Strawberry Shortcake

⏳ Time

1 hour 10 minutes

🥕 Ingredients

🍽️ Servings

Description

Egg whites must be separated from the yolks very carefully, ensuring that not a drop of yolk gets into the whites, otherwise they will not whip up. Also, the bowl in which the egg whites will be whipped must be clean, free of any grease. You can wipe the bowl with a paper towel or napkin dampened with vinegar. During baking, the meringue increases in volume, but it will deflate after being removed from the oven. If desired, the whipped cream can be used to cover not only the top but also the sides of the cake (first trim the sides by cutting off excess and giving it a proper shape) and decorate the sides with slices of strawberries or almond petals. It is better to whip the cream for covering the cake separately, at the last moment, as heavy cream does not hold its shape well, and if you whip all the cream for the cake at once, the whipped cream may become more liquid during the assembly of the cake.

Ingredients

Strawberry - 10.6 oz
Sugar - 3.5 oz
Water - 2 fl oz
Chocolate eggs - 5 pieces
Wheat Flour - 3.5 oz
Vanilla salt - 2 teaspoons
10% cream - 27 fl oz
Egg white - 3 pieces
Powdered Sugar - 8 tablespoons

Step by Step guide

Step 1

Prepare the sponge cake, remove it from the mold, and transfer it to a wire rack. Allow it to rest at room temperature for 8–12 hours (to prevent the sponge from becoming soggy when soaked with syrup) and cut it into 4 layers. Prepare the meringue. Pour the egg whites into a bowl.

Step 2

Beat the egg whites on low speed with a mixer until they form a light foam, about 1 minute. Increase the speed to maximum and continue beating until a light, fluffy foam forms (there should be a slight ripple on the surface of the egg white mixture from the mixer blades). Without stopping the beating, gradually add the sugar along with the vanilla sugar. Beat the egg whites with the sugar until a thick, dense mass forms. When the bowl is turned upside down, the whipped egg whites should not spill out. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and draw a circle on it equal to the diameter of the sponge cake. Turn the parchment over so that the pencil mark is on the reverse side. Spread the whipped egg whites evenly within the drawn circle. Bake the meringue for about 13 minutes, until light golden, in a preheated oven at 356°F.

Step 3

Prepare the strawberry syrup. Wash the strawberries, remove the green tops, cut the berries in half, and place them in a small saucepan. Sprinkle the berries with sugar, add water, stir, bring to a boil, and remove any foam. Let the syrup simmer for about 5–7 minutes and mash the berries with a potato masher. Strain the strawberry puree through a sieve. Allow the resulting syrup to cool. Whip the cream. Pour the cream into a bowl. Beat on low speed with a mixer until it begins to thicken. When the mixer blades start to leave traces on the surface of the cream (the cream at this point still does not hold its shape and the traces quickly disappear), increase the mixer speed to medium and add the sifted powdered sugar. Continue beating until distinct peaks form (at the end of whipping, increase the mixer speed to maximum). As soon as distinct peaks appear, stop beating immediately. If you continue to whip, the cream will start to become liquid, separate, and eventually turn into butter.

Step 4

Assemble the cake. Wash the strawberries, dry them, remove the green tops, and slice the berries. Place one sponge cake layer on a serving plate and soak it with strawberry syrup. Spread some whipped cream evenly over the layer. Arrange the strawberry slices on top (you can sprinkle the strawberries lightly with powdered sugar). Top with whipped cream and spread evenly. Place the second layer, soak it with syrup, and spread with cream. Place the meringue on the layer. Spread the meringue with cream. Cover the meringue with the third layer and soak it with syrup. Spread the layer with cream, add strawberries, and cover the strawberries with whipped cream again. Place the fourth (top) layer on the cake and gently press down with your hands, slightly compressing the cake and giving it a proper shape. Cover the top of the cake with the remaining whipped cream.