Since Shavuot is almost here, I already had cheesecake on the brain, so I decided to make a sweetened cream cheese filling. I had a punnet of ripe and juicy strawberries just crying out to go on top. In short, flan is usually a caramel-based custard, layered with a dark caramel sauce. You might also know it as caramel pudding. In either case, my strawberry flan is a little bit different. It has a sponge base, and the flan filling doesn't include caramel. This kind of filled fruit flan is very different to the baked custard kind of flan that’s enjoyed in parts of South America, which is more like a French creme caramel. Strawberries are one of my favourite fruits. Sweet, juicy but firm and so fresh, I have loads of recipes on this blog for the strawberry lover. This Strawberry sponge cake is an even more elegant version of the same flavours. Is it cake or tart? St Pierre Groupe has expanded its Baker Street brand into the Home Baking category with the launch of new Sponge Flan Cases and Sponge Cake Layers.

Because of the shape of a flan tin, it’s nigh on impossible to line it with baking paper. To ensure that your flan case turns out nicely, I recommend coating the inside of the tin with ‘cake release’. There are different kinds available, either as a spray or as a liquid that you brush on. Having rediscovered my flan tin, I wondered what I should use to fill my tasty vanilla sponge flan case. I doubt you would have enough left to freeze anyway. Since this is so light, you can serve up largish portions of this and still feel like it was a light dessert. I get anywhere between 6-8 serves from mine. Make a pastry or crumb crust, and use this to hold the creamy cheesecake filling and strawberries. This is more like a pie than a flan, but still good!Otherwise, you will not be able to extract any of the fruity flavour from the strawberries. As you know, when strawberries aren't in season, sometimes it's the case that the strawberries are really bland and have no flavour at all. Serve this fruit flan as is. It’s flavourful and needs nothing more but if you must have something, a little unsweetened whipped cream would do the job.

When the pastry case and custard have cooled down completely, fill the pastry case up to the brim with custard. Strawberry flan can’t be frozen. On freezing the chemical structure of both jelly and berries changes and it will become a soggy mess on thawing.

Beautiful and summery, you seriously have to give this delicious strawberry sponge flan a go. You won’t regret it. More recipes you’ll love Neither and both all at once. Strawberry flan looks like a tart but with the sponge on the bottom is almost a single layer cake. It’s a summer dessert for kids and adults alike and uses minimal ingredients. The sponge flan base takes mere minutes in the oven and is just one of those no-fuss recipes that’s great to have in your recipe arsenal. How to make it – step by step This strawberry flan recipe isn't your ordinary flan. Most of the time, a flan is also known as creme caramel (in French) or crema volteada (in Spanish). Bake the cake mixture in a regular 8 inch cake tin. When it is cold, use a small plate as a template to cut a circle out of the top. Excavate this to a depth of about 1.5 cm (¾ inch), being very careful not to break through the edge. Then fill and serve as per the recipe. This is essentially a flan, although of course you will be shortchanged on the cake part slightly! If you are attempting this recipe in the winter months when strawberries are naturally off season, then take this advice – source your strawberries in a premium supermarket.

Jeremy Gilboy, Founder of the St Pierre Groupe, said: “This new range is a particularly exciting addition to the Baker Street range as a step into a new category for the brand and it makes producing fabulous desserts easy as pie for consumers to look like patisserie pros.”

If you are going to make strawberry flan, then you will need to know how to select the right type of strawberries. Once the fruit and jelly have been added, it’s best to eat this within a day or two as the longer it sits the more moisture will soak into the sponge. A favourite from my childhood, this strawberry flan recipe is extremely easy to make and great for entertaining too. Or you could just make my fruit custard tart which will give you much more room for filling. Serving and storage