Recipe: Father's Day Strawberry Shortcake
If you can, offer Dad a piece of this pretty strawberry shortcake in honor of his special day.
We moved into our house about a year ago, bringing with us far too much stuff. In our new dining room, there’s a favorite walnut bookcase that was never intended for that room, but that’s the only place it fit. I filled it with pretty vases and dishes from the few boxes I’d opened, leaving the other boxes for another day (or year).
As I dusted the bookcase, readying for my mother’s first visit, I felt something was missing from the array: family photos. From a dusty box, I retrieved a wedding picture, a photo of my crazed black cat and two of our sweet dogs and a photo each of my father and my husband’s father, both now gone. Our dearly departed.
We’re reminded that even in this pandemic Father’s Day happens each June and this year, especially, it’s time to celebrate dads – both here and in memory. This fabulous strawberry shortcake is all about the celebration. With ingredients easy to score, the cake comes together in minutes, without a mixer (except for whipping the cream), and local strawberries are ripe and ready. Be sure to let the berries and sugar macerate long enough so the juices can flow. Have a few peaches around? Slice in some of those, too. Dad will love it.
Strawberry Shortcake
Makes 6 to 8 servings
1/4 cup granulated sugar, plus extra for the pan
3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into cups and leveled off
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon fine table salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 ¼ cups whole milk
Topping: 1 tablespoon heavy cream and 2 tablespoons sugar
Berries and Cream:
1 quart strawberries, local if possible, hulled and sliced
4 to 5 tablespoons sugar (or more), depending on sweetness of berries
1 cup heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks with 1 tablespoon sugar and
½ teaspoon vanilla
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan and sprinkle the pan with a heaping tablespoon sugar, turning to coat the sides and bottom.
2. To make the cake: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, the 1/3 cup sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the soft butter, mash it with a fork, then, using your hands, mix until the butter is blended with the flour but still in large clumps. Add the milk and stir just until blended. If the batter seems dry, add a tablespoon more milk. The batter will be lumpy.
3. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and roughly smooth the top.
4. For the topping: Brush the cake with the cream and sprinkle evenly with the sugar.
5. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the cake is browned, firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer it to a wire rack and let cool about 30 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix the strawberries with sugar to taste and let stand about 20 minutes until the juices flow.
7. Run a knife around the cake sides, turn the cake out onto the rack and invert onto a serving plate. Cut the cake into wedges and serve with the strawberries and their juices and the whipped cream.
