Savarin is a buttery rich yeast ring, smothered with syrup and served piled full of fresh fruit and cream. This recipe, which can be made by hand and needs only one rising, is so easy.

Ingredients

• ¾ cup warm milk
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon active dry yeast or 1 tablespoon Surebake yeast mix
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 125 grams butter, melted
• Syrup
• 1¾ cups caster sugar
• 2 cups water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• ½ cup Kirsch, or your favourite liqueur or fruit juice
• Filling
• 300 ml cream
• icing sugar to sweeten
• 2 punnets fresh stawberries or a mix of summer berries

Method

1. Grease and lightly flour a 23cm ring or savarin tin.
2. Stir the milk, sugar and yeast together and set aside for 10-15 minutes or until the yeast becomes very frothy.
3. Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl and make a well in the cetnre. Pour in the frothy yeast mixture and the lightly beaten eggs and use your hands to blend the ingredients into a batter. Continue to hand-beat the dough for 10 minutes or until the batter is shiny.
4. Add the butter and vanilla essence or paste if using and beat well for a further 3-4 minutes. Pour the batter into the prepared savarin or ring tin. Cover with a clean light cloth. Set aside in a warm place for about 1 hour until the batter has doubled in bulk.
5. Preheat the oven to 190ºC. Place the oven rack in the centre. Prepare the syrup and leave to cool.
6. Once the batter has doubled in bulk, bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until well-risen, golden and firm to the touch.
7. Remove from the oven and allow the savarin to stand in the cake tin for 5 minutes. Pierce the cake all voer with a metal skewer and loosen the cake from the sides of the tin.
8. Slowly pour half the syrup over the cake so that the syrup can gradually seep into the cake. Stand 10 minutes and repeat. Once cold, turn the savarin onto a cake plate to serve. Fill the centre with whipped sweetened cream and fresh berries.
9. Syrup
10. Put the sugar, water and vanilla essence into a saucepan and stir over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Stir in Kirsch, liqueur or fruit juice. Allow to cool.

Cooks Tips

- Savarin tins are smooth, shallow and seamless. If using a loose-bottomed ring tin, stand the tin ina shallow dish when pouring on the syrup to catch any syrup that may seep through the join.