Family Size Strawberry Shortcake Food

MOM'S STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Grease an 8-in. square baking pan. In a large bowl, beat eggs on medium speed 3 minutes. Gradually add 1 cup sugar, beating until thick and lemon-colored. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt; beat into egg mixture. In a small saucepan, heat milk and butter just until butter begins to melt. Beat into batter with vanilla (batter will be thin)., Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely., Just before serving, cut cake into serving-size pieces; cut each slice horizontally in half. In a large bowl, combine strawberries and remaining sugar; spoon between cake layers and over top of each serving. Top with whipped cream and, if desired, mint leaves.

FAMILY-SIZE STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350*F. Prepare cake according to package directions. Grease and flour two 9" cake pans; pour batter into pans. Bake cakes until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool completely on wire racks.
• Reserve 8 - 10 large strawberries for garnish. Slice remaining strawberries; place in a medium bowl. Sprinkle with sugar. Mash slightly with potato masher. Chill until ready to assemble cake, at least 30 minutes.
• Beat whipping cream in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla; continue beating until mixed.
• Place 1 cake layer on serving plate. Cover with mashed strawberries. Top with about 1-1/2 cups whipped cream. Place second cake layer on top. Spread with remaining whipped cream. Garnish with reserved strawberries (shown with strawberries pointing straight up, but you can be creative).

STRAWBERRY & VANILLA SHORTCAKES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7 and lightly flour a baking sheet. Put the flour, butter, sugar, half of the vanilla seeds and ¼ tsp salt into the bowl of a food processor, then pulse until fine. Tip into a large bowl. Beat the milk, egg and a good squeeze of lemon together, then tip into the bowl and bring together with a knife, using a cutting action, until you have a clumpy dough. Finally bring together with your hands if you need to.
• Lightly flour the work surface, tip the dough onto it, then quickly shape into a smooth-ish disc. Using a rolling pin, pat out to 2cm thick. Cut out 8 rounds with a smooth 7cm cutter (you'll need to pinch together the trimmings). Glaze just the tops with beaten egg, transfer to the floured sheet, then bake for 10-12 mins until risen and golden, and they sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Cool on a wire rack.
• Beat the remaining vanilla seeds and icing sugar into the clotted cream. It will get runnier at first, but keep beating and it will thicken again. To serve, slice the very top from each shortcake to give a flat surface, then spoon over about 1 tsp jam. Top with a good dollop of the vanilla clotted cream and finish with the strawberries.

FAMILY-SIZE STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

Steps:

• Reserve 8-10 large strawberries for garnish. Slice remaining berries and place in a medium bowl. Sprinkle with granulated sugar. Mash slightly. Chill at least 30 minutes.
• Beat whipping cream in a medium bowl with a hand mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla until just mixed.
• Place 1 cake layer on serving plate. Cover with mashed strawberries.Top with about 1 1/2 c. whipped cream. Place second cake layer on top. Spread with remaining whipped cream. Garnish with reserved strawberries.

TINY STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKES

Steps:

• Position an oven rack at the center of the oven, and preheat to 400 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
• Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Add the cream, lemon juice and lemon zest, and stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture just forms a dough. Gather the dough into a ball, and transfer it to a flour-dusted work surface. Pat it into a 1/2-inch-thick circle. Cut out as many mini biscuits as you can with a 1-inch round cookie cutter. Gently press the scraps together, and repeat. Arrange the biscuits 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Brush them with more cream, and sprinkle with a little sugar.
• Bake 1 sheet of biscuits on the center rack until they are just golden, about 10 minutes; repeat with the second sheet. While they are still warm, use the rounded side of a 1/4 teaspoon measuring spoon to make an indentation on the top of each. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.
• Toss together the strawberries and jam in a small bowl, and fill each biscuit indentation with some of the mixture. Top with a small dollop of whipped cream and a mint leaf. (The shortcakes can be made and refrigerated up to 2 hours before serving.)

