Summer berry mousse cake

Summer is here and this is the perfect light fruity pudding.

serves 10

For the base

200g digestives

100g butter

For the mousse cake

4 sheets leaf gelatine

142ml carton single cream
 500g carton fromage frais  
140g golden caster sugar 
finely grated zest 1 small orange 
4 tbsp orange juice
 400g raspberries

284ml carton double cream

Coulis

a large handful of frozen berries

around a tbsp of icing sugar

Base

For the biscuit base crush the biscuits in a plastic bag using a rolling pin. Melt the butter and mix with the crushed biscuits. Tip the mix into a loose bottomed round cake tin that is around 24cm. Press down the mix evenly and firmly and place in the fridge.

Mousse cake

Submerge the gelatine leaves in a large bowl of cold water and leave to soak for 5 minutes.

Heat the single cream in a small pan until it just comes to the boil then take off the heat.

Take the gelatine out of the water and squeeze to get rid of the water. Stir into the hot cream and leave to cool slightly.

Beat together the fromage frais, sugar, orange zest and juice with a whisk or wooden spoon and stir in the cooled cream and gelatine mixture. Mix the raspberries in and crush them against the sides of the bowl and stir again to ripple through.

Whip the double cream lightly to soft peaks, then fold it into the raspberry mixture. Pour into the cake tin and leave to chill for at least 3 hours, or overnight, until set.

To make the coulis heat the berries in a pan until they defrost and become runny, add icing sugar to taste. Blitz the mixture.

Serve with fresh berries and spoon coulis on top.

River cafe polenta, almond and lemon cake

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