A Perfect Lunch, Part 2. The Sweets.

Strawberry Hazelnut Cake and Watermelon Ice

In anticipation of summer, which I can feel in the air, two light, summery sweet treats. The cake is made with more egg whites that yolks, perfect for if you have been making ice cream or aioli and have a few extra whites looking for purpose. The egg whites are whipped separately and folded through the batter making for an almost sponge-like texture, a perfect vessel for cream!;)

Strawberry Hazelnut Cake

1 cup hazelnuts

5 egg whites

1 1/3 c sugar

150g butter, softened

1.5 tsp vanilla extract

2 egg yolks

1 cup buttermilk

1 1/4 cups ap flour (plain flour)

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups roughly chopped strawberries

• Preheat the oven to 350F/180C (convection 330F/160C). Grease and line the Botton of a 9 or 10 inch cake tin- use a springform if you have one.

• Toast the hazelnuts in the oven until golden brown (about 7-8 minutes), then grind in a food processor until until fairly finely ground, being careful not over grind or they will turn to butter. If the hazelnuts have skin on, immediately after removing them from the oven, place them in a kitchen towel and rub the skins off- they are bitter and unpleasant).

• Measure 3/4 of a cup of the toasted hazelnuts and place in a mixing bowl, if you have any left over, save it in the fridge to sprinkle on a salad later on. Add the flour, baking powder and salt to the bowl and whisk well to combine.

• In a mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites, 1/4 of a cup of the sugar and a pinch of salt together until stiff peaks form. Transfer to another bowl or set aside while you cream the butter.

• In the mixer using a paddle attachment (if you have a mixer with attachments) cream the butter and remaining sugar until very pale, about 10 minutes, scraping down the sides as you go. Add the vanilla extract, followed by the egg yolks and beat well. Slow down the mixer and add the buttermilk and flour alternately in 3 batches. Turn up the mixer speed for 3 seconds to give it a final burst of air before immediately turning off.

• Using a large metal spoon, fold half of the egg whites into the cake batter and then, while there are still some remaining white peaks showing, fold through the remaining egg whites.

• Spoon into a cake tin, scatter over strawberries and smooth over the top.

• Bake for 45-50 minutes until cooked- when a skewer inserted into the center removes clean, it has pulled away at the edges and when you gently press it in the center it springs back. Cool completely before serving.

Watermelon Ice

This is a great way to use watermelons that are a bit crap.

Chop up the flesh of a watermelon and blend it in a for processor or blender, squeeze in a lime or 2 (1 for half a melon, 2 for a whole) and a few tablespoons of sugar (depending on how sweet the melon is- taste it, you want it to be a little sweeter than you might prefer because when it is frozen it is going to loose some of that sweetness.)

If you have an ice cream maker, freeze in that according to the manufacturers instructions. If you don’t, simply freeze in a flattish, preferably square or rectangle container.

To serve, use a fork and scrape the ice until there are enough crystals to fill a bowl. For a really nice treat, add a little chopped up tarragon or mint to the top. Enjoy on a hot day

!