Strawberry Shortcake

Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 4 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
• 2 3/4 cups sugar, divided
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups self-rising flour
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups whipping cream
• 1 vanilla bean, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 egg yolks
• 6 whole good-looking strawberries
• 1 (7 ounce) can reddi-wip whipped cream

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 350.
• 2 stir together sliced strawberries & 1/2 cup sugar in a bowl. let stand, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.
• 3 beat 1 and 1/2 cups sugar and oil at medium speed w/ electric mixer until blended.
• 4 add eggs, one at a time, beating until blended after each addition.
• 5 add flour to oil mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour. beat at medium speed for 4 minutes, then beat in vanilla extract.
• 6 grease a 15 x 10" jellyroll pan & pour batter into pan.
• 7 bake @ 350 degrees for 28 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes; remove from pan & cool completely on wire rack.
• 8 cut cake into 12 rounds w/ a 3" biscuit cutter, and set rounds aside.
• 9 heat 1 and 1/2 cups whipping cream and vanilla bean pieces over medium-high heat in a heavy saucepan, stirring often. bring to a simmer (do not boil), then reduce heat to low. cook for 5 minutes.
• 10 remove from heat, cool in pan until vanilla beans are cool enough to handle. strain cream and reserve vanilla beans.
• 11 return cream to saucepan and squeeze seeds from vanilla beans into it. stir in remaining 3/4 cup sugar, and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until sugar dissolves.
• 12 beat egg yolks until thick and pale. gradually stir in 1/4 of hot cream mixture into yolks; add to remaining cream mixture in pan, stirring constantly. cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes or until mixture coats the back of a spoon. remove from heat & cool in fridge.
• 13 place 1 cake round on each serving plate. top w/ strawberries & custard. top w/ second cake round and more strawberries. top w/ whipped cream and a whole strawberry.