Ingredients

• 45g/1¾oz icing sugar
• 90g/3¼oz plain flour
• 30g/1oz cornflour
• 1 tbsp ground almonds
• 125g/4½ oz butter
• cut into cubes
• 1-2 tbsp icing sugar
• for dusting
• 4 sprigs mint
• 250ml/9fl oz double cream
• 150ml/5fl oz fresh cold vanilla custard
• 75g/3oz strawberries
• finely chopped
• 400g/14oz raspberries
• 1-2 tbsp icing sugar

Directions

• For the shortbread stack
• pre-heat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
• Sift the icing sugar
• flour and cornflour together into a bowl and add the ground almonds.
• Using your fingers
• rub or mix the butter in until there are no visible lumps of butter.
• Turn the mixture out onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times
• to just form a smooth dough.
• Roll the dough out
• about 3mm/1/8in thick and cut out 12 rounds
• 7.5cm/3in diameter. Place on a baking tray and bake until they are a light golden-brown
• about 8-12 minutes.
• Remove them from the oven and cool completely.
• For the filling
• place the double cream into a bowl and whisk to soft peaks
• then fold in the custard and whisk until it just holds a peak.
• Fold in the chopped strawberries.
• Place half the raspberries into a food processor with the icing sugar and blitz to a puree.
• Pass through a fine sieve into a bowl
• then check the sweetness level and adjust accordingly.
• To assemble
• place one disc of shortbread into the centre of the plate and top with a spoonful of cream mixture.
• Place raspberries around the edge of the shortbread to fill tightly
• enclosing the cream in the centre.
• Top with another shortbread disc and repeat with the cream and raspberries.
• Top with one more disc
• then dust with icing sugar and finish with a sprig of mint.
• Spoon a little of the raspberry sauce around the edge.