And while I was at it, I thought this would be a good little recipe to film for my video archive.  It’s a pretty simple recipe to demonstrate: we slice and prepare the strawberries, roll out the biscuits, and assemble these little masterpieces in no time.  But wait!  There’s a surprise moment.  I won’t tell you what it is, you’ll have to click the video and watch for yourselves.  I hope it gives you a chuckle.  And if you learn one thing about me, I hope it’s that I try to take things in stride.

Summery Strawberry Shortcake

Prepare the strawberries and whipped cream:

2 pints fresh strawberries, washed, hulled and sliced lengthwise
2/3 cup granulated sugar (divided)
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 cup heavy cream

Combine the sliced strawberries, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, and lemon juice in a bowl.  Toss gently and set aside.

Meanwhile in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or with a handheld mixer,) beat the remaining 1/3 cup of sugar with the heavy cream until soft peaks form.  Cover and refrigerate while you prepare the biscuits.

Prepare the shortcake biscuits:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick (8 tbsp) cold, unsalted butter (cut into small chunks)
3/4 cup heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Whisk the dry ingredients in a medium bowl until thoroughly combined.  Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or two knives until the butter is the size of small peas.  Add the cream and incorporate using a wooden spoon until the dough is thoroughly moistened, but not over-worked.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured, nonstick surface (such as a silicone baking mat or granite counter) and roll into a 1/2-inch-thick disk with a floured rolling pin.  Cut the dough into three-inch rounds using a cookie cutter, drinking cup, or empty tin can, gently rolling and re-rolling the dough as necessary. (You should have six to eight biscuits, depending on the size of the cutter and the thickness of the dough.)  Transfer the rounds to a cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.  Allow to cool.

Assemble the shortcakes:

Cut each cooled biscuit in half horizontally.  Place the bottom half on a plate and spoon the strawberries and whipped cream over it.  Place the top half of the biscuit on top of the berries and whipped cream.  Serve immediately.

I taught a class last weekend on how to make this cake and it was a blast.  Each participant made her own chocolate ruffle cake and this one pictured here is, in fact, the work of one of my students, Amna.  Do you know how proud a teacher is when the work of her student is better than her own?  Amna’s success really made my day.  I had made a cake during the demonstration portion of the class and had stashed it in the refrigerator to photograph later. But when Amna finished hers, I knew mine wasn’t worthy of the lens.  Amna’s was spectacular.

This edible masterpiece did not come into being without a healthy dose of patience and perseverance.  Toward the end of the class when everyone was making their ruffles, we had a bit of an atmospheric disaster: The temperature and humidity of the kitchen got too high and the chocolate would not cooperate.  Ruffles were falling flat and melted, gooey chocolate was beginning to coat every surface.  Frustration was mounting and some students had no choice but to take their cakes home only half-ruffled.

But Amna stayed to the end.  We returned the chocolate-coated sheet pans to the refrigerator, opened the windows and waited.. and waited… for the kitchen to cool.  Finally, the stars aligned and things started to go our way.  We not only got some great ruffles, but some curls and dramatic spikes, too.

I think all my students would agree that the greatest lesson of the day was this:  Sometimes in baking, and in love, the unexpected happens.  All you can do is take a deep breath, exercise a little patience and understanding, and keep going.

Happy Valentine’s Day.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Chocolate Ruffle Cake Assembly and Instructions:

1 eight-inch chocolate cake, baked and divided into three even layers (Genoise has a nice, light texture, but any chocolate cake will do.  You can’t really go wrong, so just use your favorite recipe.)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon Frangelico (hazelnut liqueur) or other liqueur of your choice

2 cups creme fraiche (cold)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 pints fresh raspberries
1 pound good-quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped into 1-inch pieces.

Materials:

Pastry brush
One 6-inch cardboard round
One sheet of .005 Mylar (available at art supply stores.)
One 18-by-13-inch jelly roll pan, washed and dried.  Do not use nonstick.

Make the simple syrup: Combine the sugar and water in a small sauce pan and bring to a simmer, stirring just until the sugar is dissolved.  Stir in the liqueur, remove from the heat, and set aside.

Prepare the creme fraiche filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the creme fraiche, sugar, and vanilla.  Beat on medium speed until the creme fraiche is stiff.

Assemble the cake: Brush the bottom of the bottom layer of cake with simple syrup, using a pastry brush.  Set the cake layer onto the cardboard round, syrup-side down.  Brush the top of the same layer with more simple syrup, then spread about 1/2 cup of the whipped creme fraiche over the top.  Arrange 8-10 raspberries over the layer, then push them down gently into the creme fraiche.  Spread another 1/4 cup of whipped creme fraiche over the tops of the berries.  Repeat with the remaining cake layers, filling, and raspberries, ending with a layer of creme fraiche over the top cake layer. Chill the cake in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before proceeding.

