LAYERED RASPBERRY GRANITA & SPONGE CAKE DESSERT

1. For raspberry granita, combine sugar, and 250 ml (1 cup) water in a saucepan and stir over low heat until dissolved, increase heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Add berries and remove from heat. Process mixture in a blender and strain through a sieve. Discard seeds. Add wine and stir to combine. Pour mixture into a large shallow freezer proof tray and freeze until mixture is frozen. When frozen scrape into flakes using a fork and return to freezer until required.
2. For pastry cream, bring the milk, vanilla and 40 g of sugar to the boil. Make a crumble with the remaining sugar, flour and butter. Add the crumble to the boiling milk and cook, stirring constantly for 6 minutes, this will cook out the flavour of the flour. Add the yolks and cool by whisking on an electric mixer using a paddle on a slow speed.
3. For sponge cake, preheat oven to 180C. Using an electric mixer, whisk eggs and sugar until thick and pale and doubled in volume. Add vanilla and whisk until just combined. Sift one-third of flour and baking powder over beaten eggs and fold in gently to combine, then sift remaining flour over, add hot water and fold in gently to combine.
4. Pour mixture into a baking paper-lined oven tray and bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden and centre springs back when lightly pressed. Turn onto a clean tea towel dusted with caster sugar and roll-up, leave for 10 minutes, then unroll and allow to cool. When cool spread with jam and re-roll.
5. Slice sponge into 1cm thick slices and arrange in the base of serving bowls or glasses and drizzle with booze. Whip cream to a firm peak and fold through pastry cream. Spoon pastry cream onto sponge, then berries, top with double thick cream and granita.

Recipe created by Rodney Dunn from The Agrarian Kitchen