Strawberry Shortcake! And no... I don't mean the cartoon character

Strawberry shortcake is one of those desserts that, when done correctly, just makes you feel good. The elements are simple: a piece of sponge cake, strawberries and whipped cream... but the results are just amazing. There is something wholesome about it - the strawberries are sweet, but not too sugary; the whipped cream is light and fluffy and the cake can be anything you want from a homemade sponge cake dessert shell to a slice of pound cake. (And the best part is you can load it up with strawberries and pretend to be eating healthy!)

There are a few simple steps you can take in the kitchen that will bring your strawberry shortcake from run of the mill to amazing! The first is the whipped cream. Sure, they sell it in canisters in the market and you could go that route, but you know what they sell just above it? Small cartons of whipping cream. For just about the same price you can have the REAL stuff, not something that sprays out of a can! The full "recipe" is below but the idea is pretty simple. A bowl, a hand held mixer, the cream, a little bit of sugar, a little bit of vanilla, 3 minutes of your time and voila! you are done!

Tip number two has to do with the strawberries themselves. How sweet you want your strawberry puree to be is entirely up to you. If you are looking to get the puree fairly sweet try adding a few drops of lemon juice or a little bit of lemon zest. The flavor from the lemon will bring out the taste of the sugar making it seem like you have used a lot more sugar than you actually did. A win-win!

So good luck with the recipe and Enjoy!!

Sponge Cake Dessert Shells
Ingredients
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons of unsalted butter (plus more for greasing the pan)
8 large eggs
1 cup of sugar (plus more for dusting greased pan)
1 cup of all purpose flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/8 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract

Directions
Preheat your oven to 350*. In a small sauce pan heat the milk and the 2 teaspoons of butter over medium-low heat until it is just about ready to boil (you want the milk to be very warm and the butter to be melted). With an electric hand held mixer (or a stand mixer) fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the eggs and the 1 cup of sugar in a large mixing bowl at medium-high speed. You want the mixture to appear pale yellow, thick and look as if it has tripled in volume. This can take 7-8 minutes. While the egg mixture is working sift together the flour, baking powder and salt in a small mixing bowl. When the egg mixture is finished, turn the speed to low and slowly pour in the milk and butter. Then add half of the flour mixture, blending by hand with a spatula until it is just incorporated. Be careful not to over mix the batter. Repeat with the other half. Add the vanilla and mix gently. This batter will look watered down

The fully mixed batter

Grease a 17x12 baking pan, jelly roll pan, dessert shell pan or a muffin tin with the butter or spray and sprinkle evenly with the sugar. (If using a muffin tin, you can also just use liners). Pour the batter evenly into the pan of your choice.
Bake until the cake springs back when touched - about 15 minutes for the baking sheet and pan and 17-20 minutes for the dessert shells and muffin tin. Cool for 2 minutes in the pan and then gently flip out onto a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely.

The dessert shells cooling in the pan

The shells and "muffins" waiting their turn on the cooling rack

Strawberry Puree
Ingredients
1lb of strawberries (minus a few for garnishing)
1 tablespoon of sugar
a few drops of lemon juice or lemon zest

Directions
After washing and cutting the tops off of your strawberries use whatever method of mashing you want! A fork, a potato masher, a food processor. When you have reached your desired consistency stir in the sugar and lemon juice. (Add more sugar and lemon juice to taste!)

Whipping Cream
Ingredients
1 pint of whipping cream
2 tablespoons of sugar
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract


Directions
Put all ingredients into a mixing bowl. Use a stand mixer with a whisk attachment or a hand mixer (this can also be done using an old fashioned, hand operated egg beater, but it takes a long time and a lot of patience!). Mix until soft peaks can be formed.

Doesn't that look so much better than something out of a can?!

Now all that is left is to assemble your masterpiece! The best part is you can plate it any which way you want. I prefer the shell, some strawberry puree (so that it seeps into the shell... yummy) topped with some whipped cream and served with some more whipped cream and a strawberry on the side!

So... who's coming over to join me for dinner LOL