Desserts
Raspberry Shortcake
Serves 6
Ingredients
- 225g (1 cup) raspberries
For the shortbread biscuits:
- 150g (10 tbsp) diced at room temperature, extra for greasing Kerrygold Pure Irish Unsalted Butter
- 75g (¾ cup) icing sugar, extra to decorate
- 275g (1⅔ cups) plain flour
- 140g (1 cup) cornflour
For the pastry cream:
- 150ml (¾ cup) milk
- ½ vanilla pod, split in half and seeds scraped out
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- 1 tbsp plain flour
- 15g (1 tbsp) Kerrygold Pure Irish Unsalted Butter
- fresh tiny mint sprigs, to decorate
Directions
Use blackberries instead of raspberries in the autumn or a mixture of berries at the height of summer depending on what is at its best. The shortbread biscuits are also delicious with any creamy dessert or just with a cup of tea!
- To make the shortbread, place the butter and icing sugar in a bowl and then sift over the flour and cornflour. Using a hand-held electric mixer, beat until you have achieved a smooth dough, adding a tablespoon of cold water to help bring the mixture together if needed. Cover with clingfilm. Place in fridge to rest for at least one hour and preferably overnight.
- Roll out the shortbread on a lightly floured work surface until 3mm thick. Cut out 16 discs using a 10cm fluted cutter. Place on a greased baking sheet. Leave to rest again in the fridge for 10 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C, Gas mark 4. Bake the shortbread biscuits for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- To make the pastry cream, place the milk in pan with vanilla pod and seeds. Bring to the boil and remove from the heat. Meanwhile, using a hand-held electric mixer, beat the yolks in a bowl with the sugar and flour until thick and pale and leaving a trail. Remove the vanilla pod and reserve to use in another recipe. Carefully pour the heated milk onto the egg yolk mixture, stirring to combine. Transfer to a clean pan and cook over a very low heat for 2-3 minutes until very thick, stirring continuously. Do not allow to boil or it will curdle. Pour into a clean bowl and place a piece of clingfilm on the surface. Leave to cool a little, then uncover and rub the top with the 1 tablespoon of butter to prevent a skin forming. Leave to cool completely and then cover again with clingfilm and chill until needed.
- To assemble, preheat the oven to 180°C, Gas mark 4. Place one of the shortbread biscuits on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and spoon a tablespoon of pastry cream into the centre and arrange some raspberries around the edge. Top with another shortbread biscuit and repeat the cream and raspberry layer. Finish with a third shortbread biscuit and dust liberally with icing sugar. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make 6 shortcake stacks in total, reserving six raspberries for decoration. Pop into the oven for 3-4 minutes to just warm through.
- To serve, remove the warm shortcake stacks from oven and add one to each plate, then decorate with the rest of the raspberries, a dusting of icing sugar and the mint sprigs.
