A break from chocolate…never thought I would live to hear these words. Yet, I think I may have slightly (very slightly) overdone it. To freshen up the palate, this time I wanted to embark on my next favorite thing–strawberries.
A couple of friends of mine were celebrating their anniversary and when they asked me to bake their cake, a light bulb popped up. PERFECT TIMING. Although I was super nervous about having this major responsibility, I was incredibly excited as I had been itching to try this recipe.
Enter–Strawberry Shortcake. Summer is going headstrong and this is the best time to put those ripe summer berries to work. This summertime cake is so easy and fool-proof, it turned out so good even on my first try!
Recipe
Sponge:
- ¾ cup butter (softened/room temperature*)
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp plain yogurt (Greek or otherwise)
- 4 eggs (room temperature*)
- 1 cup flour
- 3 tbsp corn flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 3-4 tbsp milk (dairy or non-dairy will work)
Frosting:
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 3-4 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Strawberries (as needed)-Hulled and dried. Slice a few into halves and cut the remainders into slices.
- Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Grease and line two 8” baking pans.
- Cream together the butter and sugar until combined.
- Add vanilla and yogurt. Slowly add 2 eggs at a time while using the hand mixer to thoroughly mix the wet ingredients.
- Sift in the flour, corn flour, baking powder and salt.
- Mix together and add the milk until well combined and you are happy with the consistency. The batter should be smooth, but not runny or thick.
- Bake for 25 minutes and do a toothpick test. Let the cakes cool in the pans for about 15-20 minutes and flip them out to cool completely.
- While the cakes are cooling, prepare the whipped cream filling. On high speed, beat the whipping cream with sugar until medium to stiff peaks form. Mix in the vanilla extract. Set aside.
Time to assemble!
- On a cake plate or board, place one of the cakes, bottom side down. Spread half of the filling and line up strawberry halves around the edge. Fill in with remaining strawberry slices.
- Place the second cake on the strawberries, top side down, and ensure that the layers are level. Top with the remainder of the whipped cream and decorate with strawberries as you see fit!
- Refrigerate the cake for at least an hour before serving.
Tips and tricks
* Take the ingredients out of your refrigerator for an hour or so to come to room temperature.
Make sure the beater attachments and the mixing bowl are cold when making the whipped cream.
Reduce the speed of the mixer as you start to see peaks forming in the cream. You don’t want to overbeat the cream. You should stop as you see stiff peaks forming.
Add a couple of tablespoons of mascarpone cheese to the whipped cream (at the end) to ensure it sets and provides a smoother finish.