This strawberry shortcake recipe, if followed correctly, ensures professional looking and absolutely delicious results within only 15 minutes of prep time and 40 minutes of cook time, making this the perfect dessert to impress your friends and family without requiring too much time or experience.
You will need:
A non-stick vegetable spray, for coating the pans
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon extract
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 pints fresh strawberries
1 recipe whipped cream frosting
As for the Whipped Cream Frosting, you will need:
1 teaspoon gelatin
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
First, put a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350ºF. Then take 2 9-inch cake pans and spray on a coat of non stick vegetable spray. Line the bottoms of the pans with baking parchment.
Now take a large bowl and sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together, at least a few times. In a small saucepan, boil the milk and butter and then remove from heat and add the vanilla and lemon extracts. Beat the eggs and sugar until the mixture has double in volume and is pale yellow and fluffy: do this in a separate mixing bowl.
While beating the eggs and sugar, add some hot milk mixture. Take some time with this, the
liquid should pour as a thin stream into the mixing bowl. Then fold in the flour mixture from the large bowl. You now have your batter!
Spread it evenly into the pans from the first step and bake until its golden; it should take about fifteen minutes or so. You should know when its ready by if the center springs back when you lightly press it or a cake tester (you could use a toothpick) comes out clean.
Once ready, put the pans on a rack in order to cool. When they are cool, take a knife around the edges and then flip the pans over for the cakes to come out.
Now for the whipped cream frosting: take a medium sized bowl and mix together the gelatin and a quarter cup of cream. Let the mixture soften for five minutes. Once soft, take the bowl and put it over barely simmering water so that the gelatin completely dissolves. Remove the bowl from the heat and wait until it is tepid.
While waiting for the mixture to cool, take a mixing bowl and whip the cream until it is slightly thickened. Then add the confectioner’s sugar and vanilla and continue to whip. Once it has the consistency of shaving cream, fold in a half cup of whipped cream into the gelatin mixture and then fold in the rest.
Now for the design: once the strawberries are washed and dried, pick out the 12 prettiest. Stem and slice the rest and take the slices and lay them in a layer over one of the cakes and then add a half inch layer of whipped cream on top. Then place the second cake on top of the other cake, layers and all. With the rest of the whipped cream, frost the entire cake. Now top with the 12 whole strawberries.
And voilà! You’ve got yourself beautiful strawberry shortcake.