makes
16
prep
15 minutes
cook
25 minutes
difficulty
Easy
makes
16
serves
preparation
15
minutes
cooking
25
minutes
difficulty
Easy
level
Ingredients
- 125 g butter
- ½ cup (110 g) caster sugar
- 1 egg
- 1½ cups (225 g) self-raising flour
- ½ tsp sea salt flakes
- 1 tbsp coffee sugar crystals
- 250 ml crème fraiche
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 2 tbsp icing sugar
- 250 g raspberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180⁰C. 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.
- 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, ie 12cm x 12cm (see Note). 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. Set tray on a rack and allow shortcakes to cool slightly, then cut through to separate into 16 squares. When cool enough to handle, using a serrated edge knife, carefully cut each square in half horizontally. Leave to cool completely on a wire rack.
- While the shortcakes are cooling, combine crème fraiche, vanilla bean paste and icing sugar and mix until smooth.
- To serve, spread the cut side of each shortcake 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.
Note
• A palette knife or blunt side of a dinner knife can be helpful in forming the edge of the pastry into a rectangle.
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.