Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake

Chocolate Cake, Fresh Strawberry Curd, Strawberries, Whipped Cream, and Lindt Dark Chocolate

Why aren’t these a thing?!  Seriously…these are so.crazy.delicious.

All my life, in grocery store produce departments in the States and Germany… vanilla sponge is strategically placed next to the strawberries for the classic Strawberry Shortcake.  Why not chocolate?

By definition, ‘shortcake’ ingredients include:  flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, butter, milk, and eggs.  Have you read my Chocolate Layer Cake recipe??

Having asked the question, I needed to answer it.  Using small tart tins (I have eight), I baked my favorite, go-to Chocolate Layer Cake.

After the first batch stuck to the pan, I was more generous with the non-stick spray and more carefully filled the pans (to help keep the spray in place).  It was significantly better.

Because it sounded like a good idea, I made some Fresh Strawberry Curd.  If you don’t have time to make the curd, buy it if it’s available.  Not at your market?  That’s ok too – just load up this little beauty with a double scoop of strawberries.

“But I don’t have little bitty pans or the time/inclination to mess with that!”

No big deal, bake a quick chocolate cake in a 9×13 pan and serve it up with fresh berries and whipped cream.  I understand the demands of family life.  When our kids were younger, baking seemed like a chore.  Circumstances change with the seasons of life.  Today, I love baking and creating.

Baking needs to be and should be approachable…and there is always more than one way to arrive at dessert!

So, the next steps…

I piped the Strawberry Curd onto the sponge.

The spooned on the fresh cut berries.  I thoughtfully did not add sugar to the berries to offer a tartness to the composition.  The sweetness of the cake, curd, and whipped cream was able to balance against the berries.  But if you love that sweetness, don’t be afraid to sprinkle on a bit of sugar at this point.

Fresh Whipped Cream…. so yummy.  I add 1/2 t. clear vanilla and 2 T powdered sugar/confectioner’s sugar to 1 c./250 gr heavy whipping cream.  Hot tip: Chill the bowl prior to preparing the whipped cream.  After it was finished, I spooned it into a piping bag and left it in the fridge until I needed it.

As a final bit of garnish, I chopped up part of a Lindt Dark Chocolate Bar.  Sigh… delicious.

This is a super fun dessert and a wonderful twist to a classic.

One day at a time, my life is fantastic.