G had just one request after we'd picked the strawberry fields clean that day, for me to make strawberry shortcake.
However this request wasn't so simple, because like the great stuffing/dressing debate at Thanksgiving, people tend to have very strong feelings about their shortcake, usually based on how their family traditionally makes it.
"Do you want biscuit shortcake, or angel food cake, or regular cake, or just berries, or..." I questioned.
"A squishy cake that can soak up all the cream I'm going to pour over it," he replied.
O-kay. I hadn't heard that one before, but it seemed straight-forward enough.
I decided to make a very foamy whole wheat cake, pour his cream over it, and then top it all with a sweet berry mixture and homemade whipped cream.
It was delicious.
I'd grown up with the angel food cake variety of shortcake and would never have thought of pouring additional cream on top, but I could quickly see why he liked this version so much.
Warning: Even though I used whole wheat flour for the cake and cut all the sugar way back, this is still a Very. Sweet. Dessert.
Delicious, but it will fulfill your sweet tooth cravings for over a week, I promise.
Shortcake
What You Need
1 teaspoon softened butter
6 large eggs
2 Tablespoons milk (I used almond)
1/3 cup honey
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder (see how to make your own here)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) melted butter
What You Do
1. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with 1 teaspoon butter and set aside.
2. Combine eggs and milk in stand mixer (get one here) until frothy.
3. Add honey and continue to beat at high speed for about 10 minutes.
4. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; add to egg mixture.
5. Add butter.
6. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes in 375-degree preheated oven (tester will be clean when done).
Strawberry Topping
What You Need
3 pounds sliced strawberries
1/3 cup sugar
What You Do
1. Sprinkle sugar over strawberries, stir, and allow to sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes, or until sugar has dissolved.
Homemade Whipped Cream
What You Need
2 1/2 cups heavy cream (plus more, if you want to drizzle it over everything like G did) or coconut milk (full fat like this, stick it in the fridge overnight before you use it and don't include the water)
2 Tablespoons powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
What You Do
1. Beat cream and sugar with electric mixer (like this) until slightly thickened.
2. Add vanilla and continue to beat until you have stiff peaks.
Assembling it all
1. Cut the cake into cubes and place in serving dish.
2. Drizzle cream over cake, so that it really soaks in (you could easily skip this step).
3. Spoon plenty of strawberry topping - with liquid - over the cake.
4. Top it all with the whipped cream.
5. Make sure you have a comfy spot on the couch all ready for you when you finish, because you are going to want to just pass out there for a while...
So, how do you eat your strawberry shortcake? I'd love to find out if the differences are mainly regional, or familial. Let me know what your experience is by leaving a comment here or emailing me at lisahealy (at) outlook (dot) com.
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