Let the eat cake

Makes: 9-16 Takes: 60mins Ingredients:

For the base and crumble top: 220g gluten-free plain flour ¼ tsp xanthan gum 100g (1 cup) gluten-free oats 150g (3/4 cup) caster sugar Grated zest of 1 lemon 155g (2/3 cup) butter, melted and cooled For the filling: 400g strawberries, sliced 1 tsp lemon juice 1½ tbsp cornflour 2 tbsp strawberry jam

Method:

Preheat your oven to 160°C fan / 180°C and line a 20cm square baking tin with nonstick baking paper, leaving a little overhang as this will help you remove the bars from the tin later. In a large bowl, mix together your flour, xanthan gum, oats and sugar, then stir in the lemon zest. Pour in your melted butter and combine with a spatula so that you have a wet, sand-like texture. You should have some smaller and some larger chunks. Press about two-thirds of your mixture into your prepared tin so you have a nice, even base. Pop the remaining third into a small bowl in the freezer while you prepare the fruit layer. Place the strawberries in a medium bowl, then add the lemon juice, cornflour and jam and mix gently to coat. Spread the strawberries out evenly on top of the base. Remove the mixture from the freezer and sprinkle it over the top of the fruit, ensuring the crumble pieces vary in size.

With an oaty, shortbread base, a jammy filling packed with fresh strawberries and a crumble topping, these would most definitely be on sale in my imaginary gluten-free bakery. Best of all, they’re easily transportable too!

These mini cheesecakes are perfect for making ahead of time, ready for dessert whenever you fancy them. Every bite is packed with that buttery biscuit base, creamy lemon filling and lemon curd, topped with marshmallow-y meringue. Making the meringue is optional – you can always skip it and stick with lemon cheesecake pots.

Makes: 6 Takes: 30min plus 1 – 2 hours chilling

For the base: 150g gluten-free ginger biscuits George’s Wonton Ravioli 50g butter, melted For the filling: 350g mascarpone 50g icing sugar 60g lemon curd, plus 1–2 tsp for each topping Grated zest of 2 lemons 1½ tsp lemon juice 150ml double (heavy) cream For the Italian meringue: 100g egg whites (3–4 eggs) 1/4 tsp cream of tartar (optional) 200g (1 cup) caster sugar 45ml (3 tbsp) water

Method:

Blitz the biscuits to a crumblike texture in a food processor or bash them with a rolling pin in a ziplock bag. Add to a large bowl and pour in your melted butter. Mix well. Divide between 6 ramekins, and press it down firmly to form a base. Place in the fridge to chill. Place mascarpone, icing sugar, lemon curd, lemon zest and juice in the bowl of a stand mixer (or you can use a hand-held mixer). Mix on a low to medium speed for 10–20 seconds, then add cream. On a medium speed, mix for 2 more minutes until it begins to firm up. Don’t overmix as the mixture can split. Divide evenly between the ramekins, filling them to a little lower than the tops to leave space for the curd and meringue. Place in the fridge for an hour to firm up. Spread a little lemon curd on the top of each mini cheesecake in a nice, even layer, then pop back into the fridge. For the meringue, place your egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, and whisk on a medium speed until soft peaks form. Put the sugar and water in a medium saucepan and mix so it’s combined and gloopy. Place over a medium heat and, once the sugar syrup reaches 120°C remove from the heat and carefully drizzle it into the egg whites, with the mixer running. Try not to get the sugar syrup on the sides of the bowl as it will instantly harden. Continue to whisk until stiff, glossy and cooled. Top your cheesecakes with the Italian meringue either using a piping bag or by spooning it on. If you’ve got one, finish by using a kitchen blowtorch to toast some of the meringue.

REGENERATION AND REPAIR

Education faces a critical time for regeneration and repair. It is time to acknowledge the cracks, and rather than ignore them, seek to repair and make a difference.

Kintsugi, the Japanese art of repair, or “gold mending” is an art form that seeks to recover rather than to discard – a sustainable approach that teaches us to relish our blemishes as opportunities for beautiful repair. Through the lens of beautiful repair our Cornish College values inspire us toward change and continuous improvement. We see the importance of developing compassion to identify what needs repair, courage to acknowledge the cracks rather than ignore them, and integrity and creativity to make what we have more beautiful.

Cornish College looks, sounds and feels a little different now and in the future, as it should. We are not doing things differently just to be different but to make a difference – because education of a different kind is what children deserve.

So, we move forward to make things beautiful. I see beauty in our community and in the 700 young people who come here, greet us daily, thank us, engage with and challenge us and are proud to be one of us. I see beauty in every teacher and the support staff who overcome challenges and put aside many of their own personal endeavours just to make a difference.

And I see beauty in our 100 acres, land of the Bunurong people of the Kulin Nation – the first people to, no doubt, see beauty in it long before we did.

By Nicola Forrest, Principal, Cornish College

eat CakeLet them

#melbournecakes With Instagram in our hands it’s pretty easy to find some of Melbourne’s best cake peeps!