GIANT STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. to make the shortbread, beat the butter, sugar and vanilla extract together until smooth. Add the flour in 2 or 3 goes, and stir until the mixture starts to form a dough. Use your hands to bring it together and shape into a ball. Cut off 100g of the dough, wrap in cling film and chill until ready to make the strawberry stalk and leaves. Weigh the remaining dough and divide into 2 equal pieces.
• Using your hands and the back of a metal spoon, press one of the larger pieces of shortbread mixture into the base of a 23cm loose-bottomed fluted tart tin (wrap the other piece of dough in cling film and chill until needed). Smooth the surface with the back of the spoon to create an even layer, then chill for 15 mins.
• Prick the base of the shortbread all over with a fork, place on a baking tray and bake for 20-25 mins or until lightly golden and firm. Remove from the oven and, while the shortbread is still hot, press a 9-10cm heart-shaped cutter into the centre. Leave to cool in the tin for 20 mins.
• Carefully remove the shortbread from the tart tin and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Wash the tin and repeat steps 2 and 3 with the second piece of dough, but don't cut out the heart shape. (If you have 2 tart tins you can make both the shortbread biscuits at the same time.)
• For the cake, grease the base and sides of a 22cm springform cake tin and line the base with baking parchment. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla a little at a time, beating well after each addition, then fold in the flour. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth the surface. Bake for 20-25 mins until lightly golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool for 10 mins, then remove from the tin and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Meanwhile, cut out the strawberry stalk and leaves. Roll out the 100g piece of reserved shortbread dough on a lightly floured surface to the thickness of a £1 coin. Using a leaf cutter or a knife, cut out 4-5 leaf shapes, then cut out a 4cm-long strawberry stalk. It is best to do several so you can choose the best ones. Lift the shapes onto a baking tray lined with baking parchment and chill for 15 mins. While the cake is cooling, bake the leaves and stalks for 5-10 mins until lightly golden. Leave to cool on the tray for a few mins before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
• To make the buttercream, beat the butter in a large bowl until soft and pale. Sift over half the icing sugar and beat until combined. Sift over the remaining icing sugar, add the vanilla extract, then beat until smooth and creamy. Transfer to a disposable piping bag fitted with a wide round nozzle, or simply snip off the end of the bag.
• Start assembling the shortcake. Place the shortbread biscuit without the heart cut-out on a plate or cake stand, pricked-side up. Starting in the centre, pipe on the buttercream in a spiral, working your way towards the edge. Lay the cake on top of the buttercream, then spoon the jam on top of the cake and carefully spread out over the surface.
• Remove the heart from the second shortbread biscuit and set aside. Carefully flip the biscuit over so that it is pricked-side down and, using a cake paddle, slide it on top of the jam layer. Dab a little buttercream or jam on the back of the stalk and leaf biscuits, and stick to the edge of the strawberry jam heart.
• Carefully place individual linseeds inside the jam heart to create the appearance of a strawberry. Dust the surface of the shortcake with icing sugar, holding the reserved heart biscuit over the jam and leaves so that they do not get covered in icing sugar.

FAMILY SIZE STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 350. Prepare cake according to package directions. Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans; pour batter into pans. Bake cakes until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool completely on wire racks. 2. Reserve 8-10 large strawberries for garnish. Slice remaining strawberries; place in a medium bowl. Sprinkle with granulated sugar. Mash slightly with potato masher. Chill until ready to assemble cake, at least 30 minutes. 3. Beat whipping cream in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla; continue beating just until mixed. 4. Place 1 cake layer on serving plate. Cover with mashed strawberries. Top with about 1.5 cups whipping cream. Place second cake layer on top. Spread with remaining whipped cream. Garnish with reserves strawberries.

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE SLICE

Steps:

• Line a 20cm cake tin or dish (either a square or rectangle works well) with cling film, leaving an overhang. Whip 500ml of the cream, the vanilla, orange blossom water and 125g icing sugar with an electric whisk until thick and billowy.
• Add a layer of biscuits to the tin, and spoon over some of the cream, about 1cm thick all over. Add a layer of strawberry slices, then repeat with the cream, biscuits and strawberries until you fill the tin, finishing on a layer of biscuit. You'll have some strawberries left over to serve. Press everything down well so every biscuit is covered in cream. Cover and chill overnight.
• To serve, flip the tin onto a serving plate, and remove the cling film. Whip the remaining 100ml cream with 1 tbsp icing sugar and dollop on top of the cake, swirling it around. Top with the remaining strawberry slices in lines, sift over the remaining 1 tbsp icing sugar, and sprinkle the biscuit crumbs in between the rows of strawberries. Cut into slices to serve.