A Shortcut To Strawberry Shortcake
A good strawberry shortcake doesn’t have to be fussy; you can make one quickly with a simple homemade jam, ladyfingers and whipped cream from the can. 
Photo by Cynthia Hochswender

A Shortcut To Strawberry Shortcake

Sweet red strawberries from California have been at grocery stores for weeks now, and soon we will begin to see the smaller, tarter local berries.

Even though strawberry is my favorite jam flavor, I rarely make it. But this year I figured out a berry preserve “cheat” that is delicious even if it’s not perfect.

A really good strawberry preserve is thick and sweet. That’s what you’ll get if you use raspberries for this recipe.

If you use strawberries, you’ll get more of a gel than a jam — which in fact makes a perfect filling for strawberry shortcake, the kind you make with golden cake or with the delicate little ladyfingers that you can find in the produce departments at most groceries at this time of year.

This is more of a technique than it is a recipe; the quantities will vary. I find that I never finish an entire box of strawberries before the berries begin to soften. That makes them less fun to nibble on but once they’re ultra ripe it’s the perfect time to preserve them.

This jam takes literally about 10 minutes to make. And the little shortcakes take another five. If you make a lot of strawberry jam, then spread it over the flat side of one golden cake. Cover the jam with whipped cream (the stuff from the can is fine!). Cover with the other cake (most cake mixes give you two cakes).

For a smaller amount, do the same thing with ladyfingers instead of cake.

One of the nice things with this jam is that you don’t need much sugar to make it “jam.” I’ve made this recipe with a half cup of sugar and it tastes splendid.

 

Ten-minute berry jam

4 cups of berries, fresh lemon juice, up to 2 cups of sugar, 1 pack of powdered gelatin (I used Knox; if you prefer a vegetarian option you can use Japanese agar agar, which is made from seaweed)

 

Pour a half cup of warm water on a small plate. Sprinkle the gelatin evenly over it. Set aside.

Put the berries in a small non-metallic pot with the sugar and a few squeezes of lemon juice. Bring to a gentle simmer and continue to cook for about 5 minutes, while the gelatin “gels” with the water.

Remove the berries from the stove and gently slide the gelatin into the pot and gently mix them together.

Put in a jar or bowl, cover and leave in the refrigerator overnight, trying your best not to move or shake it.

Latest News

Tuning up two passions under one roof

The Webb Family in the workshop. From left: Phyllis, Dale, Ben and Josh Webb, and project manager Hannah Schiffer.

Natalia Zukerman

Magic Fluke Ukulele Shop and True Wheels Bicycle Shop are not only under the same roof in a beautiful solar powered building on Route 7 in Sheffield, but they are also both run by the Webb family, telling a tale of familial passion, innovation and a steadfast commitment to sustainability.

In the late ‘90s, Dale Webb was working in engineering and product design at a corporate job. “I took up instrument manufacturing as a fun challenge,” said Dale. After an exhibit at The National Association of Music Merchants in Anaheim, California, in 1999, The Magic Fluke company was born. “We were casting finger boards and gluing these things together in our basement in New Hartford and it just took off,” Dale explained. “It was really a wild ride, it kind of had a life of its own.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Robert Cray’s soulful blues coming to Infinity Hall

Robert Cray

Photo provided

Blues legend Robert Cray will be bringing his stinging, funky guitar and soulful singing to Infinity Hall Norfolk on Friday, March 29.

A five-time Grammy winner, Cray has been inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame and earned The Americana Music Awards Lifetime Achievement for Performance. He has played with blues and rock icons including Albert Collins, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, The Rolling Stones, Tina Turner, Eric Clapton and many more.

Keep ReadingShow less