Bibi's Culinary Journey: Diner Style Strawberry Shortcake

Diner Style Strawberry Shortcake

Summer is slowly ~~here's hoping~~ leaving us and we are enjoying last of the sweet and fragrant strawberries.

To celebrate the end of the summer and end of the strawberry season I decided to make DINER STYLE STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE.

I am a firm believer that you don't really need a special occasion to enjoy a special dessert....for me just waking up with positive attitude ~~and remain in it~~ is occasion enough and it deserves some sort of cake....in this case....Diner Style Strawberry Shortcake.

I found this Strawberry Shortcake recipe few years ago on Food Network website..... I made few little changes to it.....you know how I roll.

All and all it is a fantastic recipe and the Diner Style Strawberry Shortcake is ALWAYS a huge hit in my house.

Cake Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup Cake Flour
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tspSalt
3/4 cup Milk
3 Tbsp Butter (unsalted)
2 Tbsp Vanilla
3 Eggs
1 1/4 cup Sugar
2 Pints Fresh Strawberries

Whipped Cream Frosting Ingredients:

2 tsp Gelatin
2 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
1/2 cup Icing Sugar
2 tsp Vanilla

Cake:

STEP 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees with a rack in the middle of the oven. Lightly coat 2 (9-inch) cake pans with nonstick vegetable spray. Line the bottoms with a circle of baking parchment.

STEP 2: In large bowl sift flour, baking powder and salt together....repeat 3 times.

STEP 3: In a saucepan bring milk and butter to a boil. Remove from the heat and add vanilla extract.

STEP 4: In another bowl beat eggs and sugar until fluffy and doubled in volume. While beating slowly drizzle in hot milk mixture. Gently fold in the flour mixture.

STEP 5: Spread cake batter into prepared cake pans and bake for 15 minutes or until golden. The cake will be done when the center will spring back when lightly pressed and cake tester comes out clean.

STEP 6: Set the pans on cooling rack to cool. Run the tip of a knife around the edges of the cakes to loosen them and turn them out of the pans.

Whipped Cream Frosting:

STEP 1: In a medium bowl mix together gelatin and 1/4 cup of the cream. Let it rest for 5 minutes to soften then place the bowl over barely simmering water until the gelatin has completely dissolved.

STEP 2: Remove the bowl from the heat and let cool to tepid.

STEP 3: While the gelatin is cooling down whip the rest of the cream until slightly thickened. Add the confectioner sugar and vanilla and whip to the consistency of shaving cream.

STEP 4: Gently fold 1/2 cup of the whipped cream into the gelatin mixture then fold in the rest.

To Assemble Strawberry Shortcake:

STEP 1: Wash and dry the strawberries. Pick out 9 to 12 best strawberries (depends how many you want to have on top). Stem and slice the rest.

STEP 2: Spread little bit of the frosting over 1 cake so it's just lightly covered. Lay the sliced berries over it, then spread a 1/2-inch layer of whipped cream on top.

STEP 3: Place the second cake over the first one. Frost the entire cake with whipped cream.

STEP 4: Decorate the cake using the remaining whipped cream whole strawberries.