Berry and Almond Tart

Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan) | 350F | gas 4.

For the sponge base: have all ingredients ready before you start. Grease the base of a springform cake tin. Beat the egg yolks with half the sugar until fluffy. Beat the egg whites until fairly stiff; add the remaining sugar gradually and continue to beat until quite stiff. Fold the egg whites into the egg yolks.

Sieve the flour with the cornflour over the egg mixture and fold in. Spoon the batter into the prepared tin, smooth the top, and bake on the middle shelf for 25-30 minutes. Take out, let cool slightly and run a thin knife carefully around the side of the pan to loosen the cake. Turn out onto a wire rack and let cool for at least 2 hours.

For the vanilla cream: slice the vanilla pod lengthways, scrape out the seeds and add seeds and pod to the milk. Bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, beat the egg yolks with the sugar until creamy; then stir in the flour. Gradually stir the boiling milk into the egg yolk cream; then pour it all back into the saucepan.

Remove the pod and keep stirring over a low heat (do not boil!) until the mixture thickens. Pass the vanilla cream through a sieve and let cool. Sprinkle the surface with sugar to prevent a skin from forming.

Dry toast the almonds in a dry frying pan. Halve the sponge base horizontally. Spread strawberry jam over the lower half. Place the upper half on top. Spread the vanilla cream on top and decorate with strawberries.