Strawberry shortcake has long been a family favorite of mine– the family I grew up, especially. We would eat it for dessert, breakfast, afternoon snack… pretty much it would only last a day or two in my big family. Well, the other day I went out to a friend’s garden and picked lots of fresh strawberries! If I were to guess, I’d say I brought home at least 5 pounds, maybe more. Since my parents were in town, I figured it would be a perfect time to reminisce and make some homemade shortcake. Only problem? I couldn’t find the exact recipe we used to make growing up! So, I found a couple recipes that sounds close, combined them and then added something I thought they both were missing… vanilla! The result was a perfectly bumpy, slightly crunchy top, with a moist, fluffy center, and the perfect density to withstand heavy strawberries and cream.
I got a little carried away and decided to slice it open so I could layer the whipped cream and strawberries. This lasted a grand total of 2 hours in our house. 🙂
Ingredients
- 2 c. all-purpose flour
- 1/3 c. white granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
- 1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/2 c. unsalted butter, cold
- 1 egg
- 1/2 c. sour cream
- 1/2 c. milk
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 2 T. white sugar
- 5 c. sliced fresh strawberries
- 1/4 c. white granulated sugar
- 2 c. heavy whipping cream
- 1/3 c. white confectioner's sugar
Instructions
- Prehead oven to 400 degrees.
- Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl and stir until evenly mixed. Cut in butter with paster cutter, until butter resembles course pea-size balls. In a separate smaller bowl, mix together egg, sour cream, milk, and vanilla until completely combined with no lumps. Add all at once to dry mixture and stir until sticky dough ball is formed. Place in square 8"x8" greased pan, spreading around with fingers so dough is even thickness. Sprinkle 2 T. sugar on top. Bake at 400 for 30-35 min until lightly browned on top and knife inserted comes out clean.
- Hull and slice strawberries in a large bowl. Sprinkle 1/4 c. sugar over top and toss together until strawberries are lightly coated. Set aside.
- Beat the heavy whipping cream with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add 1/3 c. confectioner's sugar and beat another minute or so until medium-stiff peaks form.
- Slice semi-cooled shortcake in half thickness, place top half aside, being careful not to break it. Spread a light layer of whipped cream across the bottom piece of shortcake, then layer some fresh strawberry topping, then add another layer of whipped cream. Place top of shortcake that was set aside, on top, then generously spoon strawberry topping over shortcake. Finish with a dollop of whipped cream. Serve immediately or refrigerate and serve.
If you make it, come back and let me know how it stacks up to shortcake recipes you’ve had before!
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