Strawberry, Raspberry and Rhubarb Shortcake

How to make Strawberry, Raspberry and Rhubarb Shortcake Recipe - Shortcakes are from my grandmother’s era and so are these faithful natural fillings. What a lovely combination, especially when served with a quality strawberry ice cream. A very comforting dessert or even afternoon tea treat.

MAKES A 20–22CM SHORTCAKE, SERVING 8 PEOPLE

FRUIT:
3–4 stalks rhubarb
3 tbsp sugar
¾ cup frozen strawberries (if using fresh strawberries, trim and slice)
¾ cup frozen raspberries

SHORTCAKE:
125g butter, softened
125g sugar
1 egg
225g standard plain flour
25g cornflour
1 tsp baking powder

Method:
Preheat oven to 180°C. Line the bottom of a 20–22cm, shallow, round, non-stick cake tin with baking paper.

Trim, wash and slice the rhubarb and put in a large non-stick frying pan with the sugar. Place over gentle heat, shaking the pan every now and then, until the fruit is almost tender. Add the frozen strawberries and raspberries to the pan, shake and set aside until lukewarm.

To make the shortcake, put the softened butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat until light and fluffy, then beat in the egg. Sift together the flour, cornflour and baking powder and beat until just mixed.

Scoop almost two-thirds of the dough into the cake tin and press it evenly over the bottom and up the sides (the remaining dough will be used for the topping). If you need to bake the shortcake immediately, spread the warm fruit over the shortcake base, and dab pinches of the shortcake dough over the top, allowing a little of the fruit to peep through. Or sprinkle flour on a piece of greaseproof paper, roll out the dough and flip it on top of the fruit. If the dough is very soft you can even use a piping bag to make a lattice pattern. If you have 20 minutes to spare, after lining the tin with dough set it aside unfilled. Then form the topping dough into a cylinder, wrap it in baking paper and put in the freezer until firm, about 20 minutes. Spread the cool fruit over the shortcake base and cut the chilled dough into discs. Arrange the discs in an overlapping pattern over the fruit.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until the shortcake is a light biscuit brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack and then onto a plate. Serve warm or cold.

Strawberry, Raspberry and Rhubarb Shortcake