So today I thought I would be super cute and clever and do a Halloween themed Foodie Friday. In my world that meant baking a Strawberry Shortcake Cake. How is that close to being Halloween or even Fall related? Well, tomorrow I am going to dress up as Strawberry Shortcake for Halloween and I of course HAD to bring a themed dessert to the party. I decided this cake would be great because I needed a dessert I could make the night before and this recipe said it would refrigerate well.
I attempted to make Strawberry Shortcake Cake from the blog Pioneer Woman (awesome site, with lots of great recipes).It is now close to midnight and I came this close to just starting over on baking the whole cake! (My roommate talked me out of it, saying it was perfectly good for eating). I did not think it was going to be a hard cake to make, but I think I made one too many little mistakes and it has come out a lot denser and thinner than expected. It is almost cookie like. I guess that works for a cake that is trying to mimic shortcake, but I think wish I could have had a little more fluff.
I think my biggest mistake was that I baked the cake in two 9 inch pans that were 1 1/2 inches deep instead of one 8 inch pan that was 2 inches deep. I think my plan could have worked, but I had to guess on the time of cooking and the recipe said to make sure there was no jiggle and I think I took this too literal and left the cake in the oven too long.
This may sound like I’m really down on this Foodie Friday post. I’m not trying to be! I enjoyed trying out the cake. I really want to bake it again and see if I get different results. I just think I’m a beginner baker and the reason you might want to read this post is to learn from my mistakes, so I’m being honest about what happened.
Another change I made in the recipe that worked beautifully, was using frozen strawberries instead of fresh. The frosting came out de-lish!
My final verdict on the cake is, it is worth trying, but not one you can just whip up. It will take a little time for a beginner baker.
P.S. Sorry no pics, I took a bunch, but wouldn’t you know it, I’m having trouble with the upload.
October 30, 2010 9:14 am
I made that cake a couple summers ago, and had a lot of fun with it. I never got to eat any of it, but I hear it was delicious. But yes, it’s a little tricky and takes quite a bit of time. I think my count was 5 hours start to finish.