Grandmas Southern Strawberry Shortcake

My family is from the South. I’m pretty sure my family just grew up right out of the dirt one time long ago. I have no idea what my heritage is on that side of the family, I always say its redneck and that they didn’t come from anywhere in particular but rather they just showed up one day. Hahaha fact or fiction? Who cares. The fact of the matter is, my family is Southern through and through. My husband always knows when I am on the phone with my family because my accent comes back in full force, its strange how that happens. It’s like my brain shifts from normal brain to southern brain and the drawl comes back in all its glory. Occasionally when I’m stressed or talking really fast other people will hear my accent and ask where I am from. The ya’ll that riddles my vocabulary and that permeates all the sentences that come out of my mouth is usually a dead give away too. At any rate, my family is the blessed your heart, sip lemonade or sweet tea on the back porch, grill out everything, walk around bare foot, catch lightning bugs and cheer for the Alabama Crimson Tide type of Southern and with that comes some good old southern food, like Strawberry Shortcake.

I recently ordered a flat of fresh strawberries and knew right away that I was going to make some of my Granny’s classic Strawberry shortcake. This deliciousness is a staple that has been part of our Southern Family gatherings for years (that and Red top salad… which to me is just blah!! I won’t touch that mess with a ten food pole.) Anytime my Granny has family over for dinner she usually makes some Strawberry shortcake. I’ve missed that a lot since we have moved to the other side of nowhere (or Nevada) so of course the second I got home with these fantastic looking red beauties I got to work on cutting them up.

First step to making the Shortcake is to cup up your Strawberries. I used about 3 lbs of strawberries because I love them so much (usually its just 2). Cut the strawberries into 4 pieces long way (from top to bottom) and then rinse them off to get all the green leafs that might have decided to hang out and put them in an air tight container.

Add a cup (or 1.5 cups if you want more sugar) to the strawberries and toss them around to coat them. At first (before you toss) it will look like way to much sugar but you will see after you toss it that it might not even cover all of the strawberries, if this is case then add a bit more sugar. Cover the Strawberries and let them sit for several hours (at least 4) I recommend over night. The point is to let the juices and sugar form a type of syrup on the bottom, the longer they sit the more syrup you get and the more juices you will have soaking into your cake…. to me the more juice the cake absorbs the yummier it tastes.

After you have let it sit over night (or for several hours) you can make your cake. We have a house full of Celiacs (people who are allergic to wheat/gluten) so I made our cake gluten free, but you don’t have too. I usually use Betty Crocker but I was out of that cake mix and had this one on hand so this is the one I used. The best thing to do is to take a nap and let your handsome hubby bake the cake for you. He will love it because he will earn major brownie points, and you will love it because you get to take a nap while your cake is baking. It’s totally a win/win situation.

Sorry about this terrible picture… But you will want to let the cake cool off to where its cool to the touch.

Then take a butter knife and cut a grid in the cake, cutting long ways and then short ways, making sure you are cutting all the way through.

Make a layer of cake on the bottom of the container that will hold you cake. I use a trifle cake container because it’s tall and works great for the layering. Any container that is tall and thin will work great.

After you add the layer of cake add a layer of strawberries with some of the juices. You can see the strawberries on the left side that have the syrup in the bottom. Scoop a layer of strawberries and the syrup onto the cake.

Cover that layer with whip cream. You want the whip cream to be soft so it spreads easily. I usually leave it out on the counter for about an hour, but if you don’t (or forget) just throw it in the microwave for about 30 seconds and it will soften up. Repeat this process until all the layers are done and all your ingredients are gone. I get about 4 layers.

Put and air tight lid on the Strawberry Shortcake and put it in the fridge for at least an hour (I prefer 2-3). This step is what will help the juices from the strawberries absorb into the cake. If you don’t let it sit for a little while your cake will not be soft and moist (which means your missing out on the best part). This is something you can easily make in the morning and eat later with dinner or take to a party.