Strawberry & Ricotta Shortcakes

Total Time: 1 hr 35 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr 15 mins Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 9
• 2 cups plain flour
• 1/4 cup caster sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 pinch salt
• 5 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into 2 cm cubes
• 7/8 cup thickened cream
• 1 cup thickened cream
• 2 tablespoons caster sugar
• 4 1/2 ounces ricotta cheese
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 10 1/2 ounces medium strawberries, hulled and halved lengthways
• icing sugar, for dusting

Recipe

• 1 first, make the shortcakes. with an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
• 2 add the butter and beat until the mixture looks like coarse meal.
• 3 add the cream and beat until the mixture comes together.
• 4 turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and form into a 15cm square about 3cm thick. refrigerate for an hour.
• 5 preheat the oven to 180°c.
• 6 using a 5cm biscuit ring, cut out 9 cakes.
• 7 place on a baking tray and bake for 20-25 minutes until brown.
• 8 cool on a cake rack.
• 9 make the ricotta cream by whipping the thickened cream with the sugar.
• 10 fold in the ricotta and vanilla.
• 11 slice each shortcake in half and fill with the strawberries and ricotta cream.
• 12 dust with icing sugar.