Serradura—literally means "sawdust" in Portuguese and is a classic, effortless dessert. It is traditionally made with layers of sweetened whipped cream and finely crushed Marie biscuits. While the traditional vanilla version remains a firm favourite, modern twists have introduced exciting new flavours, like Oreo, chocolate, and matcha green tea!
Ingredients
3 x 300g double cream
1 (397g) tin, sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla essence
½ pkt crushed rich tea or digestive biscuits
1 large carton strawberries – quartered (or other soft fruit like blueberries, rasperries or passionfruit)
Cooking Steps
Step 1: Prep the Biscuits
Crush the biscuits into fine crumbs using a food processor or by placing them in a bag and crushing them with a rolling pin. Set aside.
Step 2: Whip the Sweetened Cream
Whip the double cream in a large bowl, until medium-soft peaks form (about 3 to 5 minutes).
Pour in the sweetened condensed milk and continue whipping until the mixture holds medium-stiff peaks (another 2 to 4 minutes).
Step 3: Prep the Fruit
Quarter most of the strawberries, leaving a few whole or sliced for a beautiful final garnish.
Step 4: Layer and Chill
In individual serving glasses (or one large glass trifle bowl), build your layers.
Begin and end with a layer of the whipped cream, alternating Cream, Biscuit crumbs, Quartered strawberries
Aim for 4 to 7 layers in total. Garnish the top with your reserved strawberries, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours—or overnight—to let the biscuit layers soften and the flavours meld together.
Serve: This dessert can easily be turned into a frozen ice-cream cake: simply omit any fruit layers and pop it into the freezer for about an hour before serving.
Alternate garnishes: include a sprinkle of cinnamon powder, toasted almonds, coconut and/or passion fruit just before serving.