It’s only fitting that June is the month for strawberries. Everything is fresh, new and colorful and the promise of a beautiful summer lies ahead. I’ve always thought that berries were Natures way of showing off a bit. Berries and flowers; Two long awaited and much appreciated gifts from the earth. It’s equally fitting that June 14th is National Strawberry Shortcake Day. It’s a perfect way to celebrate the season of gorgeous weather, delicious produce and hopefully slower, more relaxing days.
Whenever June rolls around it’s all I can do to wait for my little postcard to arrive from the nearby strawberry patch telling me that the berries are ripe and ready for the picking. It’s almost as if things aren’t official until then.
I’ve yet to receive my little card of happiness, but until I do, I’m going to content myself with some of these gorgeous strawberries from Driscoll’s Berries. Each year I make at least 3 or 4 batches of shortcake, each with different berries as the summer progresses and as each come into season, but I have to say the classic, strawberry variety is my favorite.
In order to mix things up this year I decided to make things simple for myself and rather than roll and cut cakes, I created one large loaf cake to split in half and fill with vanilla flecked whipped cream and berries. My fall back spice to shake things up for this cake? Cardamom. I’ve yet to be disappointed with it’s addition to anything I’ve baked and it has an amazing way of accenting the deliciously sweet and light flavor of the berries.
This recipe is similar to a Norwegian Blotkake, a light airy sponge filled with whipped cream and berries served pretty much all summer long and really for any celebration. The whipped cream is also a bit sturdier than the typically plain variety due in large part to the small addition of some gelatin. It gives the cream some structure and helps it hold up a bit longer in the fridge.
If you’re at all interested in checking out some really gorgeous Strawberry Shortcake recipes, head on over to Instagram or Twitter and search for #driscollsberry and #strawshortcake. The Driscoll’s site also has a gorgeous shortcake recipe from the spectacular Dorie Greenspan; a little bit of a French twist on the American classic.
For the cake
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 C. cake flour sifted
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/4 C. sugar
- 3/4 C. milk
- 3 T. unsalted butter
- 1 tsp. cardamom finely ground
- 1 T. vanilla or vanilla bean paste
- For the topping and filling
- 1 tsp. gelatine powdered
- 2 C. heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 C. powdered sugar
- 2 tsp. vanilla or vanilla bean paste
- 2 pints Driscoll’s Strawberries
Servings:
Instructions
For the cake:
- Flour and grease 2 loaf pans or two 8″ round cake pans. Set aside. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and sift to remove any lumps. Set aside
- In the bowl of a mixer, beat the sugar and the eggs until airy and light lemon in color. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan combine the milk and the butter over low heat until warmed and the butter has melted. Add the cardamom and the vanilla and let the mixture sit for 5 minutes for the spices to infuse.
- Slowly pour the hot milk mixture into the bowl with the eggs and sugar. Be sure to have the mixer running on low while doing so. Stir until thoroughly combined and then begin adding the flour in 3 additions.
- Pour the batter into each pan, set on a rimmed baking sheet then bake for 25-30 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then remove from the pan to cool further on a wire rack. Once cool, slice the cake in half horizontally and begin to prepare filling.
For the filling:
- In a small heat proof bowl, combine the gelatin and 1/4 C. of the whipping cream. Let soften for 5 minutes. Place the bowl over a pan of gently simmering water and stir until the gelatin has dissolved completely. Set aside and begin whipping the remainder of the cream.
- Whip the cream until slightly thickened, then add the powdered sugar and the vanilla. Whip until soft peaks form then gently fold in the slightly cooled gelatin mixture.
Assembly:
- Slice 3/4 of the berries for the filling, then halve 5-8 berries for decorating the top of each cake. Spread a small amount of the whipping cream on the bottom layer of the cake, then layer each cake with berries. Place large dollops of whipping cream on top of each layer of berries, then place the top of each cake on top of the filling.
- Spread the additional whipped cream onto each cake, then place the halved berries decoratively on top.
