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.
