A friend who lives in a warmer climate posted on Facebook this week about getting fresh strawberries from a local farm and it made my mouth water. We are still about 3 weeks away from the beginning of the strawberry harvest here in western Kentucky so I will have to wait a bit before satisfying my taste buds. This week’s recipe is an original from my grandmother (using shortening might have tipped you off that it is an older recipe!).
West Virginia Fresh Strawberry Cake
Cake Ingredients:
½ cup shortening
½ cup milk
1 cup sugar
2 cups flour
¼ tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
1 quart fresh strawberries
1 tsp strawberry extract
Icing Ingredients:
1 box confectioner’s sugar
½ stick butter
Evaporated milk (canned cream)
Cake: Combine dry ingredients. Add shortening, eggs and ¼ cup strawberries and mix on low speed until blended. Add milk, slowly increasing speed to high. Beat 3 minutes. Pour batter into a greased 9 x 13 pan. Tap sides of pan lightly to insure batter is evenly distributed. Bake in a 350 degree oven 35-45 minutes. Do not disturb the caked for the first 20 minutes as any disturbance will cause the cake to fall.
Icing: Clean remainder of strawberries, leave small ones whole and slice the larger ones. Put aside in a colander to drain thoroughly. Melt butter over low heat; add confectioner’s sugar and stir. Add milk sparingly, mixing thoroughly after each addition, until icing is creamy. (A maximum of 2 teaspoons should be enough.) Work lumps out of icing by beating vigorously.
When cake is done, allow to cool for 20 minutes. Frost with icing and then top with fresh strawberries.
This cake takes a bit of time to prepare but is definitely worth it. Like so many things in today’s world, cooking has evolved into what can be fixed fast. If you want to bring a bit of the past into your kitchen and on your family’s table, I think this would be a great way to start.
Happy cooking,
Molly
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