Strawberry and Kirsch gateaux.

For Amira and anyone else that fancys a go.

Making the actual cake is a bit laborious and precise but well worth the extra effort. A lot lighter and much less fat than an ordinary sponge.

You will need -

For the cake

3 large eggs, at room temeperature
3 oz Caster sugar
3 oz Self-raising flour, sifted twice

For the filling

1lb Strawberries
Caster sugar
1 tablespoon Kirsch
1/2 pint double cream, whipped
6 oz chopped nuts, toasted


Wash and dry the strawberries and put aside the 4 best looking ones for decoration. Hull and slice the remainder. Put a layer of sliced strawberries in a bowl, pour a little Kirsch over and a light sprinkling of caster sugar. Repeat in a layers until all the sliced strawberries and kirsch are used up. Put in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 180c/Gas 4. Line 2 8 inch sandwich tins with baking parchment/greaseproof paper.

Put a large, scrupulousy clean bowl over a saucepan of hand hot (about 50c) water. Break the eggs into the bowl and whisk for 2 minutes.

Add the caster sugar and whisk for 5-8 minutes until the mixture is light in colour and double it's original size. The mixture should leave ribbons on the surface and be like softly whipped cream.

Sift the flour on top of the egg and sugar mixture and, with a large metal spoon, fold, DO NOT STIR OR WHISK, the flour in until evenly mixed and pour into the tins.

Bake for approximately 20 minutes on the centre shelf, until golden in colour and the surface springs back when pushed in. Remove from the oven and eave in the tins for 5 minutes, then run a knife round the edge of the tin, turn out onto a wire rack and remove the paper lining. Leave until completely cold.

To assemble the cake.

Drain the strawberries but keep the liquid.

Place one cake on a plate, spoon over half of the strawberry juice and cover with about 1/5 of the whipped cream. Arrange the strawberries on top of the cream. Take the other cake, spread with another 1/5 of the cream and sandwich the 2 together.

Cover the sides of the cake with 2/5's of the cream. Spread the nuts out on a strip of foil or baking parchment in a long strip as wide as the cake is high. Pick the cake up and roll the side along the nuts so the sides become covered in the toated nuts and place on a plate.

Spoon the remainder of the strawberry juice over the top of the cake then cover with the rest of the cream. Slice the 4 nice strawberries you saved earlier in half and arrange on top.

Place in the fridge for at least 2 hours for the sponge to cool and absorb the strawberry/kirsch juice.