Valentine’s recipes

Pastry Chef Brian Roberts shares two recipes from his Valentine’s afternoon tea that you can make at home – just in time for Valentine’s Day!

Gin & tonic drizzle cake

Makes one large loaf or 18-20 fingers

Ingredients

For the cake:
250g self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
250g butter, soft
250g caster sugar
1 lemon, zest only
4 eggs

For the G&T topping:
200g caster sugar
50ml gin
100ml tonic water
1 lemon, juice only
200g icing sugar

Method

For the cake:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 160C fan/gas mark 3.
2. In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and lemon zest with an electric whisk.
3. Add the eggs and continue to whisk.
4. Gently fold in the flour with a metal spoon.
5. Grease and line a loaf tin with baking parchment or grease individual silicon moulds. Bake until golden and firm (around 45 minutes). If you’re unsure, insert a metal skewer – the cake is cooked if it comes out clean.
6. Remove from the oven and transfer the cake to a cooling rack.

For the G&T topping:
1. In a mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients except the icing sugar.
2. Spoon over the cake until it’s fully soaked.
3. Once the cake has fully cooled, mix the icing sugar with a little water to form a pouring consistency.
4. Drizzle the icing over the cake.

Prosecco & raspberry posset

Makes 10 shot glasses

Ingredients

For the posset:
570ml double cream
1 lemon, juice only
120ml Prosecco
100g caster sugar
20 raspberries

For the raspberry purée:
100g raspberries
1 tbsp icing sugar

10 raspberries to garnish

Method

For the posset:
1. In a pan, bring the cream, lemon juice, Prosecco and sugar to the boil.
2. Reduce the heat and simmer for two minutes.
3. Place two raspberries in each shot glass, then pour over the cream mixture.
4. Once cool, leave to set in the fridge for at least two hours.

For the raspberry purée:
1. Blend the raspberries and icing sugar together.
2. Pass through a sieve.
3. Once the posset is set, add a layer of purée on top, and another raspberry.
4. Place back into the fridge until ready to serve.