Made from the ground up, this strawberry shortcake is not only delicious but is fun to make. I say “from the ground up” because the strawberries used in this recipe were freshly picked from a strawberry farm here in Milan, Italy. It was a week of spending time with the family, my aunt was visiting from London with my little cousins. On Sunday they decided to visit ‘Strawberry’ for a guide of the farm to pick fresh strawberries. I couldn’t make it to the farm with them, so I promised my little cousins we could make a strawberry shortcake if they picked the best strawberries they could find. I can say they did not disappoint, the strawberries were so luscious and so I kept to my promise. Plus, I am always delighted to bake with fruits that are in season.
A strawberry shortcake is made of layers of a dense scone-like cake (for my American friends, imagine a cake made like a biscuit), heavy cream and strawberries. My rendition is easy and fun and might I add, it’s fail-proof. I made this cake with the kids and they did most of the work. Upon making the cake I opted for a more airy buttermilk cake, still dense but not very scone-like. In addition, I also made a delicious strawberry coulis because the kids really wanted some. Plus we had a lot of strawberries and there was no way I was letting such luscious strawberries go to waste.
How to make Strawberry Shortcake with Coulis
- Mix the lemon juice and milk to make the butter milk.
- In a deep bowl, whisk the margarine with the caster sugar, then whisk in the eggs one at a time.
- Place a sieve over the whisked mixture, pour in half the flour with the baking soda and sieve into the mixture.
- Also pour in half the cup of buttermilk, then whisk together. Repeat for the remaining flour and buttermilk.
- Pour the cake batter into the greased dish. Place into the pre-heated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
- Once the cake is baked, take it out of the oven and rest on a steel rack to cool. Once the cake is cool enough to handle, flip it upside down to remove the cake and set aside to cool completely.
For the Strawberry Coulis & Whipped Cream:
- Pour the strawberries, sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice into a small saucepan. Place over medium heat, cover with a lid and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Once cool, blitz with a blender into a smooth puree (strain for a more smoother coulis). Pour into a jar and set aside (It can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.)
- Pour the whipping cream into a bowl, add the icing sugar and whisk until stiff peaks.
Layering the shortcake:
- Slice the cake into two layers (top and bottom). Place the bottom layer unto a pyrex dish and spread the strawberry coulis over the cake (leave a little for the final topping)
- Cut the Strawberries into half’s and stick some to the side of the dish (see picture).
- Spread 1/3 of the whipped cream over the cake and lay the other half’d strawberries flat pressed unto the surface of the whipped cream with flat side facing up. (leave a couple strawberries for the final topping)
- Lay the second layer of the cake on top and spread with the remaining whipped (leave a little for the final topping).
- Cut the leftover strawberries into quarters and lay over the whipped cream (inside facing up). Pour a little of the strawberry coulis on top (about 1 tbsp), then top with the remaining whipped cream.
- Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Serve and enjoy.
If you love recipes using seasonal fruits like this one. You might want to check out this Upside down cake using fresh blood oranges. Also delicious!
Strawberry Shortcake with Coulis
Ingredients
For the Buttermilk cake:
- 70 g Margarine
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup caster sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 ½ cup flour
- 1 tsp vanilla flavoured baking powder
For the Strawberry Coulis:
- 1 cup strawberries
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
For the layering and toppings
- 200 ml whipping cream (“whipping” cream, not “whipped cream”)
- 2 tbsp icing sugar
- 2 cups straberries (16 pieces)
Instructions
- Grease a baking dish with butter (I used a 7″ by 5″ rectangular pyrex dish) and set aside. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
- In a cup mix 1 tbsp of lemon juice with I cup of milk to make the butter milk. set aside.
- In a deep bowl, whisk the margarine with the caster sugar, then whisk in the eggs one at a time.
- Place a sieve over the whisked mixture, pour in half the flour with the baking soda and sieve into the mixture.
- Also pour in half the cup of buttermilk, then whisk together. Repeat for the remaining flour and buttermilk.
- Pour the cake batter into the greased dish. Place into the pre-heated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
- Once the cake is baked, take it out of the oven and rest on a steel rack to cool. Once the cake is cool enough to handle, flip it upside down to remove the cake and set aside to cool completely.
For the Strawberry Coulis:
- Pour the strawberries, sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice into a small saucepan. Place over medium heat, cover with a lid and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Once cool, blitz with a blender into a smooth puree (strain for a more smoother coulis). Pour into a jar and set aside (It can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.)
For the Whipped Cream:
- Pour the whipping cream into a bowl, add the icing sugar and whisk until stiff peaks.
Layering the shortcake:
- Slice the cake into two layers (top and bottom). Place the bottom layer unto a pyrex dish and spread the strawberry coulis over the cake (leave a little for the final topping)
- Cut the Strawberries into half’s and stick some to the side of the dish (see picture).
- Spread 1/3 of the whipped cream over the cake and lay the other half’d strawberries flat pressed unto the surface of the whipped cream with flat side facing up. (leave a couple strawberries for the final topping)
- Lay the second layer of the cake on top and spread with the remaining whipped (leave a little for the final topping).
- Cut the leftover strawberries into quarters and lay over the whipped cream (inside facing up). Pour a little of the strawberry coulis on top (about 1 tbsp), then top with the remaining whipped cream.
- Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Serve and enjoy.
