Fraisier cake

Put the eggs and sugar in the mixer bowl and whip on high until very light and tripled in volume, leaving a ribbon trail off the whisk.

Sift in two thirds of the self-rising flour and fold it in with a metal spoon, then sift in the rest and fold.

Pour in the melted butter and fold gently, keeping as much air in as possible.

Scrape into a greased and parchment lined nine inch springform pan and bake at 400F for 20 to 25 minutes, until pale golden and shrinking from the sides.

Cool in the pan five minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Bring the milk and vanilla to a boil in a saucepan.

Whisk the eggs, yolks, sugar, sifted flour and cornstarch together until creamy and smooth.

Pour the boiling milk into the egg mixture in a steady stream, whisking continuously to temper the eggs.

Return to the saucepan over low heat and stir constantly seven to eight minutes until thickened to a piping consistency; his took 21 minutes.

Pass the cream through a sieve to remove the cornstarch lumps.

Stir in the diced butter until smooth, cool completely, press plastic wrap on the surface and refrigerate about an hour.

Cut the cake horizontally into two even layers.

Wrap acetate around the inside of the pan and set one layer upside down inside it.

Hull the strawberries flat, halve them lengthwise and stand them around the edge with the cut sides facing outward.

Pipe the cold pastry cream over the base and between the fruit, pushing it up against the acetate with an offset spatula.

Dice the remaining strawberries, arrange them over the cream and pipe the rest of the cream on top.

Set the second layer of cake on top cut side up and flatten it level.

Knead pink food colouring into the marzipan, roll it out on powdered sugar to a nine inch circle and lay it on top.

Refrigerate 30 to 45 minutes to set; his had two and a half hours.

Melt the dark chocolate in 30 second intervals, dip the reserved strawberries and set them on parchment paper to dry.

Unmould, remove the acetate and decorate the top with the chocolate dipped strawberries.