In my mind May 31st is last day of spring and June 1st is the official first day of summer. I know the calendar has something to say about this, and it may or may not line up with what I have to say about the matter. I’ve got to say, psshaw! What does a calendar know about this kind of thing anyway?
There is a method to my madness. In Colorado we have a saying, “If you don’t like the weather wait five minutes.” Now at this point it is an incredibly cliched saying but, that’s probably because there is a lot of truth to it. May is kind of a confusing month. We swing back and forth between snow and 85* weather, at least a few times before May ends. The tulips come up, start to bloom and then have to hide from frozen temperatures. That’s spring in Colorado. By June, though, it’s all around warm. Its only snowed once in June in the last zillion years, from what I remember anyway. So, June = officially summer in my world.
I am so ready for summer too! I can’t wait for the summer barbecues, preferably in a lush garden area, with the whole clan. Pulled Pork, burgers, pasta salads! I can’t wait for lingering late on a warm evening over a glass of wine and dessert, out on the patio at a favorite restaurant, chatting with a friend. A nice sweet Riesling is perfect for summer don’t you think? I’m ready for picnics at playgrounds! (As mother of two boys I spend a lot of my summer at the playground.) I’m ready for bike rides. Mountain strolls. Outdoor concerts. Boating on the lake… ok that last one is only in my summer fantasy world. I don’t own a boat. I don’t know anyone who owns a boat. Though if you own a boat it’s time we be came in person friends in addition to internet friends!
Summer is almost here. It’s only a week and a day until the end of May. It’s time to break out the summer recipes and dust em’ off in preparation!
Is there a dessert that says summer more then Strawberry Shortcake? Ok, maybe ice cream, I’ll give you that one.
Really, you have to admit Strawberry Shortcake is quintessentially summer food. You just can’t start making it whenever you feel like. You have to wait until berry season really starts, so those strawberries are a ripe shiny red, plump, sweet, and just a little juicy. Summer food, right?
I’m a little particular about my Strawberry Shortcake. I know it’s traditionally made with a dryer, sweetened, biscuit acting as the cake, and the moisture comes from the juicy strawberries. Not a bad concept in theory, but a lot of strawberry shortcakes end up being too dry. On the flip side if you make it too cake moist it’s not right either. Then you’ve made strawberry cake not shortcake. Not that there is anything wrong with a strawberry cake, it’s just not the same thing. I’m excited to share today’s recipe with you though, because I feel I’ve found the perfect balance between dry but not too dry. Add the ripest, juiciest berries you can find, mountains of fresh whipped cream, and you’ve got a show stopper of a summer desert! Enjoy!
Michelle’s Perfect Strawberry Shortcake
Yields on 8″ round cake.
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 40
Ingredients
For The Cake
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 and 1/4 cup all purpose flour or gluten free baking mix
- 5 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/3 cup vegetable shortening
- 1 large egg
- 2/3 cup of milk
Topping
- 1 16 oz container fresh strawberries
- 8 ox heavy whipping cream
- 3 teaspoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 425*. Grease one 8″ round pan. In a large mixing bowl add sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt. Using a fork mix together by hand to ensure that baking powder is evenly distributed throughout the mixture.
- 2. Add the shortening, egg, and milk to the mixing bowl. Use the fork to mix everything together and blend in the shortening. Stop mixing as soon as the ingredients are fully mixed together. Over-mixing will yield a hard cake. A dryer, course dough will form.
- 3. Place the dough in the baking round and using a rubber spatula or fork spread the dough out evenly along the bottom of the pan. Bake at 425* for 15-20 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.
- 4. Allow the cake to cool in the pan until the bottom of the pan is comfortable to touch. Gently run a knife between the outer edge of the pan and the cake to loosen if necessary. Remove the cake from the pan and allow to cool completely before topping.
Topping
- 1. Wash and slice the strawberries into bite sized pieces.
- 2. In a large mixing bowl, add heavy whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla extract. Using either an electric hand mixer or wire whisk, whip the cream and other ingredients until whipped cream is formed. Look for stiff peaks.
- 3. To assemble cover the top of the short cake with a thick layer of whipped cream using a rubber spatula. Top the whipped cream with the strawberries. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
- This recipe turns out really good with a gluten free baking mix. I recommend Pamela’s or Arrowhead Mills. Just substitute the same amount of mix for the flour.
- Look for the ripest strawberries you can find, my recipe, unlike many other Strawberry Shortcake recipes, does not call for macerating the berries in sugar. I prefer to just let the natural sweetness of the berries shine. However, if you do end up with a batch of berries that isn’t as sweet: let the sliced berries sit in a bowl with 1-2 tablespoons of sugar (mix well!) after slicing. This will cause them to release their own juices and sweeten them up a bit before you add them to the top of the cake.
P.S. I’ve been invited to enter the Driscoll Strawberry Shortcake Recipe contest. Luckily, I had already worked out this fantastic recipe, and happen to use Driscoll berries anyway… so it all worked out rather well. Wish me luck!
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