Ingredients

• 85g/3oz ground almonds
• 120g/4oz icing sugar
• 2 free-range egg whites
• pinch salt
• 50g/1¾oz caster sugar
• purple food colouring gel
• 50g/1¾oz melted butter
• plus extra for greasing
• 50g/1¾oz plain flour
• plus extra for dusting
• 1 free-range egg
• 50g/1¾oz caster sugar
• ½ lemon
• zest and juice
• â…“ tsp baking powder
• 100ml/3½fl oz limoncello liquor
• 75ml/2½fl oz lemon juice
• 75g/2½oz caster sugar
• 250g/9oz blueberries
• 1 heaped tsp agar-agar flakes
• few drops lemon juice
• 5-7 tsp granulated sugar
• 1 tsp citric acid
• few drops purple food colouring
• 100ml/3½fl oz double cream
• whipped to soft peaks

Directions

• To make the macaroon shells
• preheat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas 2 and line a baking tray with a sheet of silicone paper. Mark out rounds of 4cm/1.5in diameter on the reverse side of the paper with a pencil and set to one side.
• Pulse the almonds with the icing sugar in a food processor and then pass through a sieve to get rid of any larger bits of almond. Put the egg whites with a pinch of salt in a free-standing food mixer with a whisk attachment and whisk until frothy
• then gradually add the caster sugar a little a time
• whisking in between each addition
• until the whites are glossy and have firm peaks when the whisk is removed.
• Towards the end of the whisking
• add a few drops of food colour and then add the egg whites to the icing sugar and almonds. Mix until combined and so that the mixture falls off a spatula in ribbons. Put the mixture into a piping bag which has a small round nozzle attached
• no bigger than 1cm/½in in diameter. Pipe the mixture onto the tray in the circles and leave to set for around 15 minutes.
• Bake the macaroon shells for 12-15 minutes
• until the shells peel off the paper easily. Leave them to cool on a wire rack.
• For the lemon sponges
• increase the oven temperature to 200C/180C (fan)/Gas 6. Grease the silicone moulds with melted butter
• then dust with flour and set to one side.
• Whisk together the egg with the sugar in a bowl until pale and frothy. Add the butter
• flour
• lemon zest and juice and baking powder and mix well until combined. Rest the batter for 20-30 minutes before pouring into the moulds and baking for 12-15 minutes.
• Remove from the moulds and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Dip each sponge into the limoncello and set to one side.
• For the lemon sugar syrup
• place the lemon juice and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil for 4-5 minutes
• or until thickened and syrupy. Remove from the heat and set to one side until cool.
• To make the blueberry gel
• place the blueberries into a food processor and blend to a purée. Sieve the purée into a saucepan to remove the skins and pips. Sprinkle the agar-agar flakes over the purée and place on the heat without stirring.
• Once the mixture has heated through
• stir and keep on the heat for 3-5 minutes. Pour into a cling film-lined cake tin and put into the fridge until set - around 30 minutes. Once set
• break the jelly into pieces and put into the food processor with a few drops of lemon juice and blend until smooth and is a gel consistency. Transfer into a piping bag and keep cool until needed.
• For the sherbet
• mix together five teaspoons of the sugar
• the citric acid and food colouring until the colour is even throughout. Taste to ensure that the sherbet is not too sour and add more sugar
• to taste.
• To assemble
• brush a little of the lemon sugar syrup on the edges only of the sponges and then roll the edges in the sherbet. Scoop out a little hole in the top of the sponge
• making sure not to go too deep and cut through the bottom of the sponge. Pipe a small blob of the blueberry gel in the hole. Place the whipped cream in another piping bag and pipe a small blob of cream on each sponge making sure to hide the hole and its contents.
• Sandwich together the macaroons with the remaining gel and place a macaroon
• on its side
• on top of each sponge cake over the blob of whipped cream.