STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

You’ll need

● 50g butter, softened ● 50g caster sugar

● 1 egg (room temp)

● 1 tsp vanilla extract ● 50g self-raising flour To decorate:

● 50g strawberry jam without chunks

● 50ml double cream

● ½ tbsp icing sugar

● Few drops of vanilla extract ● 9 shortcake biscuits

● 1 med, 2 small strawberries

● 1 tsp freeze-dried strawberry pieces

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease and line a 10cm round, deep, loose-bottomed tin.

2. Beat the butter and sugar together for 5–10 mins until pale and creamy. Lightly beat the egg with the vanilla extract. Gradually add the egg to the butter and sugar mix, beating well. Sift the flour into the mixture and fold in until just combined, then gently fold in the warm water. Scrape the cake mixture into the prepared tin and spread it out level with a spatula.

3. Bake for 20–25 mins. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 mins before removing the cake and transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. 4. Slice cake horizontally in two. Place bottom layer on a stand. Spread a few teaspoons of jam over the cut surface. Place the other layer on top. Put the cream in a bowl with the icing sugar and vanilla extract, and whip until the cream holds soft peaks. Spoon the cream on top of the cake and smooth out with a palette knife. 5. Spread some jam over threequarters of the back of each shortcake biscuit. Press the biscuits around the side of the cake, un-jammed sections uppermost. .

6. Decorate the top of the cake with the strawberries, scatter the strawberry pieces over the top.