Strawberry Slab Cake

Serves approximately 16

375g butter, softened

1½ cups caster sugar

5 eggs

3 cups self-raising flour

¾ cup buttermilk

2 tsp rosewater

2 tsp strawberry essence

pink food colouring

¼ cup strawberry jam

250g strawberries, thinly sliced

freeze-dried raspberries, to serve

Rosewater Cream

300ml thickened cream

1 tbsp icing sugar

1 tsp rosewater

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

Glacé Icing

1½ cups icing sugar

1-2 tbsp milk

pink food colouring

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease and line two 16cm x 26cm slab pans with baking paper.

Beat butter and sugar together until pale and creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well. Add flour and buttermilk in alternate batches; stir until just combined. Add rosewater, essence and food colouring; stir to combine. Divide evenly among prepared pans.

Bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Set aside for 5 minutes; turn onto a wire rack to cool.

To make rosewater cream, whisk all ingredients together until soft peaks form.

To make icing, combine icing sugar and enough milk to make a thick paste. Add colouring and stir to combine.

Place one cake on a serving plate. Spread with strawberry jam, top with rosewater cream. Arrange strawberries on top. Place remaining cake on top; drizzle with icing and crushed freeze-dried raspberries. Set aside to set. Cut and serve.