Vanilla-Macerated Berry Shortcake #FoodieExtravaganza

Foodie Extravaganza is where we celebrate obscure food holidays or cook and bake together with the same ingredient or theme each month.

Posting day for #FoodieExtravaganza is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook page Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you! If you're a spectator looking for delicious tid-bits check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board!

This month Kelly of Simply Inspired Meals is hosting the group as we shine the spotlight on strawberries. She wrote: "May is National Strawberry Month. Join us in creating recipes featuring strawberries as the star!" It was a timely invitation as I had just made a berry shortcake, by request, for my husband's birthday. Well, it was one of his requested treats. In any case, here's the  strawberry line-up from the #FoodieExtravaganza bloggers...

• Barbecued Strawberry Chicken From  Making Miracles
• Fresas con Crema From  A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Korean Strawberry Milk From Tara's Multicultural Table
• Simple Strawberry Vodka From Food Lust People Love
• SOP Mocktail From Sneha's Recipe
• Strawberry Marshmallows From Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Strawberry Shrikand From Magical Ingredients
• Vanilla-Macerated Berry Shortcake From Culinary Adventures with Camilla

"Strawberry Shortcake" By Request

image from toysrus.com

When I asked Jake for any birthday requests last week, he asked for five different desserts, including 'strawberry shortcake'. Yes. Five. He also wanted an Upside-Down Mango Cake, Rhubarb Pie, a layer cake, and a cheesecake.

But at the strawberry shortcake request, I paused. The first thing that came to mind were these dolls from the 80s! I really disliked dolls; my grandmother tried and tried to get me fascinated with Barbie. But, when she bought me these dolls, I was moderately intrigued. I remember her being thrilled and she bought me every single doll in the series - Apple Dumplin, Rasberry Tart, Mint Tulip, Cherry Cuddler, and more. When I was a kid, I loved that the dolls' hair smelled. Now I wonder: What kind of awful chemicals made those dolls smell for so long!?! 

Turns out that William Shakespeare used it as a character's name, in the early 17th century, in The Merry Wives of Windsor: Alice Shortcake. And, according to Driscoll's, the first strawberry shortcake recipe appeared in an English cookbook as early as 1588 with a base more like a pie crust or biscuit.

In any case, I started asking around. "What do you think of when I say 'strawberry shortcake?'" Friends and family all had differing answers. Some said the base was a sweetened biscuit; others were adamant that the base was a pound cake. Most intriguing to me was an angel food cake. But Jake clarified that if I didn't want to an angel food cake, he pictured more of a pound cake. Done!

Also, when I went to the market, I found some beautiful organic strawberries and blackberries. So I decided to mix them.

Ingredients

Vanilla-Macerated Berries 

(do this at least one hour before you want to serve)

• 1 cup organic strawberries, hulled and thickly sliced
• 1 cup organic blackberries, halved lengthwise
• 1 cup organic granulated sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Yogurt Pound Cake

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened + some for buttering baking pan
• 3 cups orgranic granulated sugar
• 6 large eggs
• 3 cups flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup organic plain whole milk yogurt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla paste
• Also needed: whipped cream for serving; more berries for garnish; fresh mint leaves for garnish

Procedure

Vanilla-Macerated Berries
Place the water and sugar in a medium saucepan. Heat, over medium heat, swirling the pan until the sugar is dissolved completely. Once dissolved, add in the vanilla extract and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool. Place prepped fruit in a bowl or container with a lid. Pour the cooled vanilla simple syrup over the fruit and let macerate for at least an hour or as much as overnight.

Yogurt Pound Cake
Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar together until lightened and fluffy, Approximately 5 to 6 minutes. Add in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Whisk in the yogurt and vanilla paste. In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour and baking soda.

Beat on low and slowly add the flour mixture. Beat until just moistened. Spoon batter into a buttered pan; I used a 10" square pan.

Bake for 75 minutes - or until the cake top is firm to the touch or a toothpick comes out clean. Run a butter knife along the edge and let the cake cool completely before slicing.

To Serve

You can do this in one  layer or two. I opted for two layers.

Place slices of pound cake in individual bowls or plates. Add a dollop of whipped cream. Top with macerated berries. Garnish with more whipped cream, more berries, and mint  leaves. Serve immediately.

That's a wrap. But we'll be back next month when I host an event that features eggs. June 3rd is, after all, National Egg Day. Stay tuned.