Black Currant Shortcake Recipe

Ingredients:

• 150 gms Flour
• 175 gms Butter
• 1 tbsp Icing Sugar
• 50 gms Castor Sugar
• 25 gms Chopped Nuts
• 150 gms Ground Almonds


For the Mousse:

• 4 tsp Gelatine
• 2 Eggs, separated
• 50 gms Castor Sugar
• 450 gms Black Currants
• 300 ml Double cream, lightly whipped

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180° C.
2. Sift the flour into a bowl and stir in the ground almonds. Rub in the butter, stir in the sugar and bring the mixture together to make firm dough.
3. Cut the dough into two halves and press one half onto a baking tray. Cut out a circle using a 20 cm/8 inch spring-form tin. Sprinkle over the chopped nuts.
4. Press the remaining dough into the bottom of a 20 cm/8 inch spring-form tin. Bake both rounds for 25 minutes until golden. Cool slightly and then cut the round on the baking tray into 8 equal, triangular wedges.
5. Pick over the blackcurrants and reserve 9 good ones for decoration. String the remaining blackcurrants (remove from stalks) and place the berries in a pan with 4 tbsp water. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 5 minutes until softened. Rub the fruit through a sieve.
6. Sprinkle the gelatine over 4 tbsp water in a small pan, stir and leave until spongy – about 5 minutes. Stir over low heat until dissolved.
7. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until pale and creamy. Stir the puree into the yolks with the dissolved gelatine.
8. Whisk the egg whites to form soft peaks and fold into the mixture with three-quarters of the cream.
9. Line the sides of the tin with baking parchment; pour in the mousse over the shortcake and chill for 2-3 hours until set
.
10. Remove the mousse from the tin and put on a serving plate. Use the remaining cream to pipe 8 rosettes evenly around the top. Arrange the wedges at an angle on the cream. Pipe more cream rosettes on the shortcake and decorate with the blackcurrants.
11. Sift the icing sugar over the top if wished.