Strawberry Shortcake

Total Time: 1 hr 25 mins Preparation Time: 45 mins Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder (heaping)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/3 cup shortening
• 2/3 cup buttermilk
• 6 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 quart fresh strawberries or 1 (12 ounce) bag frozen strawberries
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch, mixed with
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 1/3 cups whipping cream
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Recipe

• 1 to make shortcake:
• 2 preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• 3 mix dry ingredients together. add shortening and mix with fingers until crumbled and mealy. stir in buttermilk to make a semi-stiff dough. divide in half.
• 4 place half in a buttered and floured 8-inch cake pan. press dough into bottom of pan. butter the top of the dough and place the other half of the dough on top. press dough flat again.
• 5 bake for 15 minutes and lower heat to 325 degrees. bake 20 to 25 minutes longer. remove from pan and cool on a rack for an hour. split layers in 2.
• 6 strawberry sauce:.
• 7 bring the berries, sugar, and water to a boil. stir in, carefully, the cornstarch mixture and boil until thick. remove and chill in refrigerator until cold.
• 8 sweetened whipped cream:.
• 9 whisk ingredients together until soft peaks are formed.
• 10 to assemble cake:.
• 11 place bottom layer of shortcake on a decorative cake plate. pour a third of the strawberry sauce on top of the bottom layer. spread a third of the whipped cream over the sauce. place the second layer of shortcake on top. add a third of the sauce on top of the 2nd layer. pipe whipped cream on top in a decorative fashion. top with remaining sauce and garnish with fresh strawberries.