Strawberry Shortcake Filling Recipes

STRAWBERRY CAKE FILLING

Steps:

• Whisk water and cornstarch together in a large saucepan.
• Stir strawberries and sugar into the water.
• Cook strawberry mixture over medium heat until thick, about 10 minutes.
• Allow to cool completely before use.

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

Steps:

• Prep the strawberries: Cut the stems away from the strawberries and discard. Cut the strawberries in half, and then in either quarters or thick slices.
• Macerate the strawberries with sugar: Put the cut strawberries into a large bowl and sprinkle with sugar. Start with 1/4 cup of sugar and then add up to another 1/4 cup depending on how sweet your strawberries are. Gently stir the strawberries until they are all coated with some sugar. Let sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes, until the berries soften and begin to release their juices.
• Mash some of the strawberries: After 20 minutes or so, mash about a quarter of the berries in the bowl with a potato masher and stir to mix. You don't want to mash all the berries, just enough of them for their juices. Let sit while you bake the biscuits.
• Bake the biscuits: Use the recipe below to bake the biscuits.
• Make the whipped cream: While the biscuits are baking, whip the cream using an electric mixer, adding a drop or two of vanilla and 2 teaspoons of powdered sugar. Cover with plastic and place in the refrigerator to chill until ready to serve. To serve, break up one biscuit per person into big pieces into a bowl. Ladle strawberries over the biscuit. Add a dollop of whipped cream.
• Stir the flour with dry ingredients: In a large bowl, vigorously whisk together 3 cups of the flour, the sugar, baking powder, and salt.
• Work in the butter: Cut the butter into the flour mixture, either using your fingers, a pastry cutter, a fork, or a food processor, until the largest pieces of butter are the size of peas.
• Add the wet ingredients: Stir together the milk and cream, add the vanilla extract. Make a well in the center of the flour and pour the milk mixture into it. Mix with a fork or wooden spoon until the mixture is just combined. It should look rather shaggy. If it is too wet to work with, sprinkle some of the remaining 1/4 cup of flour over it. Gently knead by hand a few times to form a loose ball of dough, adding more flour if needed. It should be slightly tacky but not wet.
• Chill the dough: Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and form it into an 8-inch square, about 3/4-inch to an inch thick. Place it on a parchment or silicone-lined baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and chill for 20 minutes.
• Bake the biscuits: Heat the oven to 425ºF. Remove the dough from refrigerator. Cut the dough into 9 even squares and space them about 2 inches apart from each other on the baking sheet. Bake until the biscuits are medium golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Makes 9 biscuits.
• Serve: Split the biscuits, if you like, and top with the macerated strawberries and whipped cream.

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

Steps:

• Slice the strawberries and toss them with 1/2 cup of white sugar. Set aside.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Grease and flour one 8 inch round cake pan.
• In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, 2 tablespoons white sugar and the salt. With a pastry blender cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center and add the beaten egg and milk. Stir until just combined.
• Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 425 degrees F (220 degrees C) for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool partially in pan on wire rack.
• Slice partially cooled cake in half, making two layers. Place half of the strawberries on one layer and top with the other layer. Top with remaining strawberries and cover with the whipped cream.

FROSTED STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour an angel food tube pan. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
• In a separate large bowl, beat 2 cups of sugar with the butter and almond extract using an electric mixer on low speed until creamy; beat in the eggs on high speed for 3 minutes, scraping down the side of the bowl a few times. Beat in the flour mixture alternating with about 1/3 cup of milk at a time, and beat until smooth and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the cake is golden brown and set, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center of the cake should come out clean. Allow to cool completely.
• While cake is cooling, place 1 pint of strawberries and 1 cup of sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the strawberries soften and give up their juice, 5 to 8 minutes. Mix the cornstarch and water in a small bowl, and stir the slurry into the strawberries; bring the filling to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Set the filling aside and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
• Remove cake from pan, and cut in half horizontally. Place the bottom half of the cake on a serving platter, and spread the slightly warm strawberry filling over the cake. Place the top half of the cake on top of the filling. Chill the cake in the refrigerator until the filling has set, about 1 hour.
• Beat the whipped cream in a chilled metal bowl with an electric mixer set on high speed, adding 1/4 cup of sugar gradually, until the cream forms stiff peaks. Spread the whipped cream over the top, sides, and into center hole of the cake; top with halved strawberries for garnish.