Atom Lockdown Kitchen – French Strawberry Cream Cake
What’s the best thing about holidays in Paris? You’re never more than short walk away from a patisserie, for a start. A lot of things are weighing on Khayyam this summer – a rejection from art school, an unexpected love triangle and an unsolved mystery – but it’s nothing a slice of gâteau aux fraises et à la crème from Pain de Sucre can’t momentarily distract her from.
For the ultimate reading experience this summer, grab a copy of Samira Ahmed’s delightful new novel Mad, Bad & Dangerous To Know, bake yourself Khayyam’s favourite sweet treat, tuck in and be transported on an unforgettable city break in the city of lights. . . C’est delicieaux!
INGREDIENTS
For the sponge:
4 large eggs
120g caster sugar
100g self-raising flour
For the decoration:
250ml double cream
250g strawberries
50g icing sugar
METHOD
STEP 1
Preheat your oven to 170°C.
STEP 2
Separate the egg yolks from the whites.
STEP 3
Beat the egg whites in a large mixing bowl until they are stiff (you should be able to hold the bowl upside down above your head without any of the mixture falling out).
STEP 4
In another bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and caster sugar until they are frothy and pale yellow.
STEP 5
Carefully fold the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture. Be as gentle as possible so you don’t knock the air out of the mixture.
STEP 6
Next sift in the flour a little bit at a time and fold in gently.
STEP 7
Pour the batter into a 23cm/9 inch cake tin that has been greased and lined with baking parchment.
STEP 8
Put the cake in the centre of the oven and set a timer for ten minutes.
STEP 9
In a large bowl, whip together the cream and icing sugar with a whisk or an electric mixer. Once the cream is stiff, store in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.
STEP 10
Remove the sponge once baked. The top should be a light golden brown and you can test by sticking a knife into the sponge, if it comes out clean then it’s cooked.
STEP 11
Wait for the sponge to cool in the tin and then gently turn the sponge out onto a cooling rack.
STEP 12
Then cover the top and sides of the sponge in the whipped cream mixture. Use a piping bag to achieve that beautiful Parisian Pâtisserie effect.
STEP 13
Slice up your strawberries into halves and arrange on top. You can decorate the sides with thinly cut strawberry slices.
STEP 14
If you want to add some extra garnish, then sprinkle some mint leaves on top for some additional colour.
It is August in Paris and budding art historian Khayyam should be having the time of her life - but even in the City of Lights she can't stop worrying about the mess she left back home in Chicago. Only when she meets a cute young Parisian - who happens to be a distant relative of the novelist Alexandre Dumas - do things start to get interesting, as she starts to unveil the story of a 19th century Muslim woman whose path may have intersected with Dumas, Eugène Delacroix and Lord Byron.
Two hundred years earlier in the Ottoman empire, Leila is the most favoured woman in the Pasha's harem. Her position is meant to be coveted; but she is struggling to survive as she fights to keep her true love hidden from her jealous captor.
Echoing across centuries, as Khayyam uncovers the scintillating truth of Leila's long-forgotten life, her own destiny is transformed forever.
