Ingredients

• 275g/10oz self-raising flour
• pinch salt
• 75g/3oz butter
• 50g/2oz caster sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• few drops vanilla essence
• 5 tbsp milk, plus extra for brushing
• 450g/1lb fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
• 2 tbsp orange liqueur or orange juice
• 284ml/½pt whipping or double cream
• 2 tbsp icing sugar
•   small mint sprigs, to decorate

Method

1. Remove the green hulls from the strawberries. Slice the fruit and place in a bowl. Sprinkle over the orange liqueur or juice. Cover with cling film and chill for 1 hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 230°C/450°F/Gas 8. Grease a baking sheet and dust with flour.
3. Sift flour and salt into a bowl and rub in the butter to make fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar.
4. Beat the egg. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add the egg, vanilla essence and milk. Mix to a soft dough with a knife, then knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Roll out to a 1cm/½in thickness and cut out six 9cm/3½in rounds with a fluted scone cutter.
5. Brush the tops lightly with milk and bake for about 10 minutes until golden brown. Cool, then cut the cakes in half.
6. Whip the cream until it just holds its shape, then fold in 1 tablespoon of icing sugar.
7. Cover the cake bases with half the sliced strawberries. Spoon or pipe the cream onto the fruit, then add the remaining strawberries. Gently press on the tops.
8. Sift over the remaining icing sugar, decorate with mint sprigs and serve.

Notes