Strawberry Shortcake Trifle

Here in Florida the strawberry season is just about to begin in full force although the complete season runs from December to April. In a couple of weeks we can enjoy the Plant City Florida Strawberry Festival - Late February through early March every year. Considered one of the top festivals in the country but Florida berries are already in the stores.

There is an interesting resource here http://www.pickyourown.org/index.htm#states where you will find the locations of many pick your own farms, strawberry festivals, blueberry festivals, corn festivals as well as instructions for making jams, ice creams and so on.

This recipe is a non-traditional take on an old Southern classic. Instead of a baking powder biscuit, this offers a sponge cake, scented with orange. Layering the cake with whipped cream, strawberries and juices in a glass bowl and you have something between a trifle and a shortcake.

Bake this cake in an 8 x 13 or 9 x 13 inch pan, and it will be crisp around the edges and a little bit chewy like a cookie. You can adjust the sugar to use less and the resulting cake will be less crisp and chewy. The orange zest should be freshly grated and it does not overwhelm the strawberry flavor but complements it.

ADVANCE PREP

Preheat oven to 375 degree

Grease and flour an 8 by 13 inch baking pan

INGREDIENTS

3 Large

Eggs, room temperature

1 Tablespoon

Milk room temperature

1 ½ cups

Sugar

1 teaspoon

Orange zest grated

1 teaspoon Vanilla

1 teaspoon

Baking Powder

¼ teaspoon

Salt

1 Cup

All Purpose Flour

½ cup

butter melted

DIRECTIONS

Combine eggs and milk

Whip lightly

Add sugar

Add Orange zest and Vanilla

Add Baking powder and salt

Beat until light, fluffy and lemon colored

Gently fold the flour into the eggs

Gently fold the melted butter into the eggs

Pour or spoon the batter into the greased and floured pan

Bake until golden, test with a toothpick in center

Toothpick should come out clean when inserted in middle

This bakes quickly, may be done in 20 to 30 minutes

This recipe calls for tapioca flour, this is to stabilize the cream and keep it from weeping if you intend to keep the whipped cream for a few days. If you will eat the cream quickly it is safe to forget the tapioca.

Use heavy cream, not whipping cream for the best results. Whipping creams have a lower butter fat content and will break down sooner than heavy cream, so whipping cream is a last resort

2 Cups Heavy Cream Ice Cold

1/3 Cup Granulated Sugar

1 teaspoon Vanilla extract

OPTIONAL 2 teaspoon tapioca flour

You can make tapioca flour with a spice grinder and a mortar and pestle. Grind pearl tapioca to a fine powder with the spice grinder first, then pulverize it in a mortar and pestle.

Chill the bowl and beater for best results

Combine the cream, sugar, vanilla and tapioca flour

Start stirring and sprinkle the tapioca flour in gradually as you stir

Turn the speed to high and whip to a stiff peak

I usually turn the machine off a little early and whip the last few strokes by hand. This avoids turning the cream into butter.

I use granulated sugar because I think it adds a little loft to the cream, otherwise use powdered sugar

Rinse the strawberries

Remove the stems

Slice into quarters or slices

Dust the berries with powdered sugar

Stir the berries to coat all with sugar

Cover with cling wrap

Allow 2 to 4 hours for the berries to macerate

This will pull some juice out of the berries, creating a strawberry sauce and sweetening the berries