It’s berry time! Justifiably considered superfoods, because berries are both gorgeous and good for you, and that’s in my view the true definition of superfood. Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and currants of all hues (they are also botanically berries) are already or any time soon in their ripest prime.
Do we even need recipes? They surely are simply for scoffing throughout the day by a bowlful. But as these fruits are also fantastic culinary ingredients, and not only in cakes and puddings, here’s a very berry collection.
Fresh berries, a mix or just one kind is the perfect flavour for summer ice cream. It’s made in a blender and churned in an ice cream maker. The base contains no eggs but a balanced mix of dairy and natural emulsifiers.
Strawberry soured cream coffee cake with crunchy streusel topping has a strawberry layer running through delicious sponge, and it’s as easy to make as it is to eat. It’s suitable to serve slightly warm for pudding as well as cold with a cup of tea or coffee.
Strawberry soured cream cake
RECIPE
I do think raspberries make the best cakes and this is the proof: delicious raspberry sponge, with fresh berries scattered on top of light and airy cake batter. Dusted with icing sugar for a perfect summer dessert, with a cup of coffee or for a pudding.
It’s Wimbledon so we’re having strawberries and cream, and a strawberry fool is the supreme of strawberries and cream. It has layers of vanilla scented whipped cream and gorgeous fresh strawberry puree, barely sweetened.
If you want a mix of berries in one cake, there’s hardly anything more decorative than this. A little more like a tart or flan than a full height cake, it has a great texture thanks to the mix of various flours: plain and wholemeal, almond and buckwheat. Bake it in a tin or a shallow tart case and arrange the berries on top prettily. Best freshly baked!
Buckwheat berry striped cake
RECIPE
If you have an abundance of strawberries, try roasting them slow and low. Slow roasted strawberries become jammy but not too sickly, coated in luscious syrup, and they have a multitude of uses in desserts, cakes and afternoon tea confections.
Slow roasted strawberries
RECIPE
Berries in your main course? Absolutely. Blueberry duck is an oven-roasted duck breast fillet served with blueberry sauce. Duck a l’orange is so last century! Simple blueberry compote flavoured with a hint of rosemary is the nicest sauce for duck breast.
Blackberries are not as easy to love as their other berry cousins but they are the highest in fibre – and great in cakes. Blackberry crumble cake is delicious whether made with cultivated blackberries or wild ones: brambles. Easy sponge base, easy crumble topping, berries both folded in and peeking through the crumble, this is also a very versatile recipe.
Blackberry crumble cake
RECIPE
Redcurrants are such an underrated cake material! It’s not just redcurrant jelly they are good for: they give sweet cakes a lovely tang and they don’t sink to the bottom, the tiny red jewels that they are. The pips only provide an interest in the texture and you can slip the berries off the stems with a fork easily. And if you don’t trust redcurrants, above is the same cake in the raspberry version.
And there you were thinking it’s only desserts strawberries are good for! Mixed green salad with strawberries is the freshest and most vibrant summer side dish. Cucumber, strawberries and mint on the bed of shredded lettuce need only excellent balsamic and olive oil and a showering of black pepper.
Green salad with strawberries
RECIPE