Strawberry Shortcake

This cake was inspired by my mother-in-law.  For her birthday last year (her 70th) she wasn't going to have a cake because we were all going to be staying out of town to celebrate.  On top of that, her favorite cake is strawberry shortcake and several members of the family don't like strawberries or whipped cream (crazy I know).  I am pretty big on birthdays so I insisted that I would make a cake and bring it with us.  That being said, I needed a cake that could travel and so this cake was born.  I've made it several times since then and it is always a hit.

For the cake layer I started with this pound cake recipe from Brown Eyed Baker.  If you aren't familiar with her blog, you need to check it out!  Her desserts never let me down.  I cut the recipe in half because I was making a 9 inch round cake, not a large bundt.  I also replaced the sour cream with fat free Greek yogurt because I usually have some on hand and it cuts fat and calories without changing the taste or texture.  This cake freezes really well so sometimes I make the whole recipe and freeze one cake.

Preheat your oven to 325 and spray your cake pan with cooking spray, if you have baking spray, even better.  I love these leakproof springform pans because it gives you a cake with straight (not sloping) sides and it is super easy to get your cake out.

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

In the bowl of your mixer cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 4 minutes).

In another bowl (I know it's a lot of dishes but this cake is totally worth it) whisk together the yogurt, eggs, honey, and vanilla.

With your mixer on low alternate adding the flour mixture and the yogurt mixture starting and ending with the flour until just combined.  Then give it one more mix with a rubber spatula (or my favorite, the spoonula).

Pour the batter into your prepared pan and bake for 40-50 minutes or until a tester in the middle comes out clean.  Let it cool in the pan for about 10 minutes and then take it out of the pan to cool the rest of the way.  If you are making this ahead wrap it tightly in a few layers of plastic wrap and freeze.  The day you are going to serve it, just take it out of the freezer a few hours before you are going to assemble the rest of the cake.

To make it a strawberry shortcake I just used light whipped topping (like Cool-Whip) because we were traveling and it was easier to transport.  Also, it is light which you can't exactly do with homemade whipped cream.  You could totally make this with homemade whip cream though and it would be just as (if not even more) delicious.  I wouldn't recommend using the whipped cream from the spray can though because I don't think it would hold up to the weight of the strawberries.

Use a large spoon to spread the whipped topping on top of the cake in a thick layer.  Then slice your strawberries and layer neatly on top of the whipped topping.

Serve with extra whipped topping and strawberries on the side if desired.

Strawberry Shortcake
Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker's Honey-Vanilla Sour Cream Poundcake

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup fat-free Greek yogurt
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tbls. honey
• 1 tub light Cool-Whip or homemade whipped cream
• 1 1/2 - 2 lbs. strawberries, tops removed and sliced.

1. Spray a 9-inch cake pan with baking spray and preheat oven to 325.
2. In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
3. In the bowl of your mixer cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 4 minutes).
4. In a separate bowl whisk together the yogurt, eggs, vanilla, and honey.
5. With your mixer on low alternate adding the flour mixture and the yogurt mixture starting and ending with the flour until just combined.  Then give it one more mix with a rubber spatula.
6. Pour the batter into your prepared pan and bake for 40-50 minutes or until the top springs back lightly and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Let cool 10 minutes in the pan, then remove from the pan to cool completely.
8. To assemble, spread whipped topping over the top of the cake in thick layer and then cover with sliced strawberries.
9. Serve with extra whipped topping and strawberries if desired.

I'm linking up with Thrifty Thursday, Get Him Fed Fridays, Pin Junkie, Best of the Weekend, Link Party Palooza, Weekend Potluck, Strut Your Stuff Saturday, Super Saturday, Show Stopper Saturday, Inspiration Monday, Mix It Up Monday, Craftastic Monday, Busy Monday, and Monday Funday.