Strawberry Shortcake Traybake

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 300g self-raising flour
• 60ml milk
• 200g caster sugar
• ½ tsp fine salt
• 150g unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 500g strawberries, hulled and halved
• 150g strawberry jam
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 300ml double cream
• 2 tbsp icing sugar, sifted
• 30g flaked almonds, lightly toasted (optional)

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C/Gas 6 and line a 23x33cm (9x13in) roasting tin with baking paper. Beat the softened butter and caster sugar with electric beaters for 3–4 minutes until pale, fluffy and noticeably lighter in colour — this is where the lift comes from, so don't rush it.
2. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each so the mix stays smooth and emulsified, then stir through the vanilla. Fold in the flour with the fine salt — that pinch of salt is what stops the sponge tasting flat and lifts the vanilla — alternating with the milk until you have a smooth batter that drops reluctantly off the spoon. Taste a smear: it should be sweet but rounded, not sugary-thin. Adjust now if it needs a touch more salt.
3. Loosen the jam in a small bowl with the lemon juice so it ripples easily and cuts the sweetness, then toss a third of the strawberries through it so they start to release their juice while you build the bake.
4. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared tin, smoothing the top with a spatula. Dollop the loosened jam-and-strawberry mixture across the surface in generous spoonfuls, then scatter the remaining halved strawberries over the top, cut-side up, pressing them in gently so they sit half-embedded.
5. Bake for 25–30 minutes until the sponge is deeply golden, springy to the touch and a skewer comes out with just a few moist crumbs. The jam should be glossy and bubbling around the edges and the kitchen will smell of warm vanilla and hot strawberries. Cool in the tin for 15 minutes.
6. While it cools, toast the flaked almonds in a dry pan over medium heat for 2–3 minutes, shaking constantly until pale gold and fragrant — watch them, they go from golden to bitter in seconds. Tip onto a plate to stop the cooking.
7. Whip the double cream with the icing sugar to soft, billowy peaks — stop while it still holds a ribbon and looks silky, not stiff. Stiff cream on a warm sponge weeps; soft peaks hold their shape and stay glossy.
8. When the traybake is just warm or at room temperature, spread the cream over the top in thick, swooping waves. Scatter with the toasted flaked almonds, scatter the extra halved strawberries across the cream, and finish with a light dusting of icing sugar. Cut into 12 generous squares and serve straight away.