Indulgent Sicilian dolci by Ursula Ferrigno from her food odyssey Cucina Siciliana

Strawberry and pistachio cake Torta di pistacchio e fragola

This cake will win you many gasps of approval

SERVES 8-12 • PREPARATION40 minutes • BAKING40 minutes

• 55g unsalted butter • 6 large free-range eggs, beaten • 140g caster sugar • a few drops of pure vanilla extract • 140g Italian 00 flour • 100g shelled and skinned pistachio nuts, ground FOR THE FILLING AND DECORATION • 350g fresh strawberries • 1 tbsp Marsala • 600ml double cream

1 Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4. While it is heating up, melt the butter in a small saucepan and then leave this to cool.

2 Put the eggs, sugar and vanilla extract in a bowl. Whisk together until pale and thick enough to leave a ribbon-like trail for 8 seconds when the whisk is lifted out of the bowl.

3 Sift the Italian 00 fl our and fold half of it into the egg mixture. Pour a little of the cooled butter around the edge of the mixture and carefully fold in 2 tbsp of the remaining fl our. Repeat, folding gently and carefully to ensure that you maintain a mousse-like consistency, until all the butter and fl our are used up.

4 Divide the mixture in half, and spoon one half into a 20cm round cake tin, buttered and base-lined with baking parchment. Fold 25g of the pistachio nuts into the remaining mixture and pour this into another prepared 20cm round cake tin.