Silken tofu is extremely versatile when used in desserts, sauces and dressings, quite unlike its firm or extra-firm cousin which is best treated as a meat substitute; skewered, smoked, casseroled or baked in savory dishes. Apart from the protein factor, the greatest attribute of tofu is that it takes on the flavor of whatever you cook with it, having virtually none of its own.

Taking advantage of the smooth almost jelly-like texture of silken tofu, this dessert is incredibly easy to make and the batter can be prepared 12 hours ahead; just cover and refrigerate until you’re ready to stick it in the oven.

The result is a light yet rich-tasting fruity, almond-y pudding that’s best served warm. The batter doesn’t need to be distributed too evenly as the fruit will rise into the golden topping.

You’ll need a food processor and to serve, a dusting of powdered sugar and perhaps some vanilla ice cream or crème fraiche – but neither are essential as this pud is great on its own.

The best fruits to use here are blackberries, blueberries and raspberries, either alone or in combination.

BAKED ALMOND & TOFU PUDDING WITH BERRIES

(Serves 4)

Ingredients:

1/3 cup (80 ml measure) of sliced almonds, lightly toasted in a dry skillet until golden

½ cup (120 ml measure) of vanilla sugar, or regular fine white sugar and ¼ tspn of pure vanilla extract, added in the final batter stage

2 level tablespoons of cake flour or regular plain all-purpose flour

A pinch of sea salt

Then…

1 large egg

1/3 cup (80 ml) of silken tofu, drained

1 tablespoon of unsalted butter at room temp

¼ teaspoon of natural almond extract

3 cups of berries (if using frozen, arrange them in the buttered baking dish to defrost, as you’ll want to capture the juices)

Powdered/icing sugar for dusting

Action:

Preheat the oven to 400F / 200C

Process the first 4 ingredients until finely ground, then add the remaining ingredients – pulse until well blended (the batter will keep in the fridge for 12 hrs)

Arrange the berries in a lightly buttered or oiled 2-pint shallow baking dish and spoon the topping over the fruit.

Bake in the preheated oven for 35-45 minutes until golden on top and the fruit is bubbling. Cool for ten minutes then dust with powdered sugar to serve.