Strawberry Shortcake

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, granulated sugar, Dr. Oetker Baking Powder, and Dr. Oetker Vanilla Sugar and salt. Add the cold, cubed butter and use a pastry cutter or your hands to mix until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk and eggs. Pour over the crumbs and fold everything together with a large spoon or silicone spatula. Do not overwork the dough. It will be shaggy and crumbly with some wet spots. Gently knead by hand and form a ball of dough, adding more flour if needed. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 20 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 200°C. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to 2cm thickness. Using a 3-inch (7.5 cm) round cookie cutter, cut out circles and arrange on parchment paper lined baking sheet(s). Reroll any scraps and cut more circles until you have around 10-12 biscuits. Bake for 10-12 minutes until risen and golden.

While the shortcakes are baking, prepare the cream filling. Dissolve the contents of the Dr. Oetker Vanilla Pie Filling & Dessert Mix in a small amount of cold milk. In a saucepan, bring the remaining milk to a boil and whisk the Filling into it. Bring to a gentle boil, stirring constantly, then simmer for another minute. Remove from heat and let cool.

Cut the strawberries into small pieces, add sugar, and let them sit in the refrigerator to release their juice.

Once the shortcakes have cooled, split them in half horizontally. When cooled, stir the pudding until firm and spread a layer on the bottom half of each shortcake. Top with a generous amount of strawberries and place the top half of the shortcake. Top again with cream filling and some strawberries. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.