Gillian Hirst

Mascarpone sponge with summer berries and rum

Ingredients

5 egg yolks
100 gms vanilla sugar (castor)
2 tablespoons rum
250 gms mascarpone
2 egg whites
60 gms castor sugar
3/4 cup cream
1 plain 9 inch sponge (sliced into 2 cm thick slices)
500 mls good strong coffee
400 gms mixed fresh berries (washed and hulled)
cocoa powder for dusting

Method

Whip the eggyolks with the vanilla sugar and rum over a double boiler until thickened. Remove from the heat and whip until cool

Whisk the mascarpone to soften a little then fold into the cooled egg mixture

Whisk the egg whites with the castor sugar until stiff. Whip the cream to soft peak

Fold the egg whites into the yolk mix then fold in the cream

Place the sheets of sponge to cover the base of a suitable dish. Brush with the coffee and spread approximately 1/3 of the mascarpone mixture evenly over the base. Cover the cream with berries and repeat with remaining ingredients finishing with Mascarpone cream as your top layer.

It is best left sitting refrigerated over night

Cut into 12 even portions. Dust with cocoa powder