As many of you already know, cooking is one of my "other" passions. I really enjoy getting each issue of Bon Appetit magazine. They have a really amazing column entitled "R.S.V.P". Readers have the opportunity to write in and describe the best dishes they have had at restaurants from around the world. Bon Appetit follows up by actually contacting these restaurants and getting the recipes to publish and share with the readers.
One of the recipes that caught my eye this month was via a request by Stephanie of Virginia. She said she had been to Millie’s Diner in Richmond VA and had had a strawberry shortcake that she still dreams about. After reading that description, I knew I had to try it! I made it last night for a get together we had with David’s parents. The shortcake turned out FABULOUS! I am so ecstatic about the way it turned out, I just had to pop on and share the recipe with all of you.
I hope you will try this recipe the next time you have especially ripe & plump strawberries available! It is amazing and a very memorable ending to a meal!!!
THE BEST Strawberry Shortcake
(courtesy of Bon Apetit, may 2008 issue, p. 40)
CAKE:
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1-1/2 cups cake flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 8-oz package cream cheese (room temperature)
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature)
3/4 cup whole milk
2 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
SAUCE:
2 lbs. strawberries, hulled
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons sugar, divided
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
WHIPPED CREAM:
1-1/2 cups shilled whipping cream
1-1/2 tablespoons powdered sugar plus additional for sprinkling
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
CAKE INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Spray 9-inch diameter cake pan with 2-inch sides with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle bottom & sides of pan with sugar; tap out any excess sugar.
2. Whisk flour and baking powder in medium bowl. Set aside.
3. Using electric mixer, beat 1 cup sugar, cream cheese, and butter in large bowl to blend. Set aside.
4. Beat milk, eggs, and vanilla in another medium bowl to blend. Beat milk into cream cheese mixture. Add dry ingredients; beat until smooth.
5. Transfer batter to prepared baking pan. Sprinkle remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar over top of batter.
6. Bake until cake is golden brown on top and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. coll in pan on rack.
SAUCE INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Place half of strawberries (about 3 cups) in food processor. Using on/off turns, process until coarsley chopped. Transfer into medium saucepan; reserve processor.
2. add 1/4 cup water, 2 tablespoon sugar, and lemon juice to shopped berries. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until berries are very tender, about 4 minutes.
3. Return strawberry mixture to processor and puree until smooth. Strain sauce through fine mesh strainer into medium bowl. Cover & chill until cold, about 2 hours.
4. Quarter remaining strawberries. Toss with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in another medium bowl. Let stand at room temperature until sugar dissolves and juices form, tossing occasionally, about 30 minutes. Add strawberry sauce. Cover and chill.
WHIPPED CREAM INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Whip chilled whipping cream, 1-1/2 tablespoons powdered sugar, and vanilla in large bowl until peaks form.
SERVING INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Cut cake into 8 wedges. Split each wedge horizontally in half. Place bottom of each wedge on plate. Spoon strawberry mixture over, then top with dollop of whipped cream. Place top of cake over cream. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.
Wow!! This does sound yummy! My son is going to his jr. prom tonight, and all of the kids are coming over her afterwards for dessert! Wasn’t sure WHAT I was going to fix! This clinches it!! Thanks, Nichole!
Sounds wonderful and I’m not even a strawberry shortcake lover! My husband is though and I will give it a try once the home grown strawberries become available! TFS and Bon Appetit!!
thank you for sharing! i’ll definitely be trying it out!
I {heart} strawberries!! I make something similar to this for all the summer events. Im such a foodie! I will have to give this one a try though! Thanks for the recipe!!
If you ever come back to Cincy again you will have to take a trip to Jugle Jim’s. It’s a foodie haven! Its this huge International Food Market. Plan lots of time to look at all the goodies there. Here is the website http://www.junglejims.com
Thanks for the tip. This looks divine.
Oooh I’ll have to try this . . .although it will be quite a while before we have fresh strawberries here! 🙂 Oh well, grocery store ones aern’t tooooo bad! 😉 thanks for sharing Nicole – I always used to get their special issue dedicated to a particular region – loved them!
Nichole – I have been there and it IS THAT GOOD! We went there for Father’s Day a few years ago, it was our first trip to Millie’s. The line was around the corner the hour before they opened; we’ve been hooked ever since!!! Love Millie’s! They make some awesome omelets too 🙂 Nice to know little ‘ol Richmond is making the big time!
Yum! Sounds wonderful. One day I will have to give this a try but knowing me I might have a better chance at making a trip to Richmond VA from Canada than actually baking….LOL! Have a wonderful weekend. (only 5 more sleeps to countdown!!)
Oh, I am SO going to have to try this recipe. My hubby likes strawberry shortcake and I have grown to like it myself lately, even though it doesn’t have chocolat in it 🙂 Thanks for thinking to share it with us.
Yum yum! I’m gonna have to try this!
Strawberry season will be here before you know it (end of May here) and I will surely be trying this out. Thanks for sharing it!
Mary
http://www.primitiveseasons.blogspot.com
You mean you have time to bake in addition to everything else you do? You are truly amazing Nichole. Thanks for the recipe, sounds yummy, will have to try it sometime.
Meredith
Nicole
I had searched a couple of weeks back for the “best” strawberry shortcake recipe and wasn’t thrilled with the one I tried.
This cake sounds like it will best moist like I had wanted and the topping sounds great. Thanks for sharing!
Happy Spring to you and your family. Kim
I felt my blood sugar rise from just READING the recipe, LOL. Maybe I can get my sister to bake it and modify the recipe with Splenda and unrefined flour. Even if I had to eat it as is I would! TFS this delicious recipe.
Tried the recipe this weekend as we’re getting California strawberries here already. The cake was yummy!!! Loved the strawberry sauce that is mixed with the cut strawberries. Thanks for sharing.
I also subscribe to the magazine – but mine has an entirely different cover! The shortcake recipe is in there. Will be trying it as soon as I get all the ingredients!
Hello Nocole, thanks fpr sharing but… we want so see the cake? Where is the photo? ;o)
Many greetings from germany!
Hugs,Marit
Hi, I’m brand new to your site and came by it by pure accident and I’m so glad! My son loves strawberries and this would just make his day if I made this recipe. Strawberry season is almost here and I love to go to the u-pick-em farms we have around. Thanks for sharing your love of cooking with all of us.
Yum! We’re having lots of company the next few weeks so I now have a dessert to make over and over. Wonder how many pounds the scale to rise? Hummmm….thanks?, Nicole.
Kathy
Amazing! I made this cake last night for friends. Everybody loved it!! The cake is so moist and light. I can’t wait to have another occasion to make it! How do you do it all? Do you ever sleep? Thanks for sharing all you wonderful ideas!! You are definitely an inspiration.
We tried this recipe twice and followed it closely, except we used all purpose flour instead of cake flour. On both occasions they turned out horribly: the cakes began to deflate immediately when removed from the oven; and the results were inedible- thick, gooey consistency. On the second attempt we had left the cake in about 5 mins. longer than recommended because we thought the cause may be under-cooking. (We are not newcomers to cake baking.) Can someone explain what we did wrong? Would elevation make a difference as we live at sea level? Thanks .