Strawberry Shortcake

Since I was a small girl I have loved shortcake, mostly because it was one of the first things I learned to make. . .if you count carefully following the shortcake recipe on the back of the Bisquick box as making something from scratch. Even at a young age, I got such satisfaction out of watching the dough fluff and turn golden, and then biting into the warm and soft but not overly sweet shortcake. My love affair with shortcake only heightened when we met again, this time at the Cheesecake Factory. Who eats shortcake at the Cheesecake factory you would be fair in asking? I do every time. I love their version so much, I have modified my own recipe to include the genius ingredient that makes theirs so good: ice cream. This recipe is quick and super easy, looks wonderful if serving to guests, and delicious every time. Enjoy!

Gather your ingredients and preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Combine the dry ingredients create a well in the centre to place your egg and milk.

Combine with a spoon or fork until just wet.

Separate into the amount of shortcakes you want to make (I made 9 and they were a good size)

While the shortcakes are cooking, it’s time to chop the strawberries and combine with 2 tablespoons sugar.

For this step you can buy Cool Whip (not available in Ireland), whip cream or make your own sweet whipped cream. I chose to make sweet whipped cream.

1 cup whipped cream
2 Tablespoons Confectioners /Icing Sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla
With a hand mixer, mix cream until soft peaks form. Add sugar and vanilla, mixing until soft peaks form again. Set aside

Finished short cakes and cream:

I was transporting this dessert to girls night so I kept all the goodness separate until it was eating time to reduce the sogginess factor.

Ingredients
3 pints fresh strawberries
1/2 cup white sugar
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ cup white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter
1 egg
2/3 cup milk
2 cups whipped heavy cream

Directions
Slice the strawberries and toss them with 1/2 cup of white sugar( I reduced this to two tablespoons and was still plenty sweet). Set aside.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, 2 tablespoons white sugar and the salt. With a pastry blender cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center and add the beaten egg and milk. Stir until just combined.
Split evenly into 9 small shortcakes. Bake at 425 degrees F (220 degrees C) for 11 to 13 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool partially in pan on wire rack.
Slice partially cooled mini cakes in half, making two layers. Fill with ice cream and replace the top. Top with strawberries and cover with the whipped cream.