It’s about that time that our thoughts turn to warmer, longer days. And with that, gone are the cravings for heartier, heavier meals, and light, fruity, and refreshing dishes are on the menu.
Striking the right balance between sumptuous dessert and a chance to enjoy some of our seasonal five-a-day, these berry-packed desserts are the perfect sweet treat.
Food director Jen Bedloe says, "With berries bursting to life in the spring and summer months, it’s the perfect time to swap your sweet-tooth cravings from something chocolatey to something lighter, fruiter, and in season.
Article continues below"What’s more, these well-chosen recipes make the most of ingredients good for the gut and full of antioxidants for guilt-free sweet treats."
Summer berry pudding
- Serves 6 | Prep 25 mins, plus at least 24 hrs chilling | Cook 10 mins
- Per serving: 300 cals, 4g fat, 1g sat fat, 57g carbs
High in antioxidants, this make-ahead treat celebrates the best of berries. This benefits from being made one to three days in advance. Keep chilled until ready to serve.
Ingredients
- For the sponge:
- 4 medium free-range eggs
- 100g caster sugar
- ½tsp vanilla extract
- 100g self-raising flour
- For the filling:
- 125g demerara sugar
- 150g blackberries
- 900g mix of strawberries, hulled and chopped, blueberries and raspberries (reserve a few for decoration)
- A few mint leaves, for decoration
- You will need:
- 30x40cm tray, lined with baking paper
- 1ltr pudding basin, lined with cling film
Method
- For the sponge, heat the oven to 180C Fan. Using an electric mixer, whisk the eggs, sugar and vanilla until pale and very thick. Sift over then fold in the flour. Pour into the tray; spread evenly. Bake for 7-10 mins until springy to the touch. Briefly cool, then flip on to a cooling rack to cool completely
- Cut out circles of sponge the size of the top and bottom of the pudding basin. Cut the remainder into strips. Neatly cover the base and sides with the sponge (saving the large round)
- In a large saucepan, bring the demerara sugar and 50ml water to a boil. Add the blackberries and reduce to a simmer for 5 mins, mixing to break them down. Fold in most of the remaining fruits (reserve a few for decoration) and simmer for 1 min to soften
- Spoon the mixture into the basin, drizzling the syrup close to the edge. Top with the reserved sponge and cover with cling film. Put the basin on a tray and weigh the top down using a smaller plate and a weight. Chill for at least 24 hrs
- To serve, remove the weight, plate and cling film from the top. Flip the pudding on to a serving dish and use the cling film lining to gently prise the pudding out. Spoon over any loose syrup and decorate with mint and extra berries.
Strawberry yogurt mousse
- Serves 6 | Prep 20 mins, plus setting | Cook 20 mins
- Per serving: 164 cals, 7.5g fat, 4.5g sat fat, 16g carbs
Roasting enhances the natural sweetness of strawberries, and they work a treat with this gut-friendly yogurt mousse. The roasted strawberries will keep for one to two days in the fridge. Leave the bay leaves in the strawberry syrup to continue infusing. They’re great served over ice cream too!
Ingredients
- 800g strawberries, hulled and halved
- Zest 1 lemon
- 3 fresh bay leaves
- 2tsp balsamic vinegar
- 2tbsp honey
- 12g sachet gelatine powder
- 400g thick (strained) Greek yogurt
- 2 medium free-range egg whites
Method
- Heat the oven to 200C Fan. Toss the berries, zest, leaves, vinegar and 50ml water in a shallow oven tray. Roast for 20 mins
- Stir the honey through the hot mixture, then tip 150g of the strawberries and sauce into a food processor. Whizz until smooth, then tip into a mixing bowl and add 25ml just-boiled water and the gelatine. Mix well and cool at room temperature
- Fold the yogurt through the whizzed strawberries. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks. Fold this through, then scoop the mousse into a serving bowl. Chill for 2 hrs to set. Divide the remaining strawberries and sauce between 6 bowls and top each with a dollop of mousse.
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