Below is an extract from Letitia Ann Clark's upcoming book "Wild Figs and Fennel". See below for when you can get your mitts on a copy. 

This is based on something I saw once on a TV cooking programme as a child and then begged my mother to recreate. While I have experimented in the past with adding other flavours, there really is no better combination than strawberries and cream, and here ricotta forms a wonderfully rich and almost grassy foil to the fresh, raindrops-and-roses sweetness of strawberries. The cut berries, neatly lined up to expose their beautiful insides, are visually stunning. It is fancy without being fiddly, and beautifully, ethereally creamy and elegant to eat. It does, however, need to be made in advance if you want it to set up properly in the refrigerator overnight, but this is often a good thing and means you have a cake ready-made to take to a party. I make the same cake with poached pears in the autumn (in which case, exchange the almonds in the sponge for walnuts) and with figs in late summer (use hazelnuts). It is adaptable, impressive and delicious.

For the cake
100 g (3½ oz) butter, melted then cooled, plus extra for greasing
3 eggs
150 g (5 oz/2/3 cup) sugar
170 g (6 oz/12/3 cups) ground almonds
70 g (2½ oz/generous ½ cup) plain (all-purpose) flour
pinch of salt
finely grated zest of 1 lemon

For the filling
500 g (1lb 2 oz) ricotta (see Note)
150 g (5 oz/2/3 cup) sugar
200 ml (7 fl oz/scant 1 cup) double (heavy) cream
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste/a scrape of the seeds from a pod
finely grated zest of 1 small lemon

For the strawberries
about 150g (5 oz) strawberries (2 small punnets or 1 large)
lemon juice and a little sugar, to macerate

To finish
icing (confectioners’) sugar
edible flowers or rose petals
strawberries

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F/gas 3). Grease and line the base and sides of a 23 cm (9 in) springform cake tin (pan) with baking paper.
   
   
2. Beat the eggs and sugar until pale, fluffy and mousse-like. Fold the almonds through the whisked eggs along with the flour and salt, then fold in the cooled melted butter and the lemon zest.
   
   
3. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 20–30 minutes until risen and golden. Set aside to cool.
   
   
4. Once cool, cut in half, using either a long carving knife or a piece of cotton thread. Place a half in the base of the (now clean) tin. You will build the cake in this and then release it to serve.
   
   
5. To make the filling, whisk the ricotta with the sugar until smooth. Add the cream and whisk again until thick, then fold in the vanilla and lemon zest. Place in the refrigerator to chill. 
6. Hull the strawberries and cut them in half. Macerate with a light sprinkle of lemon juice and sugar.
   
   
7. Arrange the berries in an even layer over the base of the sponge, placing the outermost ring upright with cut-sides facing out, touching the sides of the cake tin. Spread over the cream filling. Place the second half of the sponge on top, then chill for 1–2 hours, or overnight. 
   
   
8. Gently release the tin, running a knife carefully around the edges to ease the cake out, and smooth the sides with a palette knife if they smudge slightly. Sprinkle with icing sugar, decorate with flowers/rose petals and strawberries, then serve with aplomb.

NOTE: This cake needs a good, stiff ricotta so that the filling stays solid enough to support the structure. If you buy supermarket tubs of ricotta (often more liquid), let it drain for an hour or two (or overnight) in a sieve (fine strainer) lined with paper towels or muslin (cheesecloth) over a bowl.

This is an edited extract from Wild Figs and Fennel by Letitia Clark, published by Hardie Grant Books. Available in stores nationally. Photography by Charlotte Bland and Letitia Clark. You can grab a copy over here.