Raspberries and cream shortcakes

In her brand new cooking series, Lyndey Milan's Baking Secrets, Australia’s home-cook hero, Lyndey Milan, captures the heart of the current baking trend and reveals time-saving tips, secrets and corner-cutting techniques that ensure baking success. The first episode is crammed with small food that packs a flavour punch including this classic shortcake. Makes 16.

Ingredients

125 g	Butter
½ cup	Caster sugar
1	Egg
1 ½ cups	Self raising flour
½ tsp	Sea salt flakes
1 Tbsp	Sugar, use coffee sugar crystals
250 ml	Crème fraîche (Main)
1 tsp	Vanilla paste
2 Tbsp	Icing sugar
250 g	Raspberries (Main)

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 180C. Mark out 16 x 3cm squares in an area 12cm x 12cm on a piece of baking paper. Turn paper upside down and place on a board or baking tray
2. Beat butter and caster sugar to a cream. Add egg, mix well. Stir through flour and salt and mix until just combined.
3. Tip mixture out on to prepared tray and form into the marked rectangle that is 12cm x 12cm. Cut into 16 x 3cm squares (and slide paper on to baking tray if not already on it). Sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden.
4. Cool on a wire rack. Allow to cool slightly, then cut through to separate into 16 squares. Using a serrated edge knife, carefully cut each square in half horizontally. Leave to cool completely on a wire rack.
5. Combine creme fraiche, vanilla bean paste and icing sugar and mix until smooth. Split the shortcakes in half horizontally and spread the cut side of each shortcake in half with a heaped teaspoon of creme fraiche filling. Place a few raspberries on the base of each shortcake half, top with remaining shortcake half (creme fraiche mixture side down) and serve immediately.