Strawberry Shortcake

It's June, and in Michigan, that means it's Strawberry season!  There is nothing quite like biting into a just picked, still warm from the sun strawberry and I look forward to it every year.  Todays post isn't a card or canvas, it's a recipe for my version of Strawberry Shortcake.  I make a Citrus Yellow cake from scratch, macerate the berries with a bit of sugar and fresh orange juice and whip up a creamy cheesecake topping.  If you want to use a boxed cake mix, feel free!  I'll give some instructions for how to easily freshen it up.

Citrus Yellow Cake:

Citrus Yellow Cake

1 ½ sticks butter, at room temp

1 ¾ cups sugar

1 tsp salt

2 ½ tsp baking powder

2 tsp vanilla

4 eggs, plus 2 yolks

2 ¾ cup all-purpose flour

1 ¼ cups sour cream

¼ Five Alive or Orange juice concentrate

Zest of two oranges

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter, sugar, salt, baking powder, and vanilla until fluffy and light, about 5 minutes.

Add the eggs to the butter mixture, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Slowly blend one-third of the flour into the creamed mixture, then half the sour cream, another third of the flour, remaining sour cream and juice concentrate, and remaining flour.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl, up from the bottom and the beater occasionally throughout the mixing process to ensure everything is incorporated properly.  Add zest and stir to distribute.

Pour batter into greased 13”x9” baking pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes.  Cool completely before frosting or cutting.

If you're using a boxed mix, replace the water called for in the directions with the juice concentrate.

While the cake is baking, make the berries and cheesecake cream.

Macerated Strawberries:

1 pint fresh strawberries, washed, topped and sliced

2 tbsp sugar

juice of one orange or 2-3 tbsp.

Stir sugar and juice into the berries.  Using a pastry cutter, work the tool into the berries a few times, until roughly half the fruit is smashed and half are just sliced.  Taste for desired sweetness and add sugar if necessary.  Cover and refridgerate.  

Cheesecake Cream

1 3oz pkg Cheesecake pudding mix

1 1/2 cups cold milk

1 8 oz tub Cool Whip

Combine milk and pudding and whisk until thick.  Add Cool Whip and fold until combined.  Cover and chill until ready to serve.

 


Assembly:
Cut the completely cooled cake into 12 to 16 pieces.  Cut the piece in half width ways.  Place bottom half in serving dish.  Top with a spoonful of berries and top with a spoonful of cream.  Add second half of cake and repeat layers.  Serve and devour! 

Enjoy!

Much love,
Jasmine