Makes 12 little cakes

- 150g green gooseberries, topped and tailed with a knife

- 50g caster sugar

- 170g butter, plus extra for greasing

- 250g icing sugar

- 135g ground almonds

- 60g plain flour

- 5 medium egg whites

- 2 tbsp undiluted elderflower cordial (bought or home-made), for glazing

Heat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4. Generously grease a nonstick 12-hole muffin tin with butter. (Mine has holes about 7cm wide and about 2cm deep.)

Put the gooseberries and sugar in a small saucepan with 2 tsp of water. Bring to a bubble, cover and simmer gently for about 5 minutes, until the fruit has softened and is just popping open. Drain off the liquid and keep the fruit to one side.

Melt the butter in a pan over a low heat. Put the icing sugar, almonds and flour in a bowl and mix together well. Stir in the egg whites, then beat vigorously for about 10 seconds. Pour on the melted butter and beat until everything is thoroughly combined. It should be a smooth batter. Divide the mixture evenly between the muffin holes. Dot the top of each with 3 or 4 cooked gooseberries. Bake for 20 minutes. They will rise above the sides of the tin and puff up irregularly in the middle. You want them to be golden brown at the edges. They may still be a bit unset around the fruit. Don’t worry, they will firm as they cool. Take them out of the oven and brush the tops 2 or 3 times with some elderflower cordial. Allow them to cool in the tin for a couple of minutes, then ease out of their holes and move them onto a rack to cool. Eat while they’re still warm, with cream, or leave to cool and have them with a nice cup of tea.

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