Strawberry Shortcake Screenshot

Strawberry Shortcake from Strawberry Shortcake

Like many cartoons from the 1980’s, Strawberry Shortcake was designed to sell something first, making the cartoon tv show more of an afterthought. Other examples of this include He-Man, She-Ra, Transformers and G.I. Joe – all cartoon shows I watched when I was younger and completely loved at the time. Strawberry Shortcake is a little different in that her character originated as a line of greeting cards (which was news to me until researching this recipe) before expanding into the cartoon universe.

Like the other shows I mentioned above, I used to love watching Strawberry Shortcake as a kid. Just like I wasn’t aware old Strawberry used to be used to sell greeting cards, so too did I not realize that she has recently got a revamp:

Strawberry Shortcake Comparison

I’m not going to get into a feminist tirade about this, I’ve leave that for other blogs to do. If this is what kids today like, who am I to judge? I prefer my Strawberry Shortcake character frumpy and cuddly, but maybe, just maybe that’s because back in the day a bunch of marketers and focus groups TOLD me that’s what I should like. This blog is far too unsophisticated to into a detailed discussion of complicated topics like updating beloved characters and the influences of marketing on a collected nostalgia. Instead, let’s forget our troubles with a big bowl of Strawberry Shortcake!

Ingredients

Cake

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3 eggs
  • Small pinch cream of tartar
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup milk

Topping

  • 1 1/2 cups whipping cream
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups fresh, ripe strawberries

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Butter an 8-inch springform pan and set aside. Combine flour and baking powder in a bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Next add 1/2 cup of sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Set aside.

In stand mixer, beat the leftover sugar, butter, egg yolks, and vanilla extract. On low speed, add the dry ingredients alternating with the milk. Stir in a quarter of the meringue to lighten the batter. With a spatula, gently fold in the remaining meringue. Pour into the pan and bake for 45-55 minutes. Remove the cake as soon as it comes out of the oven and let it cool completely on a wire rack.

In a stand mixer, whip the cream, sugar, and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Wash strawberries and cup in halves to place inside the cake. Cut the cake in half (horizontally) to make two slices. Spread about a cup of the whipped cream on the cut side. Place cut strawberries inside the cake and cover the other cake side. Top the cake with remaining whipped cream and top with whole strawberries.

Strawberry Shortcake

What were my troubles again? This is seriously a delicious dessert that is easier to make then it looks and also surprisingly light. This works perfectly anytime strawberries are in season and you’re craving all the whipped cream you can handle.

Cromulence: 10 Custard The Cats out of 10


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Glenn S.

Oh god dammit now I got that stupid song stuck in my head. Where’s my Rammstein CD?
But you know if you wanted to go the extra mile for comedy on this you should’ve put the finished shortcake into a big mixing bowl or something and taken a picture.

Glenn S.

That’s fair.