As we are approaching the festivity of Easter, we are busy looking to share with you our coffee lover friends an Easter treat recipe, but as we search the delicious recipes I cannot stop thinking about the strawberry shortcake, well I guess I’m craving for some strawberry treat this weekend.
Hence, it’s the ripening season of strawberries from Spring to early Summer it’s the perfect timing to make a delicious strawberry shortcake because we can get the freshest berries at your local farmer market or to a nearby strawberry farm in your area.
Before we satisfy our cravings, let’s take a look first how to choose the best strawberries to use for making strawberry shortcake.
Strawberries are easy to cultivate, that is why they are available in almost every state and are available in most farmer markets. In the United States, California and Florida are the top grower State of commercial strawberries where cultivation runs from January through November. So you are lucky if you are from the area whereas you can have fresh strawberries and can make strawberry shortcake all year round.
However, if you don’t have any access to freshly harvested strawberries, you can buy to the supermarkets, but be sure to look for certain things before buying them.
So here’s how you can determine fresh strawberries when buying in the supermarket.
- Strawberries are typically red but don’t be trick to its color. When picking the best strawberries make sure to choose the bright red color that is shiny, dry, firm, and plump.
- Select the strawberries that still have fresh green caps.
- Avoid those berries that are dull looking or shrunk.
- Strawberries are not ripe after being picked so avoid those soft berries, and those that are partly white because that means they are unripe.
- When buying strawberries better to sniff it because that’s the best way to determine whether they are still fresh or not.
Now that we already know how to choose the right strawberries grab now your gears coffee lovers and let us start baking.
Strawberry Shortcake Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 pints fresh strawberries
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup shortening
- 1 egg
- 2/3 cup milk
- 2 cups whipped heavy cream
Directions
- Slice the strawberries and toss them with 1/2 cup of white sugar. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Grease and flour one 8 inch round cake pan.
- In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, 2 tablespoons white sugar and the salt. With a pastry blender cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center and add the beaten egg and milk. Stir until just combined.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 425 degrees F (220 degrees C) for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool partially in pan on wire rack.
- Slice partially cooled cake in half, making two layers. Place half of the strawberries on one layer and top with the other layer. Top with remaining strawberries and cover with the whipped cream.
This strawberry shortcake recipe is from allrecipes.com thus all credits shall be given to them
TRIVIA : In the United States, strawberry shortcake parties were held as celebrations of the summer fruit harvest. This tradition is upheld in some parts of the United States on June 14, which is Strawberry Shortcake Day. It wasn’t until 1910 that French pastry chefs replaced the topping with heavy whipped cream. — Wikipedia
