We are in between seasons here at the moment. Officially, the calendar tells us that Spring has arrived but Mother Nature quickly makes us understand that indeed, the cool weather isn’t quite done. Winter is digging his heels in yet. Yesterday was a hot 28˚C but it quickly plummeted back down to 4˚C overnight, not quite making it beyond 12˚C today. But we made the most of the warm day, preparing garden beds and planting dahlias. We really are relishing those warmer spring days!

These little berry friands are the perfect ‘springy’ cakes. The beautiful berries providing lovely, marbled colour with each bite. As they are made with only the whites of the eggs, I was keen to make use of the yolks. Cue Mum’s custard. A recipe handed down to her (and then to me) by her Zia Gemma, who is the queen of Italian desserts. It requires no sieves, no tempering of eggs, no scalding of milk. It is a ‘throw it all in the pot and stir’ custard. It is failproof. adaptable and, most importantly, cosiness on a plate.

The custard went wonderfully with the friands and proved to be the most perfect thing to eat in this weather- berry-filled bites of spring with a good dollop of winter. The perfect pairing.

Berry Friands & Mum’s Easiest Custard

I used frozen berries for this recipe that I sourced from our wonderful, local grocery store ‘Grow Lightly’ in Korumburra. You could, of course, use fresh berries when in season.

Ingredients