Strawberry Chiffon Cake

Step 01

Make a strawberry purée by blending 200g strawberries with a squeeze of lemon juice until liquid. Pass the mixture through a fine strainer to remove any pips.

Step 02

Heat the oven to 160C fan/gas 4. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cornflour, baking powder and salt.

Step 03

In another bowl, beat the egg yolks with an electric hand whisk and a third of the sugar until thick, pale and holding a ribbon trail for 3 seconds. Stir in 1 tbsp lemon or lime zest, the juice of 1 lemon (about 40ml) and 140ml of the strawberry purée. Add a drop of red food colour and/or vanilla extract if you have it, then beat in the oil until incorporated.

Step 04

In another large bowl, whisk the egg whites until very white and foamy. Gradually add the remaining sugar one spoon at a time, beating until stiff peaks form.

Step 05

Gently mix the dry ingredients into the egg yolk mixture a little at a time until just combined. Gently fold in spoonfuls of the egg whites until fully incorporated. The mix will be voluminous and look like a big fluffy pink milkshake.

Step 06

Scrape the cake mixture into an ungreased 23cm cake tin and bake for 35-40 minutes until it feels a little bouncy when lightly pushed with the pad of your finger. Invert the tin to cool upside down on your worktop, propping it on a few cans of food to keep it upright.

Step 07

Meanwhile, make the icing. Put the remaining strawberry purée (about 1 tbsp) in a bowl with the soured cream, then sift over 300g icing sugar and stir together. Add a bit more icing sugar if needed so it's thin enough to spoon over the cake but not so thin it dribbles off completely.

Step 08

Once cool, about 30 minutes, turn the cake back upright and carefully release it from the tin. Ease a sharp flat knife between the cake and the tin to hit the tin's base, then drag the knife around the cake in a firm, smooth motion to release it.

Step 09

Cover the cake with the thick pink icing, drizzling it around the edges first and watching how it pours along the sides. Smooth it gently with a spatula. Decorate with the remaining strawberries, thinly sliced, and the lime zest. Once the icing is dry-ish, serve in slices.