Strawberry Shortcake {{for a crowd}}

Fresh picked, juicy, summertime strawberries are my absolute most favorite-est food in the entire world. I have always loved strawberries but when I was pregnant with my daughter, they were basically the only food that I wanted to eat for the entire nine months. Ever since then my love for strawberries has just become stronger. Peak strawberry season lasts for about three, maybe four weeks in my part of the world, so I always try to make the best of it.

 We have been strawberry picking at the same place for the past four summers and I hope that we can continue this tradition for years to come (2017 and 2018 pictured above). The kids don't care much for the picking part yet but they sure do like the eating part. And I love the baking part that comes along with picking a ginormous tray of strawberries. I have a few other strawberry recipes on the blog - click the links for traditional shortcake and crisp and ice cream and jam and pie.

This recipe for shortcake was the most satisfying dessert I think I have ever had. I always loved the more traditional cream biscuit style of strawberry shortcake and even enjoyed it angel food cake style too, but this was the best version ever. The shortcake is somewhat biscuit like- very soft, tender, and just a bit sweet but really it was the streusel topping that put this dessert over the top and made it really stand out. Of course the strawberries are sweet and syrup-y which absorbs into the shortcake beautifully and why not top it all with whipped cream for even more yum. Another huge plus for this recipe is that instead of rolling out dough or even having to spoon out drop biscuits, you just pour this batter right into a big pan and bake away. This shortcake is so easy and everyone was so happy to enjoy it! Bonus, this was great the next day for breakfast too :-)

Strawberry Shortcake

Shortcake
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp white sugar
10 tbsp cold butter, cubed
1 1/3 cup milk
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

Topping
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
6 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)

Strawberries
4 lbs strawberries
1/2 cup white sugar (approx.)

Whipped cream
1 cup heavy cream
2 tsp white sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

To prepare the shortcake, measure the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar into a large bowl and whisk together. Cut the cold butter into the flour mixture until you have small pea sized pieces of butter throughout (I like to do this with my hands, but a fork or pastry cutter work too). Combine the milk, eggs, and vanilla in a measuring cup and whisk thoroughly. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and used a wooden spoon to mix until just barely combined.

To make the topping, combine the sugars and flour in a medium bowl and then cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly and well combined. If you squeeze some of the topping in your hand it should come together in a clump but easily crumble apart into small pieces too.

Grease a 9x13 dish well, spread the batter evenly in the dish, sprinkle the topping all over, and dust with cinnamon if desired. Bake at 350F for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. For best results, cool to room temperature before serving.

To prepare the strawberries: wash, hull, and quarter the strawberries and toss with sugar at least 1 hour before serving. Cover and let the strawberries sit at room temperature to macerate. If you are preparing the strawberries more than 1 hour before, store in the refrigerator up until about 30 minutes before serving.  Combine the cream, sugar, and vanilla in a medium bowl and whip with a whisk or electric beaters until you have soft peaks. Serve immediately!

Enjoy!

Inspired by Tastes of Lizzy T