Summer Fruits Tart

I wanted to make a really nice yet simple summer dessert for a weekend BBQ.  Looking through the Hummingbird Book I came across a Peach and Raspberry tart that I thought sounded perfect.  I didn't have time to go to the shops so I made do with the ingredients that I had in the house which is another reason why this recipe was perfect. I didn't have any peaches in the house but I did have an abundance of summer fruits that I thought would work just as well on the tart.

I started by making the pastry base and then whilst that was cooling I made the filling.  The tart is really quite simple to make, however, as the different components need to set for a certain amount of time you would need to allow about 4 hours altogether before you could eat it or maybe do some the night before and finish it off in the morning.

It is a really nice, light dessert that is perfect for summer BBQ's and looks quite impressive despite it's simplicity.  I would definitely make this tart again!

Why not try a different topping? It's such a versatile tart that you could alter the fruit topping without too much trouble making it perfect for individual different tarts to suit people tastes.  I also did a Strawberry and Kiwi tart which tasted just as good!

Top Tip: For pastry you need to 'blind bake' it, for this baking beans are required.  However, if you don't have baking beans something else heavy will do just as well, for example you could use ordinary rice that you have around the house.

Recipe
(Cake Days - The Hummingbird Bakery)

Serves 8-10

For the Pastry:
110g (4oz) unsalted butter, softened
225g (8oz) plain flour, plus extra for dusting
80g (3oz) caster sugar
1 large egg

For the Filling:
500ml (18fl oz) whole milk 
1/4 tsp vanilla essence
5 egg yolks
200g (7oz) caster sugar
20g (3/4oz) plain flour
20g (3/4oz) cornflour
150ml (5.5fl oz) double cream

For the Topping:
Fruit of choice however the book uses 4 peaches and 100g (3.5oz) raspberries
30g (1oz) caster sugar, for sprinkling
Handful of fresh mint leaves

Method:

• Using a freestanding electric mixer with the paddle attachment, mix the butter and flour on a low speed until it has a crumb-like consistency. Add the sugar, then the egg, mixing gently to incorporate. Alternatively, rub the butter and flour with your fingertips, then stir in the sugar and egg. When a dough forms, remove from the bowl and knead gently on a floured work surface to bring it together. Cover in cling film and place in the fridge to rest for 20-30 minutes.
• Once rested, roll out the pastry on a lightly loured surface to about 5mm (1/4 in) thick, and large enough to fit your tart in. Gently press the pastry down into the base and sides of the tin and cut away any overhang. Prick the base several times and put the tart case in the fridge to rest for 20-30 minutes. 
• Preheat the oven to 170C (325F), Gas Mark 3. Once the tart base has rested, line with baking parchment and fill with baking beans, then place in the oven and bake 'blind' for 12 minutes. Carefully remove the beans and paper and bake the pastry for another 15 minutes or until cooked through and lightly golden in colour. Set aside to cool.
• While the pastry is baking, make the filling. Bring the milk and vanilla essence to the boil in a saucepan. In a bowl, mix together the egg yolks, sugar, flour and cornflour to a thick paste. If it is too dry to come together, add 1 tablespoon of the hot milk to loosen it up. 
• When the milk has come to the boil, remove from the heat and add 4-5 tablespoons to the bowl of paste, stirring until the paste becomes a thick liquid. Pour this into the pan of milk and set over a low heat. Stirring constantly, bring to the boil and allow to thicken - boil for at least 1 minute to fully cook the flour. Pour this custard on to a baking tray to cool, covering straight away with cling film so that it doesn't develop a skin. Allow the custard to cool completely for 30-40 minutes.
• Whip the double cream, either by hand or using a hand-held electric whisk, until soft peaks form. Scrape the cooled custard into another bowl, stirring to break it up and until the texture is completely smooth. Fold the whipped cream into the custard, then pour into the cooked tart case and place in the fridge to set for 1-2 hours.
• When the custard cream has set, arrange the sliced peaches and raspberries on top, sprinkle with sugar and scatter with mint leaves. Once the fruit has been added, the pie is best-eaten straight away. 

