Summer Ice Cream Cake

This ice cream cake has two magical layers. The first, Nigella's meringue gelato cake - creamy with morsels of marshmallowy meringue and a hint of coffee liquer. The second, a super easy chocolate ice cream - just rich chocolatey goodness. Topped with wonderfully ripe cherries, raspberries and pomegranate seeds, it's a great way to a cool down on a sweltering hot summer's day.

 For how good it looks and tastes, it's a crime how easy it is to put together. I was surprised that there was absolutely no churning involved yet the texture of the ice cream was smooth and creamy.

Ingredients
300ml double cream
105g chocolate, chopped (I used milk chocolate, mama likes it sweet)
30ml coffee liquer
100g meringues
600ml pure cream
¼ cup cocoa powder
4 egg yolks
½ cup caster sugar
Fruit to top with

1. Whip the double cream until soft peaks form. Add 30g of chopped chocolate and coffee liquer and fold. Crush the meringues into the mixture and fold until combined.
2. Place mixture in a loaf tin lined with baking paper and pack down into all the corners. Put in freezer.
3. Heat the pure cream, 75g of chopped chocolate and cocoa powder in a saucepan on low heat until the chocolate has melted.
4. Whisk egg yolks and caster sugar in a large bowl until pale and creamy. Slowly pour in heated cream mixture, whisking constantly. Pour the whole mixture into the saucepan, cook on a low heat, stirring constantly until it thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.
5. Cool the chocolate mixture down in a bowl (clingwrap the top so it doesn't form a skin) then pour into the loaf tin on top of the first layer. Put in freezer for at least 4 hours or overnight.
6. Once frozen, flip the ice cream cake onto a plate and top with fruits. Serve quickly and enjoy!

Lavender Panna Cotta

There's a lavender bush in a small lane near my place and it gives off the loveliest scent. Even though I felt a little bit naughty about it, I had to bring some home. I've always wanted to make a lavender-infused dessert so I decided to make lavender and honey panna cotta with passionfruit syrup.

This recipe is adapted from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's elderflower vanilla panna cotta recipe on River Cottage Every Day. (Incidentally, HFW makes me want to move to the country, grow my own vegetables and raise a family of lambs.)

So creamy and florally...

You'll need:

100ml milk
250ml double cream
30g castor sugar
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Some lavender heads (I used 8)
2 teaspoons gelatine powder
150ml natural yoghurt

Place milk, cream, sugar, honey, vanilla and lavender in a small saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat as soon as it bubbles. Leave to infuse for half an hour.

Strain through a sieve and place back into saucepan. Warm over low heat.

Mix gelatine in with a third of the mixture. Stir into the whole mixture. Cool completely.

Stir in yoghurt.

Pour into 4 moulds. I used ramekins, lightly greased with vegetable oil.

Set in fridge for at least 2 hours.

When you're ready to serve, dip each mould into hot water for 10 seconds and then flip out onto a plate.

Drizzle with passionfruit syrup (combine 1 passionfruit, ¼ cup sugar and 1 tablespoon water in a saucepan over low heat and simmer for a few minutes).

Enjoy!