Strawberry Shortcake

An American favorite summertime treat!

A shortcake is small sweet spongecake or an American style biscuit. Strawberry shortcake is a well-known dessert that includes shortcake, strawberries mixed with sugar that have sat for an hour and released their juices (macerated), and whipped cream. The first written recipe for strawberry shortcake appeared in a 1588 English cookbook called The Good Huswifes Handmaid for Cookerie in her Kitchen. Strawberry shortcake was a popular dessert by 1850, it included biscuits and fruit, and was served hot with sweetened cream and butter.

Fresh strawberries are a sure sign of summer and warm weather. Growing up I did not favor fresh strawberries. I ate plenty of strawberry ice cream and strawberry jam, but fresh strawberries were not my favorite thing to eat. I think it was the fact that the strawberries were not as fresh as they could have been, and that in turn affected the flavor. Strawberries in the United States are primarily grown in California. I grew up on the East Coast thus the strawberries I had eaten were not at the peak of freshness, they had been traveling for days to get to the grocery stores on the East Coast, and would go bad within two to four days of purchase. Moving to California made me have a whole new appreciation for fresh strawberries. They are grown all year round here and always taste fresh!

Strawberries are a favorite fruit among my in-laws. My sisters-in-law love having strawberry cakes for their birthdays. My mother-in-law used to help run a neighborhood Strawberry Fest where they would have strawberry ice cream, strawberry smoothies, chocolate covered-strawberries, and of course strawberry shortcake! I thought I would create this recipe in honor of my in-laws.

Strawberry Shortcake Recipe

Yields 4 servings

Prep Time 15 minutes

Bake Time 15 minutes

Inactive Time 60 minutes

Drink Pairing Suggestion: Tea or milk

Directions

Prepare the biscuits according to package instructions. Let cool.

In a bowl, mix together the sliced strawberries and sugar. Cover the bowl and let the strawberries macerate for 1 hour at room temperature.

In a different bowl whip the heavy whipping cream and sugar until stiff peaks form, about 4 minutes. Cover and refrigerate whipped cream until time to serve.

Assembly: Cut the biscuits crosswise. Spread the macerated strawberries on the bottom biscuit half. Add the whipped cream on the strawberries. Place the top biscuit over the whipped cream. Serve cold or at room temperature.

No bake strawberry shortcake: Get individually sized sponge cakes, strawberry jam, and pre-made whipped topping. Assemble according to above instructions.

Feel free to use other kinds of fruit for this shortcake dish, choose whatever is fresh, in season, and local to you! Blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries also go well with shortcake.

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