Strawberry Shortcake
Abby’s 11th Happy Birthday Cake!!
1 cup (250 ml) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon (5 ml) baking powder
1/4 teaspoon (1 ml) salt
3 eggs, separated
1 pinch cream of tartar
1 1/4 cups (310 ml) sugar
1/2 cup (125 ml) unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
1/2 cup (125 ml) milk
Whipped Cream – I made extra
1 1/2 cups (375 ml) 35% cream
3 tablespoons (45 ml) sugar
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
Fresh strawberries, whole or cut into wedges for garnish
I cut up strawberries and cooked down on low with sugar and a bit of vanilla and lemon juice to serve on the side.
PREPARATION
Cake
With the rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 180 °C (350 °F). Butter and flour a 10” cast iron skillet.
In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In another bowl, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar (I didn’t have any, I used a touch of lemon juice) with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually add 125 ml (1/2 cup) of the sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
In a third bowl, beat the remaining sugar, the butter, egg yolks, and vanilla with an electric mixer. At low speed, add the dry ingredients alternately with the milk.
Stir a quarter of the meringue into the batter to lighten it. With a spatula, gently fold in the remaining meringue. Pour into the prepared pan.
Bake for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. Remove from skillet immediately and let completely cool on a wire rack. (a few hours)
Vanilla Strawberries
Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise. With the tip of a knife, remove the seeds from the vanilla pod.
In a bowl, combine the strawberries, sugar, vanilla seeds, and pod. Allow to macerate for about 15 minutes. Drain. Remove the pod. Set aside.
(I didn’t do this, just sliced the strawberries.)
Whipped Cream
In a bowl, whip the cream, sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
Assembly
Cut the cake in half horizontally to make two slices. Spread 250 ml (1 cup) of the whipped cream on the cut side of each slice. Scatter the drained vanilla strawberries on the whipped cream of a slice of cake. Cover with the other slice of cake, whipped cream side down. Garnish the top of the cake with the remaining whipped cream. Garnish with fresh strawberries.
