Strawberry-Lemon Curd Tea Cake

I know that it's not quite strawberry season in Oregon yet, but strawberries have been popping up in the market and sometimes when one wants to eat them, one just has to buy them :)  Macerate those babies with a bit of sugar and they're good for this cake topping.  The cake is actually a giant scone which is good to serve for a large gathering.  Originally in the recipe the cake is topped with whipped cream but I was feeling ambitious and made lemon curd instead.  Oh, it's a good decision indeed!  Tangy, smooth and luscious curd is always a good pick-me-up; it's one of my favorite things to make with lemons.  I made enough so that I have some leftover in the fridge because it's so yummy with morning toast :)

Strawberry-Lemon Curd Tea Cake

Yields 6 to 8 servings

For the scone:

175 g unsalted butter, frozen

250 g self-raising flour

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

50 g superfine sugar, plus extra for sprinkling

150 ml cold whole milk

Tiny squeeze lemon juice

1 beaten egg for glazing

For the topping:

350 g strawberries, hulled and sliced

50 g superfine sugar

1 tablespoon strawberry jam

Lemon Curd--see this recipe, just use regular lemons instead of Meyer lemons

Confectioners' sugar for sprinkling, optional

Heat oven to 425F.  On the coarse side of a box grater, grate the butter into a bowl, then place back in the freezer for 5 mins.  With a spatula, quickly mix the butter with flour, salt, baking powder and sugar; add the milk and lemon juice, then bring together until you have a butter-speckled dough.  Knead the dough a few times on a floured surface.  Roll out to a circle, press into a lightly greased 8-inch baking pan.  Then brush the top with egg and scatter with a little sugar.  Bake for 20 minutes until risen and golden, then transfer to a cooling rack.

While the scone is cooling, toss the strawberries in a bowl with a sprinkling of the sugar and the jam, then set aside.  

To assemble the cake, place the scone base on a serving plate, spread lemon curd over, leaving a slight edge of the cake showing, then pile the saucy strawberries on top, sprinkle with confectioners' sugar if you like.  Serve cut into wedges.

Source:  adapted from Good Food magazine, June 2009