Shortcake

adapted from Pioneer Woman Cooks

We were getting ready for a 4th of July party and I had a cake meltdown. The cake I made did not work at all and was a huge mess. So with an hour to go, I turned to the reliable Pioneer Woman, hoping she had a simple recipe we could throw together at the last minute. And she saved the day. Because I was just done with cooking at that point, Ben ended up making the whole thing and it turned out so great!

For our topping, we used whipped cream and berries. For a more decadent icing, PW has a lovely looking cream cheese icing that looks divine to try...

1 1/2 cups flour

3 Tbsp corn starch

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

9 Tbsp butter, room temperature (117 grams)

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 large eggs

1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla

Topping:

4-5 cups whipped cream (prepared)

Strawberries

Blueberries (optional)

*Important: If using 8 inch round cake pans, be sure it is at least 2 inches deep or the batter will overflow!

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 inch round cake pan or 9 inch square (we needed a rectangle shape so we used a 9x11 inch pan...)

Whisk together flour, salt, baking soda and corn starch.

Cream butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs in one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add sour cream and vanilla and mix until combined. Add sifted ingredients and mix until just combined.

Pour into a greased and floured cake pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until no longer jiggly in the middle. An inserted knife should come out clean and the cake should look lightly tanned. Remove cake from the pan as soon as possible and put it on a rack to cool completely.

Wash and slice the berries. Once the cake is completely cool, slice it in half through the middle (so there are two layers) Spread about 1-2 cups whipped cream on the bottom half of the cake and cover with a layer of strawberry slices. Put the other half of the cake on top of the cream/berry layer and use the remaining whipped cream to cover the entire cake. Decorate with berries and serve. If not eating right away, store in the fridge.