Tia Maria Zuppa Inglese

Ingredients (serves 8)

• Melted butter, to grease
• 4 eggs
• 155g (3/4 cup) caster sugar
• 75g (1/2 cup) self-raising flour
• 70g (1/2 cup) cornflour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 80ml (1/3 cup) Tia Maria liqueur
• 250g punnet strawberries, washed, hulled, thinly sliced
• Cocoa powder, to dust
• Fresh strawberries, extra, washed, halved lengthways, to decorate

• Custard

• 500ml (2 cups) milk
• 6 egg yolks
• 70g (1/3 cup) caster sugar
• 2 tbs plain flour
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 30g dark chocolate, finely grated

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Brush 2 round 20cm (base measurement) cake pans with melted butter. Line the bases with non-stick baking paper.
2. Use an electric beater to beat eggs and sugar in a bowl for 10 minutes or until pale, thick and creamy. Sift flour, cornflour and salt into a bowl. Repeat. Sift flour mixture over the egg mixture. Use a large metal spoon to fold until combined. Divide between prepared pans. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until firm. Transfer to wire racks lined with baking paper to cool completely.
3. To make the custard, bring the milk almost to the boil in a saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat. Use an electric beater to beat egg yolks and sugar in a bowl for 3 minutes or until pale and creamy. Beat in the flour. Whisk milk into the egg mixture. Pour into a clean saucepan. Whisk over medium-low heat for 5 minutes or until it boils. Reduce heat to low. Whisk until custard thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Place two-thirds of the custard in a bowl and remaining custard in another bowl. Stir vanilla into larger portion. Stir chocolate into the smaller portion. Cover and place in the fridge for 1 hour to chill.
4. Use a large serrated knife to halve each cake horizontally. Place 1 cake half on a serving plate. Brush with 1 tablespoon of Tia Maria. Spread with half the vanilla custard. Arrange half the strawberry on top of custard. Top with another cake half and brush with 1 tablespoon of Tia Maria. Spread with chocolate custard. Continue layering with remaining cake, Tia Maria, vanilla custard and strawberry, finishing with Tia Maria. Cover and place in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight to chill.
5. Dust with cocoa powder and decorate with extra strawberries.