No bake cake: Raspberry & white chocolate mousse

Ingredients 150ml double cream, 30g white chocolate, 75g raspberries, 1 pancake.

Serves: 1 Preparation: 10 minutes

I was recently sent some of the lovely Abra-ca-Debora pancakes for a foodspiration challenge and had a lot of fun with the concept of "no bake cakes." My interpretation was to quarter the pancakes and layer with white chocolate mousse and raspberries, topped with whipped cream to form a single slice of cake. Abra-ca-FABULOUS.

1) Melt the white chocolate in a Bain Marie, then set aside to cool a little.

2) Whisk the double cream for approximately 2 minutes until soft peaks form. Separate a little out into a piping bag, then fold the chocolate in with the trest and continue to whisk until the peaks are stiff.

3) Using a spatula, spread the white chocolate mouse onto the pancake layers and stud with raspberries. Serve with a dollop of the whipped cream.

Berry & rose crumble

Ingredients Dried rose petals, butter, plain flour, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, caster sugar

Preparation: 30 minutes

Following the astounding success of my lavender apple crumble, I wanted to continue to experiment with floral crumbles. If possible, this rose and berry combination, using my rose butter is even more fabulous. The sweet, full flavour of the berries and the delicate sweetness of the crumble is a definite winner.

1) Add the berries to a milk pan with a tablespoon of sugar and 1 tablespoon of water. Stir through for about 5 minutes until the sugar has dissolved and you are left with mostly intact berries, and a little sweet fruit juice. Take off the heat and spoon into an ovenproof dish.

2) Rub the rose butter into the flour until it resembles rough breadcrumbs, then top the fruit with the crumble and bake in the oven for 20 minutes at 200 degrees. This is perfect served with a little double cream.

Summer berry pudding

Ingredients Blackberries, raspberries, pomegranate jewels, blueberries, sugar, bread

Preparation: 10 minutes (+4 hours)

A summer berry pudding is the kind of traditional English dessert that everyone knows how to make, but it's fallen somewhat out of fashion. Goodness knows why because it's so quick and simple to prepare and absolutely delicious. I prefer mine to look marbled with juice rather than saturated with it because it's prettier, but this is entirely your call.

1) Add the berries to a milk pan with a tablespoon of sugar and 3 tablespoons of water. Stir through for about 5 minutes until the sugar has dissolved and you are left with mostly intact berries, and a sweet fruit juice. Take off the heat and set aside.

2) Cut the crusts from slices of bread and dip into the juice from the pan. Then line your pudding bowl with bread, assembling a square piece at the bottom, triangles at the sides and a circle set aside for the top. Press the bread firmly together so that it forms a solid case. I like to line my timbale cases with cling film first to make it easier to slide the pudding out, but I've never had one stick yet so this is again, your call.

3) Slice the pomegranate in half and hold over a bowl, fruit side down. Bang sharply with a wooden spoon to release the jewels. Alternatively, if the pomegranate is very ripe, it's sometimes as quick to just break it in half and peel off the membrane.

4) Stir the pomegranate jewels into the pan of fruit and spoon into the bread cases, pressing down firmly. Add the circle of bread to the top, then close the cling film up and press a saucer onto the top of the pudding bowl. Refrigerate for 4 hours, then open the cling film, put back on the saucer and turn the pudding out.

Roast aubergine & fig salad

Ingredients   100g Rasperries, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon basil oil, 30g basil, 2 figs, 3 baby aubergines, rocket, 30g goats cheese.

Serves: 2 Preparation: 20 minutes


I don't think I will ever get tired of the fig and goats cheese combination. If ever two ingredients were made for each other, it was these! If you haven't already - try my F&GC tart, F&GC linguine or F&GC parcels.
This salad has a zingy, tangy basil & raspberry vinaigrette dressing which brings out the sweetness of the fig, the tartness of the goats cheese and the warm, salty aubergine and peppery rocket bind it all together. The perfect autumn salad.


1) Remove the stalk and cut the baby aubergines in half, lengthways. Set them skin side down in an ovenproof dish and sprinkle with salt to draw out the bitter juices. Drizzle with a generous slosh of oil and bake in the oven at 180 degrees for 20 minutes.


2) Grind the basil leaves in a mortar and pestle until as much liquid has been extracted from the leaves as possible. Add the raspberries and grind to a fine pulp and parse through a sieve to extract the basil and raspberry juice.


3) Add a tablespoon of basil oil, a tablespoon of red wine vinegar and whisk until combined.


4) Toss the rocket with a little of the dressing and arrange the roast aubergine and figs on top of the salad leaves. Crumble the goats cheese over the top and drizzle with salad dressing.

Lemon & raspberry tart

Ingredients For 12 individual or 1 large tart.  175g Plain flour, 215g caster sugar, 75g butter, salt, 7 lemons, 7 eggs, 200ml double cream, icing sugar, raspberries.

1) Soften the butter and then blend it along with the flour, 40g of sugar, 1 egg yolk (save the egg white for later) and a pinch of salt. Add a tablespoon of warm water and then remove the dough ball from the blende and knead it before putting it in the fridge to firm up for half an hour.


2) To make the tart filling, squeeze the lemons until you have 275ml of juice and whisk this along with the 6 eggs, 175g of sugar and 200ml of double cream.


3) Roll out your chilled pastry on a floured surface and line your pastry cases (or pastry case if you're making one large tart!). Brush with the leftover egg white and blind bake for 20 minutes.


4) Pour the filling into the pastry shell and stud with raspberries. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Set aside to cool and dust with icing sugar before serving.

Lemon & raspberry fool

Ingredients    Greek yoghurt, lemon curd    (4 Lemons, 4 eggs, 350g caster sugar, double cream, 8oz butter), raspberries

I never get tired of lemon curd, once I've made a pot it's invariably used within a few days in lemon tarts, to top cheesecake or in fruit fools which are a retro favourite of mine.


1) Whip 2 tablespoons of lemon curd with 4 tablespoons of Greek Yoghurt


2) Serve studded with fresh raspberries