Strawberry ganache

Makes: about 700 g (1 lb 9 oz) to fill and cover one 18 cm (7 in) round cake

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 5–10 minutes

Cooling time: 5 minutes

Chilling time: at least 1 hour

200 g (7 oz/1¹/₃ cups) strawberries, hulled and roughly chopped

300 g (10½ oz) white chocolate, broken into pieces

150 ml (5 fl oz) thick (double) cream

30 g (1 oz) unsalted butter, diced

Cook the strawberries with 2 tablespoons water in a saucepan for 5–8 minutes over medium heat. Remove from the heat and leave to cool. Once cool, purée them using a blender until smooth.

Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Bring the cream just to boiling point in a saucepan, stirring to prevent it scorching. Pour the warm cream over the chocolate and stir until well combined. When cooled to 40°C (104°F) (test with a sugar thermometer), incorporate the butter and then the strawberry coulis. Combine until the ganache is rich and smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and chill immediately in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before using.