Personal Strawberry Shortcakes

When I was younger, it was always a treat when my mom let my brother and I make strawberry shortcake for dessert. Of course, Joe would always steal all the strawberries and leave me with the throwbacks. But either way, we would always have fun together in the kitchen. Today, I am dedicating this post to my brother for his 22nd birthday. Happy Birthday Joe!

 

Recipe yields 6 personal shortcakes

Ingredients
Shortcake:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 1/2 pounds fresh strawberries
3 tbsp sugar

Whipped Cream:
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Remove stems from all strawberries. Cut them length wise into slices. Place cut strawberries into a small bowl with 3 tbsp sugar. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl sift together flour, 2 tbsp of sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add heavy cream. Mix until ingredients are just combined. Note: the dough is going to be very sticky.

Place dough into an 8-inch square baking pan. Bake for 18-20 minutes.

When the cake is golden brown and finished cooking, remove from oven and pan and place on a rack to cool.

When shortcake has cooled so you can handle it, cut into 4 or 6 squares. Slice each square in half, like you are cutting open a roll, so you have a top and a bottom.

In a medium bowl, whisk together heavy cream, sugar and vanilla extract to form the whipped cream. Whisk vigorously until soft peaks form. If you are not interested in toning your bicep, you can use a hand mixer instead of a whisk. (I look at it this way, if I can do it by hand that gets me an extra bite of cake!)

On the bottom slice of each square, place a large spoonful of sugared strawberries.

Top with a large dollop of whipped cream.

Place the tops back on each shortcake and top with a few additional strawberries. Serve & enjoy!