eclaire (what’s in a) name?

years ago, when we were living in a townhouse in capitola, we were having a barbecue outside when a guy came around, selling strawberries door to door.  usually i say no to door to door salesmen, but the strawberries looked so delectable, and the price was low, and there they were, right in front of me – i didn’t even have to leave my house to purchase them! so i bought a whole flat of strawberries and instantly decided i had to make a strawberry shortcake, which is one of my absolute favorite desserts.  whoever decided to combine cake with fresh berries and whipped cream was a genius.

i searched frantically for a recipe in my recipe box to no avail, so i opened up the good ol’ joy of cooking and created one of my first recipe adaptations, drawing from an angel food cake and a boston creme pie (cake). mike and i got the cake into the oven in no time, sent a friend out for whipped cream, and had a delightful feast at the end of our barbecue.

when i start seeing large quantities of strawberries at the store and farmers market, i instantly crave this dessert more than anything else. so when we decided to have a little bbq a few weekends ago, this was the first thing i decided we absolutely had to have (the second thing was potato salad, and the third was a bunch of delicious roasted asparagus).

i have to add the disclaimer that this is not a standard shortcake – it’s not biscuit-like or heavy at all. in fact, this recipe requires that the eggs get separated and the egg whites get beaten apart from the rest of the batter. but trust me – it is completely worth this extra step, as it makes the cake that much lighter and i think the lighter cake lends well to the heavy whipped cream and easily sops up extra strawberry juices. i tend to make my own whipped cream [editor's note: by "tend" i mean that i can count the number of times i've used canned whipped cream on one hand], but you can substitute any kind of whipped topping you like – vegan or not. i also do not sweeten the strawberries, as i think they are sweet enough on their own, and i like the bit of tartness juxtaposed with the sweet cake and cream. my last note to you before i give you the recipe is: buy more strawberries than you think you’ll need, because they go FAST!

strawberry shortcake

adapted from joy of cooking
yields 8 servings

• cake
• 1/3c butter, at room temp
• 2/3c sugar
• 1t vanilla
• 2 egg yolks
• 1¼c flour
• 2t baking powder
• 1/4t salt
• 3/4c soy milk
• 2 egg whites

• whipped cream
• 1 pint heavy whipping cream
• 1/4c powdered sugar (or more, to taste)
• 1t vanilla

• strawberries
• 3+ green baskets of strawberries, sliced
• 1/4c sugar, optional
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1. for the cake: preheat the oven to 350° and grease an 8″ cake pan
2. cream the butter, sugar, vanilla, and egg yolks together
3. combine flour, baking powder, and salt together in measuring cup and pour a third of the dry ingredients into the butter mixture, beating until just combined
4. add 1/4c soy milk and beat until incorporated
5. repeat steps 3 and 4 until all dry and wet ingredients are in and the batter is cohesive
6. beat the two egg whites in a separate bowl until stiff, and then fold them into the batter
7. pour into the greased cake pan and bake for 25-35 minutes, testing with a toothpick until the center is no longer gooey and the cake springs back when you press it off center
8. for the whipped cream: beat the heavy whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla together until it is thick and no longer runny – the exact sweetness and thickness are up to you
9. for the strawberries: wash and slice the strawberries into thin circles, discarding overripe berries and tops
10. if desired, sprinkle a little sugar over the berries and mix to incorporate – this will make the berries release their juices and make them saucy
11. cut a slice of cake when it has cooled, top with the whipped cream and strawberries, and enjoy!