Strawberry shortcake is an early summer ritual at our house. That dessert never fails to bring a smile to the face of anyone seated at our table. And last week I got a real surprise that made my day.
Nancy, one of my high school classmates, lives on a beautiful farm. She texted me to ask if I wanted some strawberries from her berry patch. Of course I said yes! And THEN she informed me I didn’t even need to pick them…she already had them ready and waiting for me! (Now THAT is a REAL friend!!!) So I grabbed a mask and hopped in the car to take the beautiful drive to her home to pick them up. It was a PERFECT “rag top” day in our convertible.
Now check out these beauties! Two whole quarts of fresh picked summer sweetness!
I couldn’t take those berries without giving Nancy something in return, so I took her a small bottle of the Homemade Limoncello I just made.
We sat at her picnic table for a short visit (social distanced for sure) before I headed home with those strawberries.
I can’t look at strawberries without thinking about Mom and the old fashioned Shortcake she used to make every summer.
She always baked her shortcakes in two pie pans. Then she would cut each shortcake into six or eight pie shaped wedges before serving. I can still see that moist and crumbly shortcake topped with strawberries she would mash and sweeten with just enough sugar to make it the perfect dessert.
Sometimes I add some slivered basil or mint to those berries before building this gorgeous dessert. Whatever floats your boat Dear Readers! It can be YOUR recipe now.
Now go make some shortcake…and please blow a kiss to my Mom in Heaven.
Mom's Old Fashioned Shortcake
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Flour
- 1/2 Cup Sugar
- 1 Egg
- 1/3 Cup COLD Butter, Diced
- 4 tsps. Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp. Salt
- 1/3 Cup Milk
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 450 Degrees
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Combine all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir well to combine.
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In a separate bowl combine beaten egg and milk.
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Cut diced, cold butter into flour mixture and mix well. (I use my fingers to mix.)
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Combine wet and dry ingredients and mix well.
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Grease and flour two round cake pans or pie pans.
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Divide dough mixture into two balls and press down into each pan. (Dough does not have to reach the edges.)
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Bake in preheated 450 Degree oven for about 15 minutes.
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Cool the shortcakes. Cut into slices and top with berries and whipped cream or heavy cream.
This is the perfect receipe for strawberry shortcake.
Thanks Marye! It was (and still is) a family favorite!
XOXO
Meemaw
Thank you Meemaw. Reminds me of my momma’s cooking!!
Aww…Nancy…Thank YOU!! That was a WONDERFUL compliment!! Enjoy that shortcake, and this old Meemaw is sending you HUGS to go with it!
XOXO
Meemaw
Going to try your recipe. Gotta be great coming from a Kalona grandma!!! I grew up in North English and fondly remember my grandmothers shortcakes. She made a huge cake(fit perfectly in a large soup bowl) and smothered with sweeten strawberries. Thanks for the memory!!
Aww…Thank YOU David! I hope my mother’s shortcake will bring back wonderful memories of your childhood! And BTW…my hubby (known by our Indy grandgirls as Peepaw) attended kindergarten in Kinross…so his Iowa roots run deep, just as mine do. 🙂
Happy Baking!
XOXO
Meemaw
Can’t wait to try this recipe. My grandma Luckey from Columbus Jct, Iowa used to make strawberry shortcake in a cast iron skillet. We don’t have her recipe so I am anxious to try this one. We live in New York now, but miss our friends and family in Washington, Iowa. We also miss the Stringtown grocery and the Country Store near Kalona. I’m bookmarking your site right now.
Aww…THANK YOU Carol! I hope my Mom’s recipe will bring back wonderful memories of YOUR family! And welcome to my blog!
XOXO
Meemaw
Hi! I’m preparing your Mom’s recipe and I had a quick question. Is Flour self rising?
Just wondering – Can I bake this in a square pan? What about a 9″ x 13″ pan? Would the oven temperature and/or time change?
Thanks
Oh Jacquie…I am SO SORRY I haven’t replied until now! The batter for the shortcake recipe will NOT fill a 9 x 13 pan. You could bake it in a square pan, but don’t spread it out too thin. It’s a dough that’s no meant to spread out like a thin-batter cake. It bakes up almost the texture of a biscuit. And that rather dry texture allows it to soak up all the yummy juices from the strawberries. You want to make your fruit extra juicy to allow it to soak into the shortcake. I hope this helps in your future attempts!
XOXO
Meemaw
There has to be something missing in this recipe, It was so dry and certainly wouldn’t be enough batter for 2 round cake pans. I put it in a square pan and it wasn’t enough batter for that. The butter is a nice touch. It rose a little but with a very dense texture.
I’m sorry you didn’t care for it. It’s a very dense batter that isn’t meant to fill the cake pans. It’s simply spread somewhat and the edges are left unsmoothed. The texture is more like a biscuit, and it’s meant to be sliced like a pie and drenched in the juices from strawberries or other fruit. The dense texture allows it to soak up all those sweet juices. I hope you’ll give some of my other recipes a try! Happy Baking!
XOXO
Meemaw
Excited to try the Strawberry Shortcake recipe!
Thanks Jerilynn! I hope you liked it! It’s not too sweet, and it’s a dense cake…almost like a biscuit. And that allows it to soak up all the juices from fruits and berries. Happy Baking!!
XOXO
Meemaw
I have made this 2 days in a row now for extended family. We all love the texture, how it isn’t overly sweet, and I like how easy it is! Thank you. This will be my go to short cake.
Aww…Thank you Julia! I’m so glad you and your family liked it! Happy Baking!!
XOXO
Meemaw