3 Wimbledon-Inspired Strawberry Dessert Ideas

Missed out on tickets for Wimbledon this year? Host your own viewing party at home instead, complete with a jug or two of Pimm’s and a special strawberry dessert. Here Ben Ebbrell, chef at Sorted Food, shares three ideas for Wimbledon-inspired recipes to create for your garden parties this summer. Strawberries and cream is the signature dish at Wimbledon (you can find out why here), but there are lots of other ways to incorporate the fruit into your desserts. Plus, strawberries are in season right now, so they’ll be extra fresh and delicious.

Strawberry Dessert Recipes

Strawberry Shortcakes

Serves 6

Ingredients:

For the scones 

• 75g salted butter, chilled and cubed 
• 350g self-raising flour 
• 1 tbsp caster sugar 
• 75g pistachio nuts, roughly chopped 
• 1 tsp lemon zest 
• 1 large egg 
• 150ml whole milk 
• 25ml whole milk to glaze 

For the fillings 

• 200g strawberries 
• 25g pistachio nuts, roughly chopped 
• 25g caster sugar 
• 1 tsp vanilla extract 
• 25ml limoncello 
• 250ml double cream 
• 25g caster sugar 
• 2 tbsp ground pistachio nuts 

Method:

1. Preheat an oven to 200°C and line a baking tray (you may need two, or two batches) with greaseproof paper. 
2. Rub the chilled butter into the flour with your fingertips until it begins to resemble breadcrumbs. Stir through the caster sugar, nuts and lemon zest. Crack in the egg and pour in the 150ml milk then stir to bring it together into one dough. 
3. Press into a lump about 2cm deep on a floured surface then cut out 10cm circles with a cutter. Transfer the raw scones onto the lined baking tray and squash the leftover dough into another lump to press out and cut again. Waste nothing! Brush the tops of the scones with a little milk and bake for 10-12 minutes until they have risen, are golden and when tapped from beneath sound hollow. 
4. Allow to cool on wire rack before slicing in half across the middle, to get a base and a lid. Dice the strawberries and tip them into a mixing bowl with the chopped pistachio nuts and the sugar. Pour in the vanilla extract and the liqueur and leave to soak for 10 minutes. Drain the liquid from the strawberries into a small saucepan and bring it to a boil over a high heat. Reduce until it begins to thicken to a syrup, then leave to cool.
5. Whip the cream with the sugar to soft peaks. 
6. Spread a generous amount of double cream over the insides of the bases and lids. Top the cream on the bases with the strawberries. Sandwich with the lid then drizzle over the reduced syrup and top with a pinch of ground pistachios.

Strawberry Marshmallow Cheesecake 

Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the base 

• 200g shortbread 
• 100g digestive biscuits 
• 80g unsalted butter 
• 2 tbsp strawberry jam 
• For the almond crumb 
• 50g blanched almonds, roasted 
• 50g digestive biscuits 
• 50g soft light brown sugar 
• 25g plain flour 
• 60g unsalted butter, chilled 

For the cheesecake mix 

• 100g strawberries 
• 150ml double cream 
• 500g white chocolate 
• 50g unsalted butter 
• 500g cream cheese 

For the meringue 

• 4 large egg whites 
• 300g caster sugar 
• 1 vanilla pod 

Method:

1. Blitz the shortbread and digestive biscuits to a fine crumb and melt the butter. Combine the two in a large mixing bowl until the texture is like wet sand. Pack the mix into the bottom of 4 deep 9x9cm rings, making sure it’s level. Put it into the fridge to set. 
2. Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Blitz the almonds and the digestives to a fine crumb and combine them with the sugar and flour. Add the chilled butter and use your fingertips to combine it with the biscuit mix until you have Spread the mix on the baking sheet in an even layer and freeze for 10 minutes. 
3. Bake for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Once golden brown and crisp, leave the crumb to cool completely. Spread the jam over the cooled base, then spoon the streusel nut mix in each ring and gently press into a layer but do not compress completely like the biscuit layer. 
4. Melt the chocolate, butter and vanilla in a bowl in the microwave.
5. Hull the strawberries, add half of them to a mini food processor and blitz (or just mash up wit a fork). Mix the strawberries, cream, sugar and the cream cheese together until combined and smooth. Stir the chocolate mix into the cream mixture. Dice the remaining strawberries into small cubes and fold them into the cheesecake mix. Pour the mix into the rings, over the almond crumb. Pull the rings up straight away (the cheesecake mix should be firm enough to hold, but warm enough to slide neatly out. Set in the fridge for an hour or more if making in advance. 
6. Add the egg whites and caster sugar to a heat proof mixing bowl and whisk over a pan of simmering water (making sure that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Whisk until the egg whites are warm and the sugar has dissolved so that the mixture is smooth. Remove the eggs from the heat and whisk using a stand mixer or electric whisk until the meringue is cool and just holds its form. 
7. Rest the ring moulds on top of the chilled cheesecake mix, then pipe the meringue into the rings. Carefully lift the rings to get a clean meringue layer with a little ridge all the way around, created when removing the ring. 
8. Using a palette knife, smooth out the top of the meringue if you need to. Blowtorch the meringue to brown it all over. Serve a cheesecake per person! 

Speedy Strawberry and Lemon Grilled Pudding

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 12 sponge fingers 
• 1 lemon 
• 400g strawberries 
• 1 tin condensed milk (397g) 
• 150g natural yoghurt 
• 1 handful demerara sugar 
• 1 handful almond flakes, toasted 
• 2 sprigs fresh mint 

Method:

1. Preheat a grill to a medium high heat. 
2. Grab a shallow baking dish and lay the sponge fingers into a single layer in the bottom. Zest over the lemon and squeeze the juice over the top of the sponge fingers. 
3. Hull and quarter the strawberries, Mush some of them up with the back of a fork then scatter half of them over the sponge fingers. 
4. Whisk together the condensed milk with the yoghurt and pour over the dish. Finish with another layer of strawberries and a generous sprinkling of the demerara sugar. 
5. Place the dish under the hot grill and leave to warm through and caramelise the top for about 4-5 minutes. Remove and decorate with some toasted almond flakes and a few leaves of picked mint. 
6. Serve immediately and tuck in with family or friends.