespoons of jam. Slather on about one-third of the mascarpone cream and scatter over about one-third of the chopped strawberries. Place another macaron on top and repeat the jam, mascarpone and strawberry layers. Place the last macaron on the top of your cake. Spread the remaining mascarpone cream on top and decorate with strawberries and the redcurrants, if using. Sprinkle with toasted flaked almonds and dust with icing sugar to finish.

This recipe has been donated by Miranda Gore Browne to Dream Tea. Host your own Dream Tea to help fulfill the dreams of children living with serious conditions. Dream Tea 2017 will take place from June 19 - 25 and aims to raise £5000. Visit the Dream Tea website to sign up.

Recipes extracted from Bake Me a Cake as Fast as You Can by Miranda Gore Browne (Ebury Press, £14.99).

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