Make the chocolate band: Trim a band of Mylar to the exact circumference and about 1/2 inch higher than the assembled cake.  Melt 1/4  of the chocolate in a bowl suspended over an inch of simmering water (or in the microwave in 10-second intervals on high) until the chocolate is smooth and spreadable.  It should feel warm to the touch, but not hot, so be sure to remove it from the heat just as soon as the last bit of chocolate is melted.  Lay the Mylar strip flat on a piece of wax paper and then, working with an offset spatula in one hand and the bowl of melted chocolate in the other, pour and spread the chocolate over the Mylar band, covering it completely and spreading the chocolate all the way over the edges.  The layer of melted chocolate should be about 1/8 of an inch thick.  Allow it to stiffen ever so slightly while you remove the cake from the refrigerator.  Slip your fingers under the band, grip it at either end, and then affix the band to the cake by pressing the chocolate-coated side against the cake all the way around.  Transfer the cake to the refrigerator (leaving the Mylar strip intact) once again and refrigerate for another 30 minutes while you make the ruffles.

Make the ruffles: Melt the remaining chocolate in the same fashion (using a bowl suspended over an inch of simmering water or in the microwave) and pour it over the back of the jelly roll pan, spreading with an offset spatula to a thickness of about 1/16 inch thick.  Transfer the jelly roll pan to the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes.  Remove the pan from the refrigerator and slowly bring the chocolate back to room temperature.  (The room should be cool and dry, about 68F is ideal.)  At the point where the chocolate is malleable but not too soft, fashion ruffles with an offset spatula.  Holding the spatula by the handle with one hand and gripping the tip in the other, push the edge of the spatula against the pan, starting at one edge and moving the spatula in an arcing motion.  Transfer finished ruffles to a chilled plate or pan, moving them to the refrigerator in batches so they hold their shape.

Create the ruffle top:Remove the cake from the refrigerator and carefully peel away the Mylar strip.  You should have a glossy, solid band of chocolate encasing the entire cake.  Arrange the ruffles in concentric circles over the top of the cake starting at the outside edge, setting them into the creme fraiche at a slight angle so they are sticking up and jutting out in all directions.  Finish the cake with one perfect raspberry in the center of the ruffles.

Final step (and this is essential): Eat it with someone you love.

But, no, my mom doesn’t bake. My birthday cakes came from Safeway.  So this must be someone else’s mom’s buttermilk cake.  Alas, Mom’s Buttermilk Cake is just a name.

But I’d like to meet the mom for whom this cake is named because it’s darned good.  Buttermilk imparts a slightly tangy flavor to the dense, moist cake, which cuts the sweetness of the whipped cream and adds a nice depth of flavor.  It’s pretty easy to make and is the perfect summertime dessert. Thanks, mom (of somebody else.)

Make the Cake:

4 yolks
2/3 cup buttermilk (divided)
1.5 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups sifted cake flower
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Materials: One 8-inch cake pan, bottom lined with parchment paper.  (It isn’t necessary to grease the sides of the cake pan.) 

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Combine the yolks, 1/3 cup of the buttermilk, and vanilla in a small bowl and whisk lightly with a fork to combine.  Set aside.  In a larger bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together.  Add the butter and remaining buttermilk to the dry ingredients, and beat on low speed to combine thoroughly.  Increase speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes to aerate the batter and build the cake’s structure.  Add the buttermilk mixture to the batter in 3 batches, beating for 30 seconds after each addition to incorporate.  Beat the batter for another minute on high speed.

Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan and bake for 25-35 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and springs back to the touch.  Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Make the Whipped Cream:

1 pint heavy whipping cream (cold)
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla

Beat the cream on medium speed until it starts to thicken.  Gradually add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, then add the vanilla.  Continue beating on medium-high until the cream is thickened and holds its shape.  Be careful not to overbeat or the cream will become grainy.  (Once it reaches this point, it can’t be salvaged.)

Prepare the Strawberries:

Wash and dry 2 pints ripe strawberries.  Trim them and remove greens.  Slice evenly and set aside.

Assemble the Cake:

Remove the cooled cake from the pan and slice it into 3 layers using a serrated knife, using a decorator’s turntable (if you have one) to rotate the cake as you slice to ensure even layers.  If the top layer has a rounded top, trim it flat and discard the scrap.

To prepare for the bottom cake layer, first tape a doily to an 8-inch cardboard round using double-sided tape.  Place the round with doily on a cake plate. If you don’t have a cardboard round, you can cut your own out of scrap cardboard, or you can place the cake directly onto a cake plate.  Place a dollop of whipped cream onto the doily (or cake plate) and then place the bottom layer on top of the cream.  The cream will act as glue to hold the bottom layer in place.

Spread 1/3 of the whipped cream over the top of bottom layer, then arrange the strawberries in concentric circles over the whipped cream.  You’ll want the whipped cream and berries to come all the way to the edge of the cake so they are visible between the layers of the finished cake.  Repeat with the middle and top layers of the cake. Serve immediately.

Remember, it’s okay if your layers are a bit uneven or the cream spills out over the side of the cake in some places.  This is mom’s buttermilk cake.  It isn’t supposed to look like it came from the grocery store.

Tips: The cake layers can be made up to a month ahead and frozen, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap.  However, the finished cake should be assembled as close to serving time as possible because  the whipped cream will start to break down and the stawberries will begin to water within an hour of assembly.