Strawberry Shortcut 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
- 2 pints strawberries
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- For the cake: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter an 8-inch round cake pan, line it with parchment paper, butter the paper, and dust the pan lightly with flour.
- 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 10 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.
- Refrigerate until ready to use.
- To assemble the cake: Cut the cake in half horizontally with a serrated knife.
- 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 top the cake with the whole berries.
- 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.
flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, unsalted butter, egg, milk, vanilla, pints strawberries, sugar, heavy cream, sugar, vanilla
Taken from www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/strawberry-shortcut-cake-recipe.html (may not work)