First prepare the shortcrust pastry: add all the ingredients in a bowl (pay attention that the butter, in small pieces, is very cold in the fridge) and knead quickly to mix.
Move to a lightly floured work surface and knead by hand until a homogeneous dough is obtained: wrap it in plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Then move on to the preparation of cookie dough: whisk the eggs with the sugar for at least 10-15 minutes, until the mixture is swollen and fluffy.
Add the milk and the vanilla essence, then add the sifted flour and baking powder a little at a time, so as not to remove the dough.
If you have 2 equal oven trays, cover them both with parchment paper, divide the mixture between the two trays, level well and cook in a preheated static oven at 220 ° C for about 15 minutes, reversing the position of the trays halfway through cooking. If you only have 1, you will have to cook every tray for 8 minutes.
Turn the cookie dough upside down on a second sheet of parchment paper, cut each of the two pieces of cookie dough into 2 parts (one of 2/3 and one of 1/3) and leave to cool.
Take the pastry again, roll it out on the floured surface, creating a sheet of about half a cm, then cut 4 strips of 18×4 cm, for the long side of the rectangle, 4 strips of 14×4 cm for the short side and 4 more for 10×2 cm for the corners .
Arrange the various strips on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (I made 2 different batches), rigatele a little with a knife (to simulate a wood effect) and cook in a preheated static oven at 180 ° C for about 15 minutes.
If you want you can sprinkle with a little cocoa powder and then brush so that the cocoa goes in the cuts and makes the wood effect stand out.
Let it cool.
Now prepare the cream: lightly whisk the egg yolks with the sugar in a saucepan, then stir in the cornstarch first and then the milk.
Transfer to the fire, add the incised vanilla bean to the length and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until obtaining a thick cream (it will take about 15 minutes).
Remove the vanilla bean, transfer the cream into a much larger container, cover with cling film and leave to cool.
In the meantime, clean the strawberries, choose the most beautiful ones, leaving them whole and complete with a stalk, and cut a small portion into slices instead.
When the cream is completely cold, remove the film and mix with the whisk to restore the right consistency.
Whip the cold cream well in the fridge and add it to the cream, stirring slowly, with a movement from the bottom upwards.
Then start with ad assemble the dessert: place one of the large pieces of biscuit dough on the dish you have chosen.
Stuff with 1/3 of the cream, then add the cut strawberries.
Cover with another large piece of cookie dough and another third of the cream.
Add the last layer of biscuit dough, using the two small pieces of biscuit dough together.
Spread the remaining cream along all the side edges (in order to make the short pastry sticks stick) and on the surface.
Attach the pastry sticks with white chocolate and leave to dry. Arrange the horizontal pastry strips along the four sides of the cake, then add the small strips to fill in the spaces left in the four corners.
To be sure that the strips remain on and also as an additional decorative element, add a colored ribbon (better if red strawberry) tying it with a nice bow.
Whip another 100 grams of cream and cover the cake. Wash and dry the strawberries well, then place them in an orderly manner but without leaving empty spaces, to want to simulate the contents of a fruit crate.
The strawberry cake box is ready, you just need to bring it to the table and amaze everyone!
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