Strawberry Chiffon Shortcake

Strawberries!!!!  Sweet, juicy, just waiting to be eaten fresh or folded into a decadent dessert.  I used my dogs first birthday as an excuse to get friends together.  I knew I wanted to make dessert.  And it had to feature strawberries.

I was torn between strawberry cheesecake and almond cake with strawberry compote.  I was favoring the cheesecake (and had even written up an ingredient list), but then at the last minute decided against it.  You see J does not like cheesecake.  And I felt terrible wasting all the amazing berries on something J would not enjoy.  And furthermore it seemed like a shame to puree the first batch of the season instead of presenting them in all there glory.
I stumbled upon this recipe and it met all my criteria: 1) It featured whole strawberries and 2) I had most of the ingredients at home. It also featured copious amounts of cream, butter, eggs, and sugar.  Yum.  I chose to ignore the recommendation that the cake be cut thin.  It wasn’t bad with thick layers, but it wasn’t’ as moist as I would have liked.  When I think strawberry shortcake I think 1 part cake to five parts strawberries and cream.  Next time I’ll make fewer layers, add more cream, and perhaps brush each layer with jam.

When I look back at the pictures I don’t see the fantastic strawberries or the light whipped cream.  I see how lopsided and sloppy the cake looks.  I don’t think anyone noticed (at this point it was past 9pm and dark on the patio) but still.  If I am going to get serious about cooking, I’ve got to pay more attention to food presentation.  While smell is a big factor, presentation also spices up an other wise dull dish.  Not that this dish was dull.  It was just too cakey.

The recipe (and better pictures) can be found here.

Happy Mother’s Day!  This would make a perfect dessert for Mom.  Maybe I’ll make it for her when she comes in two weeks.

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