I love when strawberries start coming in season and when I find them at a reasonable price I always pick some up. The other day, while making a quick stop at the grocery store I noticed that the strawberries were on sale for around $1. I couldn’t pass on such a sale so I grabbed a couple and was on my way. My original intent for them was just to use in morning smoothies but then when Jeffrey decided on his shrimp dish for dinner I knew that strawberry shortcake would be an excellent ending to the meal.

While I enjoy all sorts of treats including strawberries, strawberry shortcake is my favorite. There is something about shortcake still warm from the oven, sweet fresh strawberries, and a topping of sweet cream. Can it get any better? I didn’t think there was room for improvement until one day I decided to experiment with some strawberry puree. I loved the addition of the sweet puree to this treat. The puree added another layer of flavor that could be soaked up by the cake. (One of my favorite things about shortcake is how the cake absorbs the sweet juices.) The whole family enjoys this sweet addition. William, who previously only ate the cake topped with whipped cream, is actually adding “strawberries” to his shortcake thanks to the addition of the puree. Regardless of whether or not you want to add the puree to your next shortcake you will definitely fall in love with this old-fashioned shortcake topped with the season’s freshest strawberries, and some sweetened whipped cream.

I should also add that I think this desert makes a delicious breakfast.  Fruit for breakfast is a standard thing right?  What is your favorite desert to have as a breakfast meal?

Strawberry Shortcake

Printer Friendly Recipe
Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup sugar (plus an additional 2 tablespoons of sugar for topping the shortcake before baking)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 quart strawberries, sliced and sweetened
whipped topping of your choice (I prefer freshly whipped cream.)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly spray an 8 X 8 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, salt, baking powder and sugar. Add vanilla and butter to flour mixture and mix well. (I use a hand mixer.) In a separate bowl, beat egg and milk together to combine. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until well combined. Pour into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of sugar. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Set aside and let cool slightly. Cut into squares, top with sweetened strawberries and whipped topping.

To make the Orange Strawberry Puree:
I put 1/2 cup orange juice in a blender with about a pint of strawberries and blend until mostly smooth. I love the way the orange juice adds another dimension to an already delicious strawberry shortcake.