Strawberry and raspberry cloud cake recipe

This strawberry and raspberry cloud cake is the ultimate cheat's cake, with no baking involved. Just whip up the ingredients and leave it to set in the freezer.

This cloud cake swaps sponge for egg whites, beaten with sugar and mixed with strawberries, to create a light, frozen filling a little light a cheesecake. It's one of the speediest cakes in our repertoire - you only 20 minutes to pull it together. Then it's just a cake of setting it carefully into the freezer and leaving it to set for about four hours. Not only that - it will store for months without going off! Just pop it back in the freezer and it will keep for ages. It's a great way to use up a glut of strawberries, even ones that are slightly overripe. Out of season, you can use frozen strawberries and the flavour will be just as good.

Ingredients

• 150g plain sweet biscuits
• 50g desiccated coconut
• 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 100g butter, melted
• 2 egg whites, at room temperature
• 200g sugar
• 250g (1 punnet) ripe strawberries, hulled and sliced
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Fresh raspberries, to decorate

Method

1. Line the base of a 26-28cm spring form cake tin with baking paper or waxed paper. This makes it easy to lift the cake out later.
2. Make the base by putting the biscuits in a brown paper bag and crushing them into crumbs by beating carefully with a rolling pin. Pour the crumbs into a medium bowl and add the coconut, cinnamon and melted butter. Stir well to combine.
3. Press firmly into the base of the prepared tin. It doesn’t need to be a thick layer – just enough to cover the bottom of the tin. Refrigerate the base while you prepare the filling.
4. Place egg whites, sugar, sliced strawberries, lemon juice and vanilla in the clean, dry bowl of an electric mixer.
5. Beat on high speed for about 6-8 minutes until the mixture is very thick and fluffy and the sugar has dissolved. To test whether it is ready, rub a bit of the mixture between your fingers. You should not feel any gritty sugar - if you do, beat a little longer.
6. Spoon the filling over the chilled base, smooth the top, cover with a sheet of baking paper and freeze for at least 4 hours.
7. To serve, cut cake into wedges using a knife that has been warmed in hot water. Garnish with fresh raspberries on top.

Top tip for making strawberry and raspberry cloud cake

The cake will keep in an airtight container in the freezer for up to a month.

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• Mary Berry's strawberry cake
• Strawberry cake
• Valentine's Day cakes