Celebrating Bake Off week nine: Lemon & Strawberry Torte

Method

For the base of the torte:

• Step 1:Cut a sheet of acetate to line the bottom of an 18cm sandwich tin. Cut two strips to line the sides of the tin so they are 3cm above the sides.
• Step 2:Finely crush the lady fingers and set to one side.
• Step 3:To make the syrup, place the water and sugar into a heavy based pan, bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Step 4:Add the zest and juice of 1 lemon and the lemoncello to the syrup and warm through.
• Step 5:Reserve 1 tbsp of the syrup to help set the strawberries to the sides of the acetate.
• Step 6:Pour the rest of the syrup into the biscuit mixture and mix well. Place into the prepared tin and press down with the back of a spoon. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to set.
• Step 7:Cut the tops off the strawberries to give a straight edge and slice each strawberry in half. Dip the cut side of each strawberry half into the reserved syrup and stick it to the acetate sides lining the tin, leaving a 2cm gap between each strawberry half. Ensure the strawberries sit no more than 1/2cm taller than the side of the tin as the filling will not cover the top.

For the mousse filling:

• Step 1:Whip the cream to soft peaks and store to one side.
• Step 2:Soak the 8g of leaf gelatine in a bowl of cold water for 2-3 minutes to soften.
• Step 3:Place the strawberry purée into a small pan and gently warm through but do not boil.
• Step 4:Remove the purée from the heat and check that the temperature of the purée is warm and not hot. Squeeze the excess water from the softened gelatine and dissolve in the warm purée.
• Step 5:In a separate bowl, mix together the mascarpone and icing sugar until smooth. Add the purée and gelatine mix and stir until well combined.
• Step 6:Carefully fold in the whipped cream, being careful to knock out as little air as possible. Gently pour or spoon the mousse into the prepared tin. Level the top and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until set.

For the mirror glaze:

• Step 1:Soak the leaf gelatine in a bowl of cold water for a few minutes to soften. Warm the strawberry purée in a small pan. Squeeze the excess water from the gelatine leaves and dissolve the gelatine in the warm purée. Allow to cool slightly then pour evenly over the set strawberry mousse.
• Step 2:Chill for 2 hours. To serve, remove the torte from the sandwich tin and carefully peel away the acetate. Leave to reach room temperature before serving. Store in a fridge and consume within two days.