Strawberry Shortcake

This is one of my favorite cake recipes. It's very simple and you can also use a boxed golden cake if you don't feel like making the cake from scratch. For those of you who prefer thicker cakes, I would double the batter and make two round cakes instead of making one and cutting it in half.

Ingredients

Cake:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Strawberries and Cream:

• 2 pints strawberries
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

For the cake: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter an 8-inch round cake pan or use non-stick spray.

Whisk the flour with the granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Lightly whisk in the butter, egg, milk, and vanilla, just until smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool on a rack for 15 minutes, then turn it out of the pan, flip upright, and cool completely on the rack.

For the strawberries and cream: Set aside 1 pint of the best-looking whole berries for topping the cake. Hull and thinly slice the rest of the berries and toss with the granulated sugar. Set aside. Whip the cream with the confectioners' sugar and vanilla to soft peaks. This step generally takes a good 5-10 minutes depending on the speed of the blender. Refrigerate until ready to use.

To assemble the cake: Cut the cake in half horizontally with a serrated knife (skip this step if you're using two cakes). Place the bottom layer cut side up on a cake stand or serving plate. Drizzle the juices from the sliced berries over the cut sides of both halves. Fold a couple tablespoons of the whipped cream into the sliced berries and spread over the bottom layer. Top with the other piece of cake, cut side down. Spread the remaining whipped cream on the top of the cake and decorate with the remaining berries. For more color, add some blueberries on top.

Know-How: Cutting a cake into layers is easy as saw-spin-separate: Begin to saw the cake in half horizontally. Just before you reach the middle of the cake, give it a quarter turn. Continue to saw almost to the center, then give it another quarter turn and saw again until you reach your original point of entry. Saw completely through the cake's center and separate the layers.

Tip: For those of you making two cakes for the layers, the cakes may rise more in the middle than the sides. Layering these uneven cakes may result in the strawberries falling out of the center. To prevent this, cut the very top of the first cake with a serrated knife to even the surface. Then go ahead and follow the rest of the recipe.

I hope you enjoy this recipe!

Recipe courtesy of Food Network.