Easy Giant Strawberry Shortcake – Lawd Have Mercy

Strawberry Shortcake is one of my top 5 favorite desserts, hands down. Since strawberry season is coming to an end, I got inspired to make a gigantic version: with a light, lemony cake and fluffy whipped cream, piled high.

Strawberry Shortcake is the quintessential summer dessert.

My go-to version of this dessert is made with my Rainy Day Biscuits, and I’m a huge fan. But when I was dreaming up what to do with the 3 heaping pints of strawberries I bought at the market this part Sunday, I was picturing a gigantic version, a showstopper. But still – and this is important – really easy to make.

Tried of thinking about what to cook? I gotchu.

The cake for the bottom layer is a simple almond cake, made with just 5 ingredients. While the cake is baking, you’ll want to toss the strawberries with a little sugar to extract their juices and bring our their sweetness. And then- once the cake is cooled, whip up some cream (or coconut cream) and pile it all on.

Most of this recipe can be made ahead of time with great results. Once the cake is fully cooled, remove from the pan and wrap it tightly. The strawberries will continue to get juicier the longer they’re hanging out with sugar – just stick them in the fridge if you’re leaving them for more than 2 hours.

If you are up to your ears in strawberries, try this shortcake with a combination of fresh and roasted strawberries – the added jamminess of the roasted ones will be sublime.

Giant Strawberry Shortcake

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This simple to make showstopper is the quintessential summer dessert

• Author: zenbelly
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Total Time: 55 minutes
• Yield: 8-10 servings
• Category: dessert

Ingredients

For the cake: 

• oil or cooking spray for greasing the pan
• 4 eggs, whites and yolks separated
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar (or coconut sugar) 
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups almond flour
• pinch salt 

For the strawberries: 

• 2 heaping pints strawberries (about 1.5 pounds) cleaned, hulled, and sliced
• 1–2 tablespoons sugar, depending on the sweetness of your berries
• pinch salt 

For the whipped cream: 

• 1 cup heavy cream or coconut cream
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• maple syrup or powdered sugar, optional

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Instructions

To make the cake: 

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.  Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan. Insert a parchment circle into the bottom and lightly grease that too. 
2. Using a stand mixer or large bowl with hand beaters, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. 
3. In another large bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla. 
4. Stir in the almond flour and a pinch of salt. 
5. Once the egg whites are beaten, stir in about 1/4 of them to the almond mixture. Once well mixed, gently fold in the rest, doing your best to not over mix. 
6. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for about 25 minutes, or until it’s golden brown, and bounces back when you lightly push it in the center. 
7. Allow to cool, and run a sharp knife around the perimeter of the cake before removing the sides of the pan. 

For the strawberries, whipped cream, and assembly:

1. While the cake is baking, toss the strawberries with the sugar and a pinch of salt. Set aside for up to two hours. Refrigerate if allowing them to sit longer. 
2. When the cake is close to cool, whip the cream with the vanilla and a little maple syrup or sugar, if desired
3. Once the cake is fully cooled, remove it from the pan by running a knife along the perimeter and carefully releasing the sides of the pan. 
4. Place the cake on a serving plate and top with strawberries and their juices, and whipped cream. 

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