Springtime – sunshine, picnics, road trips and great fresh fruits and vegetables! And absolutely nothing screams springtime better than big, juicy, sweet strawberries. This time of year, every roadside stand, farmers’ market and grocery store has strawberries for great prices. I got some last week for .98/lb.
Now, if you’re a strawberry lover like I am, this is a great time to buy mass quantities of these little tasty gems and freeze them or make jams or preserves. That way, you can have a little bit of springtime all year long. But make sure you save enough of them to make strawberry shortcake. Of course, you could buy those little spongy cakes in the grocery store but believe me, it’s worth your time and effort to make it all from scratch. Your family and guests will rave about it.
The first step in creating this delicious dessert is choosing perfect berries. Ideally, you should buy locally, organically produced fruit to avoid pesticide contamination. If yours aren’t organically grown, make sure you wash them good. Look for bright red berries with no white or green around the stems and no bruising or mold. Shape and size do not matter much but the fragrance does. You want that fresh, sweet strawberry aroma with no hint of mold or fermentation.
Slice your strawberries so they are bite size. You want people to be able to get strawberry, cake and whipped cream in each bite, not having to chew around a huge berry. Sugar them first and set aside before starting the shortcakes so they can soak up the extra sweetness.
Of course, allow your cakes to cool completely before assembling your shortcakes so your whipped cream doesn’t melt. It’s ok to make them a little bit ahead but the sooner they are eaten after assembly, the better they are.
On this recipe, you can get creative. Your daughter is allergic to strawberries? Use peaches or blueberries. Or crumble the cakes and layer in a Mason jar to make them portable. You’re only limited by your creativity.
[recipe title=”Strawberry Shortcake” servings=”6-8″ time=”10 minutes” difficulty=”easy”]
Ingredients
- 1lb sliced strawberries
- 1⁄2 cup white sugar
- 3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons double action baking powder
- 2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3⁄4 cup white sugar
- 1 1⁄2 teaspoon table salt
- 1 1⁄2 sticks of cold butter cut in small pieces
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1⁄2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1⁄4 cup white sugar
Strawberry Topping – In a mixing bowl combine strawberries and sugar, cover with a cloth and set aside at least 20 minutes or until strawberries become very juicy.
Shortcakes – Preheat oven to 400°. In a large mixing bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut the butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center of mixture and add buttermilk. Using a large spoon, stir wet and dry ingredients together just until mixed. Line a baking pan with parchment paper and spoon 1/3 of a cup of shortcake dough on baking sheet leaving 1 1⁄2 inches between each one. Bake 15-17 minutes or until medium brown. Remove and place pan on cooling rack.
Whipped Cream – Put mixer bowl and mixer whisk attachment in the freezer for 10 minutes, then remove and place back on mixer. Add sugar and heavy whipping cream and mix on high until stiff peaks form.
[/recipe]
