Strawberry Shortcake
This easy cake is made of my classic sponge cake recipe, lots of whipped cream, and some freshly sliced strawberries. It's the perfect cake for any level: beginner, intermediate, and advanced. Make this cake for a picnic or a birthday party as a refreshing treat.
Ingredients
Sponge Layers
- 6 eggs
- 1 cup cake flour 120 g
- pinch salt
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar 72 g
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Chantilly Cream
- 1 pint heavy cream 480 g
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar 25 g
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Assembly
- 3 cups strawberries
Instructions
Sponge Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350º F. Prepare two 8-inch baking pans by lightly buttering the sides and bottom. Line the bottoms with parchment paper.
- Separate the eggs. Place the egg whites in a large mixing bowl and the egg yolks in a smaller mixing bowl. Set aside.
- Sift together the flour and salt into a separate bowl. Set aside.
- Beat the egg whites with a stand or handheld electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add 1/4 cup of the sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Meringue should be glossy.
- To the bowl with egg yolks, add the remaining sugar and vanilla extract. Beat using the electric mixer until the mixture is pale yellow and has a ribbon consistency.
- Gently fold 1/3 of the whipped egg whites into the egg yolks. Pour the egg yolk mixture into the egg whites and fold until the mixture is homogenous.
- Incorporate the flour mixture in two batches. Fold gently until no streaks of dry ingredients remain.
- Pour the batter into the two prepared cake pans evenly. Smooth out the surface using a rubber spatula.
- Bake the cakes in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted. Remove the cakes from the oven and let them cool on a cooling rack with the pans upside down to prevent shrinkage.
- When the cakes have cooled, wrap the sponge layers in plastic wrap and store in refrigerator until ready to assemble.
Chantilly Cream
- Pour the heavy cream into a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until the cream thickens slightly.
- Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Continue beating until stiff peaks form.
Assembly
- Wash the strawberries and remove the leaves. Slice the berries in half.
- Place one layer of vanilla sponge on a cake stand or plate. Add a dollop of whipped cream and spread so that it covers the cake generously.
- Arrange the berries in a layer on the whipped cream. Place another cake layer on top.
- Spread the remaining whipped cream around the sides and top of the cake. Use a piping bag with a star tip to pipe swirls of decoration around the cake. Add extra berries for decoration.
- Store the cake in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Notes
- Feel free the make the cake layers ahead of time. Store them wrapped in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or in the freezer for up to a month.
- If you only have one cake pan, just pour all of the batter into one pan and bake for 35-40 minutes. When it has cooled, slice the cake in half horizontally.