Raspberries & Cream Shortcakes

Raspberries & Cream Shortcakes

Makes: 16
Preparation: 15 minutes
Cooking: 25 minutes

Ingredients

125g butter
½ cup (110g) caster sugar
1 egg
1½ cups (225g) self-raising flour
½ teaspoon sea salt flakes
1 tablespoon coffee sugar crystals
250ml crème fraiche
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
2 tablespoons icing sugar
250g raspberries

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C  Mark out 16 x 3cm squares in an area 12cm x 12cm on a piece of baking paper. Turn paper upside down and place on a board or baking tray.
2. Beat butter and caster sugar to a cream. Add egg, mix well.  Stir through self-raising flour and salt and mix until just combined.  Tip mixture out onto prepared tray and form into the marked rectangle that is 12cm x 12cm.  Cut into 16 x 3cm squares (and slide paper onto baking tray if not already on it).  Sprinkle with coffee sugar crystals.  Bake for 25 minutes or until golden.  Cool on a wire rack.  Allow to cool slightly, then cut through to separate into 16 squares.  Using a serrated edge knife, carefully cut each square in half horizontally.  Leave to cool completely on a wire rack.
3. While the shortcakes are cooling, combine crème fraiche, vanilla bean paste and icing sugar and mix until smooth.
4. To serve, split the shortcakes in half horizontally and spread the cut side of each shortcake in half with a heaped teaspoon of crème fraiche filling. Place a few raspberries on the base of each shortcake half, top with remaining shortcake half (crème fraiche mixture side down) and serve immediately.

Lyndey’s tip: A palette knife or blunt side of a dinner knife can be helpful in forming the edge of the pastry into a rectangle.