BakeSpite.net

Today was Cat’s birthday, so I wanted to do something nice for her. “Nice” as in, “make her a cake.” Her request was strawberry shortcake, which was something I’ve never made before. So, I grabbed a somewhat random recipe off the Internet and ran with it. For better or for worse!

The results were… interesting. I went with this particular recipe because it seemed fairly simple and looked like a novel change of pace from the usual spongecake style of strawberry shortcake, which I’ve never been a big fan of. When I think strawberry shortcake, I generally think of bland, spongy, wannabe angel food cake, which is no way to celebrate a birthday!

What I didn’t realize — probably because I suck at reading recipes — is that this cake is less of a cake and more of a pastry. The texture of the cake is almost like a shortbread cookie, except lighter and airier. It’s also only mildly sweet, which is nice. It’s a rich, crisp, light, buttery wafer, which ended up being a great complement to the sweet berries I picked up on the way home. Bringing the two together was hand-whipped heavy cream, which I sweetened slightly with vanilla extract and two teaspoons of brown sugar.

I thought it was surprisingly delicious, one of the very few strawberry shortcakes I’ve ever enjoyed. Cat, on the other hand, seemed initially taken aback by the uncharacteristic texture and consistency of the cake. She liked it, thankfully (because it sure would suck if the birthday girl hated her cake), but only after she warmed up to it.

All in all, a modest success.