Strawberry Shortcake with Lemon Whipped Cream

Strawberry shortcake is an American dessert that dates back to the mid 1800s and it’s still a favorite dessert around dinner tables today. My version of the strawberry shortcake involves a layer cake. Okay, let me back up, I first made the first version of this cake back in college with a cake mix. If my memory serves me well the recipe was from an old Betty Crocker cookbook I still have today. I wasn’t sure how the cake would go over, but it was a hit! My friends went crazy over this cake and started asking for the cake on a regular basis. Years passed and people still asked for the cake, but I moved on to making other desserts. Baking for me has always been an adventure so I’d conquered this recipe so I moved on. I know, I know. Fast forward to 2014 and I’ve finally making this cake again, this time with a twist of course. I’ve graduated from a box cake to a homemade vanilla cake. The whipped cream also got an update with lemon zest. Y’all know how much I love lemon flavors!

When you make this cake, yes, I already know you’re going to make it, and you don’t have time to make a cake from scratch, go for a box cake mix. My one request is that you still make the whipped cream from scratch. 🙂

1 1/2 cups cold whipping cream

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon lemon zest

Doesn’t this look delicious? 🙂

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. In a stand mixer cream your butter and sugar together. Once the butter and sugar mixture is cream, add each egg one at a time. Once the eggs have been combined, at the vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, sift the flour and baking powder together. Add the flour mixture and milk to the butter and sugar mixture starting and ending with the flour mixture.

Coat your cake pans in butter then sprinkle and coat with sugar. Add the cake batter to the pans then bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool the cakes and set to the side while you make the whipped cream. Once the whipped cream is made, frost the cake with whipped cream then top with strawberries. Add the top layer, frost with whipped cream then serve!

** You can prepare the cake the day before and wrap in cling wrap and refrigerate overnight if you need to.

**Also, this was my first time making this particular cake. I didn’t alter the recipe since it was my first time making it. In the future I will likely reduce the sugar to one cup.

Chill a large bowl about an hour. After the bowl has chilled, add the whipping cream, sugar, vanilla and lemon zest and beat until whipped! Chill the whipped cream for about 15 minutes. Remove from the refrigerator and start building the cake.

Strawberry Shortcake Deliciousness!

Tamara Eckles is a baker, blogger and radio host who loves Discovering Something Sweet!

Get social with Tamara here:

Instagram: http://instagram.com/jemofthesouth

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/jemofthesouth/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jemofthesouth

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/Jemofthesouth