It is strawberry farm picking time again, I go on about this every year and am always so excited when the first fruits are ready to be picked, the strawberries just taste so great!

I always cave once or twice during the long Tassie winter and buy a overpriced punnet from the supermarket mostly so disappointing. My kids love fruit picking as much as I do and good fun for them. I especially love the Sorell fruit farm it is a great spot with the kids they have a good outside area so the kids can have a play and nice food and coffee. They have jam picking when they have lots, $6kilo minimum 3 kilo call ahead to see when it is on.

With the first lot of strawberries we picked we made the strawberry tart recipe from my book The Real Food for Kids Cookbook

The Real Food for kids cookbook, you can find more information about the book here: https://eloiseemmett.com/buy-my-cookbook/

the girls love helping with the cooking, mags neatly arranges the strawberries and steph chucks hers on. Still  looks good in the end

and then we made this cake for Oscars first birthday cake

I made a double batch of the Thermomix  too easy chocolate cake, melt the butter for a minute longer because you have doubled it and beat for about 40 seconds longer. Into 2 lined and greased cake tins. If you don’t have a thermomix this same recipe could be made with beaters  or find a basic chocolate cake recipe or use a packet mix.

I made Chocolate crème patissiere for the filling, this is the old classic recipe from Drysdale house.

Crème Patissiere

500 ml milk
100 grams caster sugar
1 vanilla bean split
60 grams eggs yolks (from 3 eggs)
50 grams cornflour
50 grams cocoa

200 grams whipped cream to fold through the custard when it is cool

Place milk in a saucepan. Add vanilla bean, scraping in the seeds. Bring to boil, stirring. Use an electric beater to beat sugar and egg yolks in a bowl until pale and creamy. Gradually beat in cornflour, cocoa and milk mixture. Strain into a saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir well for 1 minute or until thick. Transfer to a bowl. Cool slightly. Cover surface with plastic wrap. Place in the refridgerator to chill

But I made it  in the thermomix: put  the milk, sugar, scrapped vanilla bean, egg, cornflour and cocoa in the bowl and 8 minutes/ speed 4/ 90 C and put in the refridgerator to cool once cool, fold through the whipped cream.

Ganache

600 grams chocolate
300 grams cream

Melt together in a heavy based pot gently over a low heat on the stove. Leave to cool and thickne before pouring

Or in The thermomix 3-4 minutes/50C/speed 3

To assemble cut both cooled cakes in half and fill with the crème patissere and pour ganache on top, add strawberries.

 

and froggy fruit salad, I am planning on getting a life sometime  soon and not spending so much time on pinterest!

 

buggered birthday boy!

Like this recipe? Find more in my first cookbook The Real Food for Kids Cookbook. When you cook this please let me know how you go with it and share it with your friends!