In Scandinavia, summer food is all about the berries. Which, please note, we like sweet, juicy and not too big. My summer islagkage is with strawberries and elderflower.

Let the parfait defrost a little before serving, so that the frozen chopped strawberries aren’t as hard as stones!

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a round 24cm springform cake tin (pan) with baking parchment and butter the paper.

• Whisk the egg whites until stiff using an electric whisk, then whisk in half the sugar little by little until the egg whites are shiny and stiff. Whisk the egg yolks with the other half of the sugar until fluffy and pale yellow, then stir in the cocoa powder and salt. Fold the beaten egg whites into the egg yolk mixture. Spread the mixture evenly in the tin and bake for 10 minutes. Allow to cool in the tin.

• To make the parfait: slice the vanilla pod in half lengthways, then scrape out the seeds with the tip of a knife. In a bowl, using an electric whisk, beat the egg yolks, sugar and vanilla seeds until fluffy and pale yellow, then whisk in the elderflower cordial.

• In a separate bowl, whip the cream until light and fluffy, then fold it into the egg mixture.

• Fold the strawberries into the cream, then pour into the tin on top of the cooled sponge.
  Wrap with cling film or foil and freeze for 24 hours before serving. Take the ice cream cake out 15 minutes before serving.

Recipe adapted from ‘Simply Scandinavian’ (Quadrille)

First published in the JC July 13, 2023