Serves a Crowd

Strawberry Shortcake

by:
June 11, 2014
5
2 Ratings
Strawberry Shortcake
  • Serves 10 to 12
Author Notes

This recipe makes an impressively tall, four-layer cake, perfect for celebrations. If that seems like too much cake for you, just freeze half of the cake wrapped in two layers of plastic wrap. You can defrost it, slice it in half, and fill it with berries and cream the next time the mood strikes you. If you choose to save the cake for later, make sure to cut the strawberries and cream in this recipe by half. Use the freshest, sweetest berries you can find; I love buying berries from the farmers market this time of year because they are bright red, all the way through to the core.

Try adding a couple of tablespoons of chopped mint, some lime zest, or a couple of teaspoons of rosewater to the strawberries for extra flavor.

Cake recipe adapted from Ina Garten. —Yossy Arefi

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • Cake
  • 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 3/4 cup sour cream or full-fat yogurt
  • Zest of one lemon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Filing
  • 1 quart strawberries
  • 2 to 4 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 8 ounces mascarpone cheese, softened
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Butter and flour two 8-inch cake pans.
  2. Sift the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt together into a bowl.
  3. Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing for 30 seconds after each addition. Add the sour cream, zest, and extract.
  4. Gently mix the flour into the butter mixture until just combined. Divide the batter between the prepared pans and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool the cakes in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
  5. While the cakes are cooling, hull and slice the strawberries. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar and stir gently. Taste the berries and add more sugar if they need more sweetness. Let the strawberries macerate for at least 15 minutes.
  6. Whip the cream to soft peaks, then add in 1 tablespoon of sugar and the vanilla extract. Gently fold in the mascarpone.
  7. To assemble the cake, slice each cake round horizontally to make 2 layers. Place a layer of the cake on a serving plate or pedestal, cover with a generous dollop of whipped cream and a third of the strawberries. Repeat with the remaining cake layers, making sure to save a spoonful of cream and a spoonful of strawberries to garnish the top. Enjoy immediately. This cake is best served on the day that it is made.
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  • Rose Waters
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  • Hollie D
    Hollie D
  • Bea
    Bea
  • Yossy Arefi
    Yossy Arefi
Yossy Arefi
Yossy Arefi is a photographer and stylist with a passion for food. During her stint working in restaurant kitchens, Yossy started the blog Apt. 2B Baking Co. where, with her trusty Pentax film camera, she photographs and writes about seasonal desserts and preserves. She currently lives in Brooklyn but will always love her native city of Seattle. Follow her work at apt2bbakingco.blogspot.com & yossyarefi.com.

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9 Reviews

Tysiepup
Tysiepup August 6, 2019
I have made this a few times now. The recipe is so easy, freezes well if you don’t want to use all the layers at the same time and is even fantastic without accompaniments.
THANK YOU!
 
GraceL
GraceL June 18, 2018
Had strawberries in garden, friends coming to Sunday supper (going for simple)...debated various recipes and chose this one. It was delicious! Also easy and fairly quick to make. Froze one layer for next week and used the other, which fed 7 (maybe 11, since 4 of us had big second helpings). Instead of marscapone (none on hand), I used softened cream cheese. Worked beautifully. With the one layer split and layered with the whipped cream mix and lots of macerated strawberries, it had such a wow factor that we sang happy birthday even though it was no one's birthday!
 
Rose W.
Rose W. March 24, 2018
I made this last night/this morning for my three-year-old's birthday party and it was delicious and easy! We baked the cake last night (three-year-old cracked the eggs and dumped the flour into the bowl), wrapped the two cakes in plastic wrap and left on the counter over night, and assembled this morning. We made as suggested with four layers, although I was worried I would make a mess of it, and it was perfect that way. So good!
 
Hollie D.
Hollie D. June 20, 2015
Yossy, would this be okay in a 9-inch pan?
 
liz
liz June 5, 2015
This is dreamy! Easy to make and everyone loved it. The perfect summer dessert.
 
Linda
Linda July 9, 2014
I tried this for my mom's birthday. It was easy to make and it was AMAZING. Perfect for a summer dessert. Thanks so much.
 
little.anomaly
little.anomaly July 2, 2014
I will be serving this at a location 1 hour away, what would be the best way to transport it? Take the pre-made parts separately and assemble on site?
 
Yossy A.
Yossy A. July 8, 2014
Yes, that would be best.
 
Bea
Bea June 15, 2014
To me there is nothing better than a classic genoise cake with any kind of filling with a stabilized whipped cream and fruit is just to die for!