Raspberry and oat shortcake

Summer

I don’t really know what a shortcake is, but I’ve always liked how it sounds, so I’m calling this a shortcake for that reason. The raspberries, which I scatter over the top before it goes into the oven, cook in an unusual way. They don’t break down or collapse into juicy puddles like you might think. Instead they just remain as they are – or get somewhat better. I love to sprinkle the top with oats, poppy seeds and a little reserved dough, which crisps up around the fruit as it cooks.

Makes 12 squares

Ingredients

125g (4½oz) unsalted butter, cubed
150g (5½oz) plain flour
50g (1¾oz) porridge oats
100g (3½oz) unrefined caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
Good pinch of fine sea salt
1 tbsp poppy seeds
250g (9oz) raspberries
1 tbsp jumbo oats

Method

Heat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan/375°F/gas mark 5.

Place the cubes of butter in a large bowl with the flour, porridge oats, sugar and salt. Rub the butter into the flour and sugar until you have a fairly fine texture, then gradually bring the mixture together to form a dough.

Reserve about one fifth of the dough and mix it with the poppy seeds. Line a medium-sized baking tray (roughly 15 x 20cm/6 x 8in or something similar) with a sheet of baking parchment. Press the shortcake dough
out over the base as evenly as you can. Scatter over the raspberries, then crumble over the reserved dough, just let it fall in pieces wherever it wants to, along with any loose poppy seeds that might be hanging about. Finish by sprinkling over the oats. Pop the tray in the oven and bake for 35 minutes, or until the shortcake is golden brown and crunchy around the edges.

Remove from the oven, allow to cool a little, then cut into pieces. The shortcake will keep well in a tin for a couple of days.

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