Thanks for reading, 

Olivia x x 

Raspberry Trifle Cupcakes

We decided to start off with Raspberry Trifle Cupcakes, both agreeing they looked pretty good. They consist of a plain vanilla sponge with a raspberry, jam and custard filling topped off with custard and cream icing.
This was the first time either of us had made custard from scratch so it was definitely going to be a bit of a challenge, but they turned out pretty well, despite cooling the custard for a bit too long! This did make our custard slightly harder than expected when we took it out the fridge, however, it was nothing a bit of whisking couldn't fix as we managed to get it to the right consistency to pipe on.


We both thought they were pretty good cupcakes, however, we did think there was quite a lot of the custard/cream as it was the icing and inside the cake. Therefore we, personally, would only put the custard/cream on top of the cake and add extra jam in the middle to make a better jam to custard ratio. Other than that, we enjoyed them and would definitely make them again!


Recipe:
(Cake Days - The Hummingbird Bakery)
Makes 12-16 cupcakes

For the sponge:           
            80 g unsalted butter, softened

• 280 g caster sugar
• 240 g plain flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 0.24 tsp salt
• 240 ml whole milk
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 2 large eggs

For the Filling and Frosting:

• 500 ml whole milk
• ½ tsp vanilla essence
• 5 egg yolks
• 100 g caster sugar
• 30 g plain flour
• 30 g cornflour
• 200 ml double cream
• 32 fresh raspberries
• 100 g raspberry jam

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 190C / gas mark 5, and line a muffin tin with muffin cases.
• Using a handheld electric whisk, beat together the butter, sugar, flour, baking powder and salt on a low speed until the ingredients are well mixed and resemble fine breadcrumbs.
• In a jug, whisk together the milk, vanilla essence and eggs by hand, then pour three-quarters of this into the dry ingredients, while mixing on a slow speed. Beat together, scraping down the sides of the bowl, to make sure all the ingredients are well incorporated. Add the remaining milk mixture and beat again, on a medium speed, until the batter is smooth.
• Divide the batter between the muffin cases, filling each one two-thirds. Any remaining batter ca be used to fill up to four more cases in an additional tin. Bake the cupcakes for 18-20 minutes or until the sponges bounce back when lightly pressed. Leave to cool slightly before removing from the tin and placing on a wire rack to cool down fully.
• While the cupcakes are cooking, make the custard for the filling and topping. Place the milk in a saucepan with the vanilla essence and bring to the boil. In a bowl, mix together the egg yolks, sugar, flour and cornflour to make a pasta, adding 1tbsp of the hot milk to thin it, if necessary.
• When the milk has boiled, remove the pan from the heat and mix 4-5 tbsp with the egg and flour paste, then pour this back into the pan with the remaining hot milk and return to the heat. Bring back up to the boil, whisking constantly, and continue to boil for a further minute to ensure the flour and cornflour are fully cooked. Pour the custard into a baking tray, cover with clingfilm and set aside to cool for 30-40 minutes.
• Tip the cooled custard into a large bowl and beat with a wooden spoon to break up any lumps. In a separate bowl whip the double cream into soft peaks, either by hand or using an electric whisk. Fold the whipped cream into the custard and use to fill a piping bag (if using).
• Using a sharp knife, make a hollow in the centre of each cupcake - approximately 2cm in diameter and 3cm deep - retaining the cut-out pieces of sponge. Place a raspberry upside down in the hollow of each cake, then spoon 1/2 teaspoon of jam on top, followed by the same amount of custard, either piped of spooned into the hollow.
• Replace the cut-out pieces of sponge, trimming to fit and pressing down gently to ensure that the top is level with the rest of the cake, then pipe or spoon the custard topping in a circular motion (like whippy ice cream) on top of each cake. Add a fresh raspberry on top of the swirled custard to finish!

Thanks for reading,

Olivia xx