Photo Credit: Deborah Lam
Instead of running home worrying about the train wreck that were your exams, buy a punnet of strawberries and bake your troubles away. I couldn't tell you what it is that makes this tart Italian, nor why it's called a tart - the recipe avoids the painful process of kneading, resting and impatiently waiting for the dough to 'relax.' However, what I do know is that when you Google image search 'Italian Strawberry Tart', there are enough pictures resembling mine to be vaguely reassuring.
Ingredients:
210g plain flour
170g caster sugar
85g butter, softened
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons milk 1 punnet of strawberries
icing sugar
Method:
Preheat the oven to 175 @C
Butter an 8-inch cake tin.
Combine the flour, salt, baking powder and cinnamon until fully incorporated.
In a separate bowl, beat the butterand sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy.
Mix the eggs and milk into the butter and sugar.
Add the dry ingredients, mixing until just incorporated. Too much mixing will result in air being knocked out of the cake, and the tart losing its fluffy texture.
Pour the mixture into the cake tin. Halve each strawberry and lightly press each one on top in a circular pattern.
Bake for 30 minutes. Test if the tart is cooked by inserting a knife into it - if it comes out clean then the cake is cooked. Remove from the oven.
When cool, remove the tart from the tin and dust with icing sugar.
