May is a berrydelicious month and I love sinking my teeth into a ripe juicy berry straight from the fields or produce stand. It’s okay if a little drips down your chin, all in the spirit of strawberry season!
Equally yummy is the challenge of developing other tantalizing ways to devour as much of the succulent seasonal fruit as possible before they become extinct in my area for the next 11 months.
Yes, you can get strawberries all year round but nothing shipped in from Florida or California compares to our local Pungo Patch.
When May rolls in it’s time to whip out grandma’s pound cake recipe because traditional strawberry short cake is a must. The dense confection loaded with powdered sugar, more vanilla than most pound cakes, and oh yes butter, makes the perfect bed to spoon the juicy home grown fruit onto along with a drizzle of the sweet nectar and dollop or 2 of whipped crème.
Grandma's Strawberry Shortcake
Ingredients For Pound Cake
3 sticks of butter (not margarine)
1 lb. of powdered sugar (sifted)
6 eggs
8 oz. sour cream
1lb. of flour measured in sugar box - 3 1/2 cups (sifted)
2 tbsp. vanilla, lemon, or almond flavoring
Topping - This is prepared by the slice so the amount depends on personal preference and how many people you are serving.
Fresh Strawberries
Sugar To Taste (optional - berries vary from year to year. If they're really sweet you many not need any but if you want the syrupy nectar to drizzle over the top you'll need to mix in some sugar as that draws out the natural fruit juice)
Light whipped creme, Cool whip, vanilla or strawberry ice cream (whichever you prefer)
Directions
Preheat oven to 325. Spray a tube pan with Pam Cooking Spray. Rub in with fingers especially if using a fluted pan. You want to make sure that all the surface is coated so the cake won't stick.
Cream butter well. Gradually add sugar and blend until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add sour cream and mix well. Beat in flour. Then add flavoring.
Pour into pan and bake for 60 to 75 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Leave in pan for 10 minutes. Then remove to a cooling rack.
As with any cake you're supposed to allow it to cool before slicing but I love a piece when the top is slightly crusty and the inside is soft,warm and that vanilla, buttery aroma steams up to your nose with each bite! In your kitchen you make and break the rules. Just enjoy!
Now you can eat your strawberry shortcake and drink it too or go with my healthier alternative, grilled chicken, spinach, and pecan salad with a strawberry crème dressing, featured in my next post.
I’m on this tasty kick of transforming your favorite desserts into cocktails so here’s my liquid version of strawberry shortcake.
Strawberry Shortcake Cocktail
Ingredients
4 oz. fresh strawberries
1 1/2 oz. Parrot Bay Strawberry Rum
2 oz. vanilla rum
1/2 oz club soda
1/2 tbsp. honey (optional depending on your taste and sweetness of berries)
splash of fresh lime juice
whipped creme
strawberry for garnish
Directions
Put strawberries in blender. Pulse 5 times. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend completely. Pour in glasses, top with whipped creme, and a strawberry, if you like.
Are you a strawberry lover too?
Do you have a favorite cocktail or dessert that showcases this delicacy?
Subscribe now so you catch my next post showcasing a homemade strawberry crème and see how delicious it is on salad and cake!
Nice post. I learn something new and challenging on blogs I stumbleupon on a daily basis. It's always helpful to read articles from other authors and practice a little something from their web sites.
Posted by: garcinia cambogia Extract | September 29, 2013 at 08:52 AM
Thanks for stopping by! If you decide to give this recipe or any of the others a try let me know how they turn out.
Posted by: Jennifer | October 02, 2013 at 12:33 PM