Ingredients

Step by step

1. Start the recipe at least 4 hours before serving. Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4; grease and line two 20cm diameter sponge tins.
2. Put all of the sponge ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat for 3 minutes until really light and fluffy; add a little extra milk if needed to give a dropping consistency. Divide between the prepared tins and level out. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until risen and springy. Leave in the tins for 5 minutes then turn them out onto a cooling rack, removing the lining paper. Make sure that one of the layers cools with the top facing up, to avoid imprints from the rack.
3. For the Pimm’s fruit, cut the peel off each orange then segment them over a bowl, squeezing in any extra juice. Add the sugar, 125ml Pimm’s and 450g of the strawberries. Stir gently, cover and set aside to infuse at room temperature, for at least 1 hour.
4. Put the mascarpone, icing sugar and vanilla into a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until really thick. Gradually whisk in half of the custard, until you have a mixture that resembles softly whipped cream. Cover and chill until needed.
5. Assemble at least 2 hours before serving to let the flavours meld. Cut an 11-12cm circle from the centre of the top layer sponge (use a small bowl as a template); this bit of cake is the cook’s perk! Drain off about 75ml of the Pimm’s juices from the infused fruit and brush over the bottom layer sponge, allowing it to soak in. Spread with the strawberry conserve then place the ring of sponge on top.
6. Spoon some of the boozy fruit into the centre of the cake, just enough to fill the hole. Now heap and swirl the mascarpone custard cream on top of the cake, covering the fruit but leaving some sponge showing around the edge. Chill the trifle cake but bring back to room temperature 45 minutes before serving.
7. Drain the rest of the juices from the infused fruit into a small pan and add the lemon juice. Boil until thick and syrupy. Cool and stir back into the fruit to glaze, along with the chopped mint and extra Pimm’s. Use a veg peeler to shave ribbons from the outside of the cucumber, to decorate. Once peeled all the way round, halve and deseed then dice the flesh and stir into the glazed fruit, along with the remaining strawberries.
8. Drizzle the cake with some of the reserved custard, decorate with some of the Pimm’s-glazed fruit and the cucumber ribbons. Scatter with mint leaves and serve with the remaining Pimm’s fruit and custard.