Strawberry & coconut shortbread cake

What goes with tea better than crunchy buttermilk rusks? Cakes! Get your finest china ready for this strawberry & coconut shortbread cake recipe!

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

1. Place sugar, flours and ¼ cup of the milk in a bowl and mix until no lumps remain. 
2. 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. 
3. 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.
4. Once cold, beat the coconut cream to soft peaks and gently fold into the custard.

For the shortbread

1. Beat the butter and sugar together until light, then add the egg and beat until fluffy.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Preheat oven to 180℃. 
5. 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

1. 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. 
2. Remove from the heat and add the strawberries. Set aside to cool.

To assemble

1. 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

ALSO SEE SPICED CHAI LOAF RECIPE