Strawberry Shortcake Dessert

To start with, shortcake is a rich biscuit. While the history of this dessert is shrouded with ambiguity, most people seem to believe that the idea of combining strawberries and shortcake originated somewhere in the southern U.S. The first recorded recipe for what most people believe to be strawberry shortcake, may have been the one printed under the name "Strawberry Cake" in Miss Leslie's Ladies Receipt Book, published in 1847.

Ingredients
For the Shortcake

• 3 cups, all-purpose flour
• 1½ teaspoons, vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons, granulated sugar
• 1½ cups, heavy cream
• 1½ tablespoons, baking powder

• 12 tablespoons, cold unsalted butter (cubed)
• ¾ teaspoon, salt
• 3 baskets of fresh strawberries
• Whipped cream
• ½ cup, sugar
• Vanilla extract

Directions
To prepare the biscuits, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl, and sift twice. Now, add the butter to the bowl and stir till you have a lumpy mixture. In another bowl, mix the cream and vanilla, and add it to the flour mixture. Pour it little by little and mix continuously. The mixture should be slightly dry and shaggy. Knead it by hand to create a loose ball of dough.

Transfer the ball of dough to a flat surface that is glazed with flour. Flatten it into a square that it is ¾- to 1-inch thick. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the dough on it. Cover the sheet with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Heat the oven to 425 ºF. Take the dough out of the refrigerator, and slice it into 9 biscuits. Now, push them apart, so there is a little space between each square. Bake the biscuit for 18-20 minutes, until they are golden brown.

Chop the strawberries into ½-inch thick slices. In a large bowl, combine the strawberries and sugar. Set it aside. After about 20 minutes, gently mash the strawberries, so that some more juice is released. In a separate bowl, whisk the heavy and whipped cream along with one or two drops of vanilla extract, and a teaspoon of sugar.

Place one biscuit in each serving bowl, and break it into pieces. Spoon some strawberries along with the juices onto the biscuit, and top it with a dollop of the prepared vanilla cream.

Ingredients

• 1 large angel food cake
• 1 can, (14-ounce) sweetened condensed milk
• 1 package, (8-ounce) cream cheese (softened)
• 1 (12-ounce) container frozen whipped topping (thawed)

For the Glaze

• 1 cup, sugar
• 2 cups, fresh strawberries (sliced)
• 3 tablespoons, cornstarch
• 1 cup, water
• 3 tablespoons, strawberry gelatin
• Whole fresh strawberries and mint leaves, for garnishing

Directions
Use a serrated knife to slice the cake into 3 equal horizontal layers. To make the custard, combine the condensed milk, cream cheese, and whipped topping in a bowl. For the glaze, mix together the sugar, cornstarch, and gelatin in a saucepan. Add water and stir. Place it over medium heat and stir till the syrup turns thick. Remove it from the heat, and let it cool completely.

Add the cubed strawberries to it. Now, take a large glass dish and line the bottom with one layer of the cake. Pour a layer of the glazed mixture over it, followed by another layer of custard mixture. Repeat this procedure by placing the remaining cake slices over each other. Place 3 whole strawberries and fresh mint leaves over the topmost layer of the custard.