Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Strawberry Short-Order Cake

Strawberry shortcake is one of those quintessential summer treats. Biscuity shortcakes, fresh strawberries, and plenty of whipped cream. Heavenly.

But...sometimes a bit fussy. So for those of us with a bit less patience who want their cake with their berries in it, too, I present this simple, one-bowl, no-eggs, seven-ingredient, no-fuss, mostly from-scratch, (overly adjectivized) summer cake. Not too sweet, not at all pretentious, with that old-fashioned biscuit flavor that shows off the berries at their best. Great for breakfast. . . if you can leave any leftovers.


Note: I believe this recipe would work equally well with raspberries (for Leah!), blueberries, blackberries, peaches, or any blend thereof. Try it and let me know.

Strawberry Short-Order Cake
As liberally adapted from my mother's neighbor's recipe for peach cobbler.
1 1/4 cups sugar + 3 tblsp. for strawberries and dusting
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 cups Bisquick
1 cup milk
1—1 1/2 cups strawberries (or other suggested fruit; see note)

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Slice strawberries into a small bowl and add about a tablespoon of sugar. Set aside.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients and stir until blended. Add milk and stir until the batter is relatively lump free. It should be a bit thicker than a typical cake batter. If it seems too dry, add a few tablespoons of milk. (or melted butter. You can choose. Culinary democracy.)

3. Pour 2/3 of the batter into a greased 8x8 baking dish. Add berries evenly. Spoon the rest of the batter over the berries, allowing a few berries to peek through. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar. Bake at 375°F for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake has a few crumbs clinging to it, but no gooey batter. The top of the cake should be golden brown.


Also... I need a more creative sign off than "Enjoy!" and Julie owns "Bon Appetit!" Any suggestions?

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