The Collegio Pittsburg's student voice since 1916
Ingredients:
For the strawberries
1 1⁄2 lbs strawberries, stemmed and quartered
3 tablespoons sugar
For the shortcake
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1⁄4 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons sugar
3⁄4 teaspoon salt
1 1⁄2 cups heavy cream
For the whipped cream
1 1⁄2 cups heavy cream, chilled
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1⁄2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon
Instructions:
Begin by preparing the strawberries for the cake. Stem and slice the strawberries into quarters then mix them with three tablespoons of sugar. Then place them in the refrigerator while the juice develops in them for at least 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and begin to prepare the ingredients for the cake. In a medium or large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, remaining two tablespoons of sugar, and salt. Stir the ingredients together to make sure they are fully combined, then add the heavy cream and mix it together until just combined. Make sure to fully mix the cream with the dry ingredients and ensure there are no pockets of flour in the mixture.
Once all the ingredients are combined, place the mixture in a non-stick pie pan or an ungreased eight-inch square pan. Bake the cake in the oven for approximately 18 to 20 minutes or until the cake is golden.
While the cake is baking, place a metal bowl and beaters into the freezer.
Once the shortcake is done baking, remove it from the pan and place it on a cooling rack to allow it to cool slightly. Once it has cooled for several minutes, cut it into six pieces and split each piece in half horizontally.
While the shortcake is cooling, mix together all the ingredients for the whipped cream in the metal bowl using the beaters for approximately one-and-a-half to two minutes.
Finally, once the whipped cream is complete, assemble the strawberry shortcake. Do so by spooning some of the strawberries with their juice onto each shortcake bottom. Top the strawberries with a generous dollop of the whipped cream and then top it with the other half of the shortbread. Then spoon more strawberries on the top of the cake.
Serve and enjoy!
Commentary:
As Spring is underway, you may see strawberries among other berries returning to grocery stores and usually at a reasonable price. This strawberry shortcake recipe is a classic and refreshing recipe for spring. It works great as a light dessert or a sweet breakfast. This recipe makes approximately six servings, based on how you cut the shortcake. However, if you want to make more simply double or triple the recipe accordingly. You can simplify this recipe to suit your time and needs. For example, if you don’t have the time or feel like making the fresh whipped cream, store bought works fine as well. Additionally, if you don’t want to make individual strawberry shortbread servings you can cut the whole bottom of the shortbread in half and assemble it as in the recipe, then cut it and serve it however suits you.