Classic strawberry shortcake is a quintessential summer dessert. Tender vanilla cake serves as the perfect vehicle for lightly sweetened, pillowy whipped cream. Everything is topped off with strawberries at their peak, tossed in a touch of jam and sugar so their juices release.
I do love a biscuit, but I am Team Cake when it comes to strawberry shortcake. However way you like it, what truly matters is having a tender vehicle that will soak up and deliver the sweet juices from macerated strawberries. Freshly whipped cream guilds the lily and I cannot imagine celebrating summer’s arrival without this dessert. The cake recipe is very simple and can be made speedily in a single bowl. In fact, it is almost the exact recipe as my Raspberry Almond Cake. As the cake cools, let the strawberries mingle with a little jam and sugar. After that, you are a mere whisk away from topping it all off with whipped cream and serving summer on a plate.
HOW THIS RECIPE COMES TOGETHER
- 1. First, bake the cake. As mentioned above, this cake recipe is very simple and bakes up beautifully. Using the reverse creaming method, butter is cubed and added directly to the dry ingredients. The wet ingredients are then added, creating a very tender cake that is not overly dense.
- 2. Next, prepare the berries. While the cake cools, sliced strawberries are tossed in a little jam and sugar. As they sit in the bowl, the juices will begin to release. This creates a lovely “sauce” that makes strawberry shortcake so delightful.
- 3. Whip the cream. Cold cream is whipped up with a bit of sugar and vanilla.
- 4. Assemble and serve! Once the cake is cooled to room temperature, you can top it off with whipped cream and berries. The cake can be served immediately or kept in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving.
A NOTE ON BAKING PANS
I have successfully baked this recipe in two different types of pans. The easiest pan to bake this cake in is a 9″ round springform pan that is often used for cheesecakes and coffee cakes. If baked in a springform pan, the cake will bake for a shorter time and not be as tall and thick as in the photographs I’ve shared here.
I tend to bake this cake in a 8 x 3″ round cake pan. The high walls of this pan allow for a taller cake but does take a bit longer to bake. It is also a bit tricker to remove the cake from this pan once baked since the sides cannot be removed. What I do is run a sharp knife along the inside edge of the cake then cover the top of the pan with a large dinner plate, tip the cake out onto the plate and then invert it again onto a cooling rack.
Strawberry Shortcake
Equipment
- 1 kitchen scale
- 1 stand or hand mixer
- 3 mixing bowls
- 1 spatula
- 1 set of measuring spoons
- 1 whisk
- 1 8 or 9" round springform pan
- parchment paper
Ingredients
For the cake
- 1 1/3 cups (160 grams) all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 cup (113 grams) salted butter, cubed at room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 whole eggs at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (115 grams) whole milk plain yogurt or full fat sour cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the strawberies
- 1 1/2 cups (240 grams) sliced strawberries
- 1 tbsp strawberry jam
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
For the whipped cream
- 1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream
- 2 tbsp powdered sugar or granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
To make the cake
- Begin by preheating a conventional oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of a cake or springform pan with parchment paper and grease the bottom and sides well.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. Sprinkle the cubed butter over the dry ingredients. If using a stand mixer, fit it with a paddle attachment and begin mixing the ingredients on low speed. If using a hand mixer, do the same. Mix until all of the dry ingredients seem hydrated and the butter starts to incorporate. The butter will break up and look like damp sand after a couple of minutes. This method is called reverse creaming.
- While the butter is mixing with the dry ingredients, whisk the eggs, yogurt or sour cream and vanilla together.
- Stop mixing the dry ingredients and butter and scrap the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula. Begin mixing again on low. Add the wet ingredients slowly. Increase the speed a bit and mix for another 30 seconds. The batter may look a bit curdled and that's ok. Scrape the batter into the greased cake pan and level out the top.
Bake the cake
- Bake the cake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, depending on the size of your cake pan. A smaller 8 x 3" cake pan will bake for a longer time and a larger 9" springform pan will bake for a shorter time. Remove the cake from the oven when a cake tester poked into the center comes out *mostly* clean.
- Let the cake cool for about 15-20 minutes in the pan before removing. If you used a springform pan, simply remove the outer ring and slide the cake off the base onto a cooling rack. If you used a regular cake pan, use a plate to cover the top of the cake, tip it out onto the plate then invert the cake onto a cooling rack.
To make the strawberries
- In a mixing bowl, combine the strawberries, jam and sugar. Stir well and set aside for 30 minutes to an hour so the berries can release some juices.
To make the whipped cream
- Whisk the cold cream and sugar by hand with a whisk or in a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat just until the cream thickens and holds a stiff peak.
Assemble the cake
- Turn the cooled cake out on to a plate. Top with the freshly whipped cream and macerated berries. Slice and serve or refrigerate the cake for up to 4 hours before serving. Cover and keep leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
