Spring has sprung! At least, it has in the southern hemisphere and today, the first day of Spring, the skies were blue, the wattle was out and all was right in the world.
To celebrate this most beloved of seasons it seemed fitting to make a dessert as sweet as the weather.
Allow me to present a fresh, spring-time trifle with just a smidge of alcohol. I made this as a light dessert, prefect for Ladies Who Lunch.
When I saw the strawberries I just knew they would make a delectable dessert. This is such a simple throw together treat that you can throw together in no time. No Cointreau? No worries – Champagne or a decent sparkling white wine would work just as well.
Because I don’t want to waster alcohol, I made two alcohol-free versions for Miss7 and 9. Simply swap the Cointreau for freshly squeezed orange juice. I served the little people their trifle in a squat drinking glass rather than my wedding gift martini glasses :)
GATHER:
1 punnet of strawberries
2 tablespoons Cointreau
Whipping cream
For cake:
I used the Victoria sponge recipe from the stunning new book Naked Cakes by Lyndel Miller. In the book this recipe is used to make a 20cm round cake – I made mine in a 30x20cm rectangular tin and adjusted the baking time down.
100grams unsalted butter, diced, at room temperature
100g caster sugar
100g self-raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons Cointreau, extra
LET’S GET TO IT:
Wash and slice strawberries then place in a ceramic or glass bowl and pur over the Cointreau. Set aside for at least an hour or overnight.
Preheat oven to 160C and grease and line a 30x20cm rectangular cake tin.
In bowl of electric mixer beat butter and sugar until lighter in colour and not gritty.
Sift together the self-raising flour and baking powder, then add the flour mix and beaten eggs in alternate measures, beating well.
Scrape into the tin and bake for 16 minutes. Remove from oven, stand for 5 minutes, then remove to wire rack to cool complteley. When cold use a 5cm cookie-cutter to cut rounds from the cake and use a pastrybrush to brush cake rounds with the extra Cointreau.
Whip the cream in a spotlessly clean bowl until soft peaks form.
In a serving glass place a generous dollop of the cream, then a layer of cake, then strawberries. Repeat until glass is full. Serve immediately.
