Pistachio tiramisu and mango shortcakes: Nicola Lamb's recipes for spring desserts

The Guardian

21-05-2025

When mango season is upon us, I love nothing more than thinking of as many waysas possible to eat them. It's hard to beat the joy of messily eating one over a sink, but these flaky, American-style shortcakes, which you may recognise as similar to scones, are a brilliant mango delivery method. Meanwhile, there are few things that pistachio doesn't improve, and here pistachio cream, which is conveniently fortified with sugar and fat, and emulsified to a smooth, spoonable paste, is paired with coffee in the form of an airy tiramisu to feed a crowd.
Using cold grated butter and performing a few roll, stack and folds will give you towering shortcakes with tender middles and crisp tops.
Prep 10 min
Cook 1 hr
Makes 6
For the flaky scones120g very cold butter
250g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
10g baking powder
½ tsp flaky salt
30g caster sugar
130g buttermilk, plus extra for brushing2 tsp granulated sugar
For the whipped cream
150g greek yoghurt
30g caster sugar
150g double cream
To finish3-4 small ripe Indian mangoes (I like alphonso), peeled and cut into thin horizontal strips1 lime
Grate the cold butter on to a plate. In a large bowl, whisk the dry ingredients for the scones, then add the grated butter in four instalments, tossing well between each addition. If the mix clumps, keep tossing and squishing it between your fingertips until any large clumps have dispersed.
Add the buttermilk in two instalments, stirring and tossing the mixture with a spatula to hydrate it – it will be sticky in some places and dry in others – then tip the dough on to a clean work surface and squish into a roughly 20cm x 12cm rectangle. Using a rolling pin, roll out to 30cm x 15cm, then, with a knife or dough scraper, cut it into thirds and stack them on top of each other. Turn 90 degrees, then repeat the rolling and cutting twice more, dusting with flour if the dough sticks to the pin or work surface. For the final stack, put the smoothest third on top. Press down to adhere the layers – it should be around 20cm x 14cm by this stage. Trim the outside of the dough to create clean edges, then cut the dough into six equal 6cm x 6cm squares, each weighing (75-85g. (Save and bake any offcuts as snacks.)
Transfer the squares to a tray lined with baking paper, leaving 5cm space between each shortcake, then put in the freezer while you heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. (Alternatively, rest the shortcakes in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 24 hours.) Brush the tops with buttermilk, scatter over the granulated sugar, then bake for 20-22 minutes, until crisp and golden. Remove and leave to cool slightly on the tray.
To finish, whip the yoghurt, sugar and cream to stiff peaks. Split each shortcake in half, spoon about 30g of the yoghurt cream on top, followed by four or five slices of mango and a grating of lime zest (if the mango is a bit underpowered, toss it with lime juice first). Top with the shortcake lid, add another spoonful of cream, a few slices of mango and a final grating of zest, and serve immediately.
Splashing out on superbly green Iranian or Sicilian pistachios will give you the most dramatic, golf-club green finish, though any will taste just as good. You will need a 20cm x 20cm tin.
Prep 10 min
Cook 45 min
Chill 4 hr+
Serves 8
250g mascarpone
200ml double cream
180g pistachio cream – I use Black Milk4 egg whites (about 120g)
¼ tsp flaky salt
70g caster sugarAbout 30 ladyfingers, AKA sponge fingers or savoiardi
400ml strong brewed coffee, cooled to room temperatureCocoa powder, for dusting75g pistachios
In a large bowl, whip the mascarpone and double cream to stiff peaks. Add the pistachio cream and whip again until well combined.
In a second bowl, beat the egg whites until frothy, then add the flaky salt and sugar, and whip again to voluminous stiff peaks that look like shiny shaving foam.
Loosen the cream and pistachio mixture with four or five tablespoons of the meringue – mix it in and beat enthusiastically: the mixture should relax a little, making it easier to fold in the rest of the meringue and retain as much air as possible. In three instalments, gently fold in the remaining meringue with a flat spatula or whisk, leaving you with a strong-looking but airy mixture.
Dip each ladyfinger one by one into the coffee for just two or three seconds, then use these to line the base of a 20cm x 20cm tin. Dust lightly with cocoa powder.
​​Pile half the tiramisu cream (about 400g) on top and smooth with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Repeat with the sponge-dunking and layering, dust with more cocoa powder, then pile the remaining cream on top. Smooth the top, cover and chill for at least four hours, and ideally overnight or up to two days.
Blitz the pistachios to a fine crumb in a food processor, then scatter all over the top of the tiramisu before serving.
Nicola Lamb is a pastry chef and author of the weekly Kitchen Projects newsletter and Sift, published by Ebury Press at £30. To order a copy for £27, go to guardianbookshop.com