Strawberry Shortcake
My parents came to visit me this weekend. They like to visit and barbecue and I like to have them to manual labor in return. My dad helped me replace my front door and my mom cleaned and cooked. It was pretty sweet. On one trip to the grocery store we noticed that strawberries were in season and on sale. 2lbs for the price of 1. So my mom shared my Grandma Dot’s recipe for Strawberry Shortcake.
Strawberry Shortcake (from Grandma Dot)
- 2 lbs fresh strawberries
- 2 cups flour
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup margerine
- 1.5 tbs baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup milk
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Remove the stems from the strawberries and then quarter the strawberries.
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Now using a hand chopper or pastry blender crush the strawberries till slightly chunky. Once crushed add 1/2 cup of sugar. If you like a bit more feel free to sweeten them up a bit more. Once crushed and sweetened, place in the refrigerator to let the strawberries and sugar meld.
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Now it is time to make the shortcake. In a bowl add the 2 cups of flour, 1.5 tbs of baking powder, 3/4 tsp of salt and remaining 1/2 cup of sugar. Stir to mix the dry ingredients. Then add the 3/4 cup of margerine. 3/4 cups of margerine is 1.5 sticks. Using a pastry blender or hand chopper mix the ingredients until the butter and flour mixture looks like pea sized pieces.
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Once the butter is fully incorporated add the 2 eggs and the 1/2 cup of milk. Mix by hand. You do not want to work the dough too much or else it will not be fluffy. The batter will be a bit lumpy, but that is alright.
Scrape the dough out onto a greased or parchment lined 9 inch round or 9 inch square baking pan. Place in the oven and bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Remove from the oven when a toothpick can be inserted into the center of the cake and removed cleanly.
It is best to eat right away while the shortcake is warm. Otherwise let cool and microwave for 20-30 seconds to get the cake hot before serving. I usually cut the cake in half, ladle strawberries over the top of the first layer. Add whipped cream to the first layer. Then add the second half of the cake and add strawberries and whipped cream again.
The shortcake is light and fluffy. The cake is not too sweet so it balances perfectly with the sweetened strawberries. The next time that you see that strawberries are on sale I hope you get a chance to make this. It is awesome!!
