Strawberry and vanilla shortcake

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan180°C/gas 6. Sift the flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt into a food processor. Add the butter and whizz briefly until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Tip the mixture into a bowl and stir in the sugar. In a separate bowl, beat the egg with 1½ tablespoons milk and add to the flour mixture. Stir with a fork until the mixture starts to stick together in small clumps. If it’s a little dry, gradually add the rest of the milk until the dough comes together into a ball. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead briefly and very gently until smooth.
2. Lightly roll out the dough to form a 24cm round x 1cm thick disc and transfer to a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake for 15-20 minutes in the oven or until golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool the shortcake on a wire rack, then cut horizontally into 2 rounds using a serrated knife. Store in an airtight container until ready to assemble the complete cake, or for up to 2 days.
3. Make the filling. Put the strawberries in a bowl with the icing sugar and vanilla seeds. Mix gently, cover and chill. In a second bowl, lightly whip the cream to soft peaks with the caster sugar.
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4. Put the shortcake base on a plate. Spread with cream and spoon over the berries. Cover with the shortcake top, dust with icing sugar and slice.