Strawberry Shortcake

One of my favourite memories of when my children were little, is of our annual treks to the Pick-Your-Own Strawberry farms. We would go out into the fields, filling our baskets with red ripe strawberries, testing some of the berries to ensure they were perfectly ripe. Then we would head out, our baskets full, to have them weighed and paid for at the farm (fortunately, they didn’t weigh us!)

This is a recipe for a traditional Strawberry Shortcake. It is made with a light and tender shortcake, which is split into two layers. The centre is filled with whipped cream and sugared berries and then it is topped with the same.

Very yummy!

Print recipe

Serves	8
Inspiration	Better Homes and Garden Cookbook

Ingredients

Strawberry and Sugar Mixture

6 Cups sliced strawberries (about 2 1/2 quarts)
1/4 cup white sugar

Shortcake

1/4 cup white sugar
2 Cups all purpose flour
2 Tsp baking powder
1/2 cup butter
1 beaten egg
2/3 cups milk

Whipped Cream

1 cup whipping cream
1 Tbsp white sugar
1/2 Tsp vanilla extract

Directions

Sugared Berries

In a bowl, stir together the strawberries and sugar. Set aside for at least an hour, to allow the juice to make a nice syrup. Stir occasionally.
Shortcake

Preheat the oven to 400 deg F. Stir together the sugar, flour and baking powder. Cut in butter, using a pastry cutter or two knives, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Combine the egg and milk. Add to the flour mixture and stir until just moistened. Spread the dough in a greased 8 1/2 or 9 inch spring form pan.

Bake for 18 - 20 minutes or until the top starts to turn golden and a cake tester (or toothpick) inserted near the centre comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then run a knife around the edge to loosen any cake attached to the sides, before undoing the springform pan.
Whipped Cream

A nice prep for this is to chill the beaters and a medium sized bowl in the fridge or freezer for about 20 minutes. This helps the cream whip faster.

Pour the whipping cream into the bowl and with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the whipping cream until soft peaks start to form. Then add the vanilla and sugar and continue to beat until the peaks are just standing on their own. (more stiff than soft).
Building the Strawberry Shortcake

Cut a wedge sized piece of the shortcake. Split the layer into two halves. Place the bottom on a serving dish. Spoon whipped cream on the bottom, followed by the strawberries.

Replace the top layer. Top with more whipped cream and strawberries.