Jun 23

Jun 23 Strawberry Shortcake

Berries are one of things that I love most in the world. How can you not love them? They are sweet, sour, and tasty, come in so many varieties, are the epitome of summer food and FUN FACT a 16 oz. carton of strawberries is only 145 calories! Because I love them so much, I picked up one of those giant Costco cartons of strawberries last week. Even though I love them so much, I can only eat so many berries before they go bad. I decided to make one of my favorite summertime desserts, Strawberry Shortcake, to use them up. This is not the normal Strawberry Shortcake, so read on to find out more or check out the recipe here.

Usually when I’ve ordered, seen recipes, or made Strawberry Shortcake, it is some sort of sweetened biscuit or small cake with strawberries and whipped cream. This time around I decided to try a twist on that idea and made a lime and brown sugar cake and layered that with strawberries and honeyed whipped cream. It was pretty delicious, but maybe a little bit sweet. I’ve made a few changes to the recipe and think it would make a lovely summertime sweet for those of you who love berries as much as I do.

Daphne’s Strawberry Shortcake

I love strawberries so I developed this cake to highlight them. I paired them with some flavors like basil, lime and brown sugar, which complement their summary sweetness. Despite the flavors, it’s a pretty simple dessert, so I tried to use the best quality ingredients and I think it made all the difference

The Cake

6 tbsp butter
½ c. brown sugar
½ c. granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract.
½ c yogurt
1 c. flour
2 tbsp corn starch
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
½ salt
zest of 1 lime

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and sugar a 9” cake tin. Usually I would flour the tin, but in this case the sugar gives the cake a crisp crust, which gives a nice contrast in texture and holds up better against the juice of the strawberries.
Cream the butter and sugars together until the mixture is fluffy. Add the eggs one by one, followed by the yogurt and vanilla extract.
Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt into the mixture and stir for about 30 seconds to combine. Add the zest and give the mixture a few final stirs to distribute the zest throughout the mixture.
Pour the batter into the cake tin and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until it is golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean. Cool completely.

The Fillings

16 oz. carton of strawberries
2 teaspoons sugar
Juice of 1 lime
(opt) ½ Tablespoon of chiffonaded basil*
2 cups whipping cream
2 teaspoons powdered sugar
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Slice the strawberries and combine them with the sugar and lime. Mash slightly and add the basil. Leave to macerate while the cake is baking.
When you are ready to assemble the cake, add the sugar, honey, and vanilla to the whipping cream and whip it until it forms stiff peaks.

Assembling the Cake

Slice the cake into two thin layers. Place the bottom layer on a cake plate.
Spoon the strawberry mixture over the cake. Reserve a little bit for the top of the cake. Top the strawberries with about half the whipped cream.
Place the other cake layer on the whipped cream and smooth the rest of the whipped cream on the top. Add the reserved strawberries to the center of the cake and add a sprig of mint or basil for decoration if you like that kind of thing.
I recommend letting the cake sit for a little bit (at least an hour) so that all the juices sink and everything just melds together.