What goes with tea better than crunchy buttermilk rusks? Cakes! Get your finest china ready for this strawberry & coconut shortbread cake recipe from Food & Home Magazine.
INGREDIENTS
For the pastry cream
- ⅓ cup caster sugar
- 2 tbsp flour
- 2 tbsp cornflour
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 4 egg yolks
- 300 ml coconut cream
For the shortbread
- 250 g butter, softened
- 1 cup icing sugar
- 1 egg
- 3¼ cups flour
For the strawberry compote
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp water
- 250 g strawberries, sliced widthways
To assemble
- 500 g strawberries, sliced widthways
METHOD
For the pastry cream
- Place sugar, flours and ¼ cup of the milk in a bowl and mix until no lumps remain.
- Place the remaining milk and vanilla in a pot over medium heat. Once simmering, remove from the heat and slowly whisk into the first bowl. Place the mixture back into the pot and boil until it thickens.
- Add the egg yolks, whisking fast to incorporate them. Strain through a fine mesh sieve and cover the surface of the pastry cream with cling film. Refrigerate for two hours.
- Once cold, beat the coconut cream to soft peaks and gently fold into the custard.
For the shortbread
- Beat the butter and sugar together until light, then add the egg and beat until fluffy.
- Add the flour and mix to form a soft dough. Knead for a few minutes until smooth. Cut the dough into four potions, cover each in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Line two baking trays with baking paper and dust lightly with flour. Roll 2 dough portions into 22 cm rounds and place each one on a tray. Prick with a fork and refrigerate for another 15 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 180℃.
- Bake rounds for 10 minutes, until golden. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then carefully remove and set aside to cool. Repeat with the remaining two pastry portions to create four shortbread layers.
For the strawberry compote
- Place the sugar, lemon juice and water in a pot over low heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and cook for 5 minutes, until thickened.
- Remove from the heat and add the strawberries. Set aside to cool.
To assemble
- Place one round of shortbread on a serving plate. Top with ¼ of the pastry cream and ⅓ of the fresh strawberries. Repeat twice more. Place the final round of shortbread on top and gently swirl the last bit of pastry cream over the surface. Finish with a drizzle of strawberry compote.
TIP: Life’s better with cake!
Mix this cake up by using different berries and fun toppings such as chopped chocolate or caramel sauce.
HANDS-ON: 1hr 10min | TOTAL TIME: 3hrs 10min | SERVES: 8
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