Strawberry Shortcake Recipe

Excerpted from ‘Not That Fancy’ by Reba McEntire

piece of strawberry shortcake on plate; bowl of strawberries behind it

Kris D’Amico Photography

This dessert is a classic for a reason! You can make each component from scratch, like we do at my restaurant, or mix and match with store-bought options. It’s up to you to make this as simple or fancy as you’d like!

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Prep time: 40 minutes

Cook time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

16 ounces strawberries, tops removed and quartered (about 2 cups)
¼ cup sugar
1 vanilla bean, split (or ½ teaspoon vanilla extract)
1 tablespoon Grand Marnier (optional)

For the whipped cream:

2 cups heavy whipping cream, very cold
⅓ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon Grand Marnier (optional)

For the cake:

1 ¾ cups sugar
1 ¼ cups cake flour (sold in the baking aisle near the all-purpose flour)
¼ teaspoon salt
12 egg whites, room temperature
1 ½ teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon Grand Marnier (optional)

Directions

Place the strawberries in a large mixing bowl and sprinkle with the sugar. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the bowl (or add the vanilla extract), and pour in the Grand Marnier (if using). Stir gently to coat the berries in sugar. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, and up to 8 hours.

For the whipped cream, pour the heavy whipping cream into a large mixing bowl. Beat with a hand mixer on medium-high speed until the cream holds medium peaks, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the sugar, vanilla and Grand Marnier (if using). Continue beating just until the cream holds stiff peaks, about 1 to 2 minutes more.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

For the cake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Have ready a 9-inch tube pan. Do not grease. Place the sugar in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until very fine and powdery. Remove 1 cup of the sugar and set aside. Add the flour and salt to the food processor and pulse a few times to aerate.

Place the egg whites and cream of tartar in a very clean, completely dry mixing bowl. Beat with a hand mixer on medium-high speed until foamy, about 2 minutes. With the mixer running, slowly add the reserved 1 cup of sugar to the bowl. Continue beating until the egg whites double in volume and begin to hold soft peaks. Add the vanilla and Grand Marnier (if using), and beat until the mixture holds medium peaks.

Sift the flour mixture into the egg whites in three additions, folding with a very light hand after each, until the batter is just combined. Gently pour the batter into the tube pan and spread it into an even layer. Transfer to the lower-middle rack of the oven.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. (Do not open the oven while the cake is baking, or it will deflate!) Remove the pan from the oven. Turn the cake upside down onto a wire rack without removing the pan. Cool for at least 2 hours. Once cool, run a knife between the edges of the cake and the pan, then tap the bottom until the cake releases.

To serve, slice the cake into generous portions and arrange on serving plates. Spoon 1/4 cup of strawberries with their juices onto the cake, and top with a big dollop of the whipped cream.