Butter, sugar, flour, eggs … When we think of baking, these are the ingredients that come immediately to mind. As a way of packing in flavour and colour, however, I wonder if herbs are the shot we’re not taking. Soft herbs – mint, parsley, basil – work well in light sponges, muffins and creams (and ice-creams), while hardy ones – rosemary, oregano, thyme – hold their own in more robust breads and bakes. Have a play and, if you’re new to the game, you’ll wonder why it took you so long to warm up. Tennis puns aside, make sure you hold back a few mint sprigs for the Pimm’s, though.
Wimbledon cake (pictured top)
This is essentially Wimbledon Centre Court, all rolled up and ready to eat. I bet Novak Djokovic – with his tradition of eating grass every time he wins the tournament – would love it. Don’t be put off by the different elements: they’re all simple to make, and assembling it is fun. All that’s needed is a bit of time and a very light hand, so as not to knock out all the air you’ve worked so hard to get in. Just like tennis, right?
Prep 35 min
Cook 30 min
Serves 6
For the minty lime paste
15g mint leaves
45g caster sugar
3-4 limes, zest finely grated, to get 1 tbsp, and juiced, to get 20ml
20ml olive oil
For the sponge
50g caster sugar
2 large eggs
⅛ tsp fine sea salt
50g plain flour, sifted
½ tsp matcha powder (optional, but recommended!), plus extra for dusting
20ml olive oil
20ml whole milk
For the filling
300g strawberries, hulled and halved (quartered if large)
50g caster sugar
2 tsp lime juice
150g double cream
50g mascarpone
1½ tbsp icing sugar, plus extra for dusting
Put the mint, sugar and lime zest in a mortar and pound well to a paste. Transfer two teaspoons of the paste to the bowl of a food mixer, then add the lime juice and olive oil to the remaining paste and set aside.
Heat the oven to 220C (200C fan)/425F/gas 7, and line a 23cm x 33cm swiss roll tin and a 20cm x 30cm roasting tin with baking paper.
For the sponge, add the sugar, eggs and salt to the lime paste in the food mixer bowl and whisk on medium-high speed for 15 minutes, until thick, foamy and tripled in size. Transfer to a medium bowl.
Meanwhile, combine the strawberries, sugar and lime juice in the roasting tin and bake for 15-18 minutes, stirring halfway, until the strawberries release their juices but still hold their shape. Take the tin out of the oven and set aside to cool, and turn down the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Once cool, strain the fruit and reserve the juices.
Sift the flour and matcha into the foamy egg mix and, using a rubber spatula, fold gently to combine (it’s fine if there are a few visible streaks of flour).
In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil and milk, add 30g of the sponge mixture and whisk again to combine. Gently fold this into the remaining sponge mixture, until fully combined.
Pour the batter into the lined swiss roll tin, gently even out the top and bake for eight minutes. Set aside to cool on a wire rack for five minutes, then, while it’s still warm, invert the sponge on to a clean tea towel. Peel off the baking paper, lay another tea towel on top, carefully flip the sponge back over, then remove the top tea towel. With the shortest side of the sponge facing you, and using the towel at the bottom to help, roll up the sponge, then set aside until completely cool.
To assemble, whisk the cream, mascarpone and icing sugar to medium-soft peaks. With the short side facing you, unroll the sponge and evenly spoon over the reserved minty lime mixture, ,leaving a 2cm edge clear at the opposite end. Top with the cream, followed by the strawberries, then roll up the sponge and tuck the uncovered side underneath. Transfer to a serving plate and dust with icing sugar and matcha. Cut the cake into thick slices and serve with the reserved strawberry juices alongside.
Parmesan, gruyere and rosemary loaf
This moreish, rich loaf has an unusual consistency that’s somewhere between a Spanish tortilla and a sponge cake. Let it cool down completely before serving with drinks or as part of a brunch spread. The base is robust enough to withstand experimentation, so by all means play around with the ingredients: use feta instead ofgruyere, for example (though double the quantity if you do this), use oregano rather than rosemary or black olives instead of (or as well as) green ones, and maybe throw in a few capers as well.
Prep 15 min
Cook 40 min
Makes 1 loaf (about 10 slices)
90ml double cream
2 tbsp picked rosemary leaves, roughly chopped, plus 2-3 sprigs for decoration
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
6 eggs
90ml olive oil
140g plain flour, sifted
2 tbsp ground almonds
½ tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
90g pitted green olives (I used nocellara), thinly sliced
100g gruyere, finely grated
100g parmesan, finely grated
Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4, and line a 25cm x 10cm (ie, two-pound) loaf tin with baking paper.
Put the cream, chopped rosemary and garlic in a small saucepan, bring to a boil, turn off the heat and leave to infuse for 15 minutes. Once cool, pour the cream mix into a large jug and whisk in the eggs and olive oil.
Put the flour, ground almonds, salt, baking powder, olives and both cheeses in a large bowl and stir to combine. Pour in the egg mixture, stir until the mix comes together into a thick batter, then pour into the lined loaf tin. Place the rosemary sprigs on top and bake for 35-40 minutes, until golden and a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
Take the loaf tin out of the oven and leave for five minutes. Lift the loaf from its tin, put it on a wire rack and, once cool, cut into slices with a serrated knife.
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