Wanted: bakes to make use of a glut of homemade jam | Jams, preserves and spreads

I’ve plenty of jam made with every kind of berries – are there any bakes that may use a few of it up? Anne-Lies, Gouda, the Netherlands“Jam is on the coronary heart of many nice British puddings and truffles, so there are by no means too many jars in my home!” says Emily Cuddeford, co-founder of Edinburgh’s Twelve Triangles bakery. Her first thought, although, can be to tip a jar of the candy stuff right into a buttered ceramic baking dish and prime it with sponge: “Make a traditional, equal-parts combine scaled to your dish by creaming, say, 180g butter and 180g sugar, slowly beating in an egg and a splash of vanilla or lemon zest, and ending with 180g self-raising flour.” Spoon that on prime of the jam and bake at 190C (170C fan)/375F/fuel 5 till the sponge “bounces again” and a skewer comes out clear. Serve heat with cream or custard, and job’s a great ’un.You’ll additionally need jam to fill or prime truffles. “Apparent issues are a Victoria sponge, however that doesn’t use a lot jam,” says the Guardian’s personal Benjamina Ebuehi, so she’d be extra inclined to spoon buttercream excessive of a coconut cake, for instance, make a dip within the center with the again of a spoon and pop some jam in there: “That’s a pleasant option to adorn a cake and it additionally makes use of up a good quantity of jam.” It wouldn’t damage, both, to make use of berry jams to complete a traditional college dinner traybake sponge: “As soon as it’s out of the oven, prime with jam then scatter with desiccated coconut.” In any other case, Ebuehi says, pleasure may be present in a nostalgic jam tart or Italian crostata (look out for Ebuehi’s blackberry model subsequent week).After all, jam is a superb pal of biscuits, too, with Cuddeford and Ebuehi agreeing that thumbprint cookies are the way in which to go right here. Cudderford opts for jamaretti: “Whisk egg whites with sugar, floor nuts and lemon zest till agency sufficient to roll into balls, then toss in icing sugar.” Make an indent within the centre, spoon within the jam and bake: “They’re scrumptious, chewy and hold effectively in a sealed container for a couple of weeks.” Darcie Mahler, proprietor of Lannan bakery in Scotland, in the meantime, would go for shortbread: “Make a easy shortbread by beating icing sugar and butter, then add flour – I take advantage of a mixture of plain and spelt – cornflour, salt and vanilla paste.” Pipe that into discs, make a thumbprint, fill with jam and bake till the perimeters are flippantly golden.A dollop of jam additionally provides breakfast an on the spot zhoosh. For Ebuehi, which means porridge or yoghurt, whereas no wise particular person ever refused a twice-baked croissant, Cuddeford says. “Cut up croissants in half and unfold with jam. Cream 80g butter and 80g sugar, add an egg and 80g floor almonds, then spoon into your jammy croissants, and unfold some on prime, too.” Sprinkle with flaked almonds, then get them in a 190C (170C fan)/375F/fuel 5 oven for 20 minutes for an excellent morning. There are, after all, solely so many baked items you possibly can eat (effectively, in principle, anyway), so additionally take into account spreading the love: “Put a pleasant bow on the jars and present them,” Ebuehi says. “Everybody loves an edible present.” Alternatively, get a gang over, combine a teaspoon of jam into cocktails – “with gin, lemon juice and tonic,” Cuddeford suggests – and hold that summer season spirit alive.