Method

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C (Gas Mark 4). Grease two round 18cm cake tins with butter, and line the bases with baking paper. Cut the softened butter into small cubes and place it in a large mixing bowl with the sugar, then beat until creamy and well combined. Add the beaten eggs, a little at a time, then stir in the vanilla essence and gently fold in the flour. Share the mixture equally between the two cake tins and use a spatula to level the tops, then bake them in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until risen, lightly golden and just firm to the touch.

Transfer the cooked cakes to a wire cooling rack and let them rest in their tins for about 5 minutes, then carefully turn out each cake, remove the baking paper from their bases, and return them to the rack until completely cool. When cooled, take one of the cakes and dollop on roughly half of the clotted cream, spreading it out as best you can – it’ll probably be a bit messy, but it’s all part of the charm - and leaving about a centimetre of ‘squidge space’ around the edge of the cake, as the filling will squidge out a bit when the top cake is added.

Next, put the jam into a small bowl and beat it briefly so that it is really easy to spread, then dollop it on top of the clotted cream and spread it out, trying not to mix it into the cream too much. Scatter half of the sliced strawberries over the jam and cream, then put the remaining cake on top and spread it with the remaining clotted cream.

Arrange the rest of the strawberries on top of the cream, then dust with a little sieved icing sugar and serve straight away with a pot of freshly brewed tea.