About Strawberry Shortcake

Strawberries are a great fruit for dessert and along with the ice cream, pies and other creations, strawberry shortcake is a great way to use the fruit. Strawberry shortcake is a simple creation and the idea can also be expanded to make the dessert feed larger groups of people.

Function

Traditional strawberry shortcake is used by making real shortcake. Shortcake is created using a mix of baking powder, sugar, flour, butter, salt and cream. The ingredients are mixed until smooth and then the batter is evenly distributed on a baking sheet and baked until risen. Once the shortcakes have cooled, dried strawberries are added along with a whipped cream topping and strawberry juice. These shortcakes can be layered with multiple strawberries and whipped cream or served as individual cakes.

Misconceptions

Many of today's strawberry shortcakes are made by using a sponge cake instead of shortcake. It is cheaper to purchase and does not require any baking. Smaller sponge cakes are commonly made for the intention of strawberry shortcakes and feature indentions in the middle for strawberries and toppings. Some recipes also use pie crusts for strawberry shortcake.

Geography

In Britain, strawberry shortcake may also be referred to as strawberry scones. In Japan, it is a popular dessert and often replaces a birthday cake during celebrations. Southern areas of the United States often use the pie crust method or a corn muffin as a base for strawberry shortcake.

Types

Strawberry shortcake is usually best when fresh strawberries are used, but frozen strawberries can also be used. Whipped cream is usually preferred from the can, but other varieties, like Cool Whip, are popular as well. Strawberries can be mixed or replaced with other fruits like bananas, blueberries, raspberries and peaches to create a shortcake variety.

Significance

"Strawberry Shortcake" is also the name of a popular cartoon character created in 1977 for a collection of greeting cards. Strawberries are the main focus of this character and other dessert characters are popular, as well. The creation has also been transformed into a Little Debbie snack cake and is featured as a main dessert at many restaurants.

Resources

• Strawberry Shortcake Recipe