CIAMBELLA WITH ROSIE KELLETT

Fragola Grapes are just one variety hitting peak season right now – try Black Muscat, Chasselas and Centennial too. We go to small-scale growers in Roero for Fragola, so named for their musky, cooked strawberry aroma that pops, jelly-like, from their slip skins.

For Rosie, this is an any-time-of-day cake: have a simple slice with coffee for breakfast, or amp it up with whipped cream and fruit for dessert. Find more from her here.

CIAMBELLA WITH ROASTED FRAGOLA GRAPES

Serves 12

Ingredients

For the cake:

300g caster sugar
300g unsalted butter
300g ground almonds
150g Gilchesters Semolina
12g baking powder
5 eggs

For the syrup:

Zest and juice of 3 lemons, separated
180g Icing sugar

For the topping:

500g Fragola Grapes
200g caster sugar
500g double cream

Method

You will need a large bundt tin, Rosie uses the Nordic Ware Anniversary Pan.

1. First, preheat the oven to 180C and thoroughly grease your bundt tin with soft butter, followed by a light dusting of plain flour, knocking out any excess.

2. In a free standing mixer, beat together the butter and the sugar until pale and fluffy – this will take at least five minutes.

3. In a separate bowl whisk together the ground almonds, semolina and baking powder then, with your mixer on a low speed, alternate adding a scoop of the dry ingredients and an egg, scraping down the bowl between each addition, until everything is incorporated.

4. Finally add the lemon zest and gently fold through before pouring the batter into your bundt tin and levelling out the top.

5. Bake for 35 minutes, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean and the cake springs back to the touch.

6. Meanwhile, prepare your syrup by combining the icing sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan. Place over a medium heat, bring to the boil and then leave to cool.

7. When the cake comes out of the oven, let it cool in the tin for exactly 10 minutes before turning it out – this is the perfect amount of time to avoid it sticking to the pan but ensure it is fully set.

8. Once the cake is turned out, drizzle all the syrup over the top.

9. To prepare it as a dessert, toss the grapes in the caster sugar and roast for 20 minutes, then lightly whip the double cream.

10. Serve slices of the cake dolloped in whipped cream and topped with the roasted grapes and all their juices.