Amish Strawberry Shortcake Recipe

Do you have lots of strawberries and you’re feeling like getting a little creative with your culinary skills? This simple, delicious, and yet appealing dessert is the right thing to make.

A forkful of this shortcake always transports me to that memorable dinner night in a classic restaurant.

The Amish strawberry shortcake recipe is made of a simple sponge cake, glazed sliced strawberries, and cooled whipped cream. The sponge cake is the base that soaks in all the fruit flavor from the strawberries.

The strawberries provide a sweet and tangy flavor complimenting the sugar in the cake.

The Cream elevates the desert to the next level with its silky, smooth, and creamy texture.

The Cake Base

Some recipes call for a crumbly biscuit, while some for a spongy cake. The choice is based on personal preference.

Among the Amish, the cake base is mainly spongy. I love the spongy side of things. My children will do anything for me to make this decadent dessert for them.

Whether in round tins and sheet pans, baking the sponge cake is easy.

The children can slice the cake, sprinkle some strawberries, and top with a dollop of whipped cream.

My daughter feels like a culinary hero whenever she is assigned to prepare dessert for her younger siblings.

Also, check out: Amish Carrot Cake Recipe.

Glazed strawberries

Strawberries and dessert are almost synonymous, they are beautiful in shape and color.

They possess a fruity and tangy flavor. You can use as many as you want especially during  Summer when the fruit is in plenty.

Whenever it’s strawberry season, we make lots of strawberry-based dishes and this shortcake strawberry is the king in the range of desserts.

The washed fruits are tossed in sugar and kept in the fridge for an hour.

Whipped cream

Whipped cream makes you feel like you're eating a complete cake! The assembly is not complete without a dollop of cream.

You can use a cream of your choice, dairy or non-dairy.

Remember to chill your bowl and whisk before whipping the cream for the best results.

How to make the Amish Strawberry shortcake

Wash the strawberries, and remove the leafy parts. Slice the strawberries, and toss them in some sugar in a bowl.

Keep them in the fridge for an hour. In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg whites till they form stiff peaks.

Gradually add the sugar and oil while beating at high speed. Add the egg yolks one at a time and keep beating until the mixture is creamy.

In a separate bowl mix the dry ingredients, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt. Once fully combined, sift the dry ingredients into a creamy mixture.

Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the flour. Pour the mixture into your desired cake pan and bake for 25 - 30 minutes.

Once the cake is ready, an inserted toothpick will come out clean. Let the cake cool completely before assembling the decadent desert.

As the cake cools, whip the whipping cream till light and fluffy.

Cut the cake into slices and layer the slices with cream, pour the strawberries. Crown the dessert with a dollop of cool whipped cream.

Chill the strawberry shortcake and enjoy it after dinner.

Also, Check out: Amish Chocolate Cake

EQUIPMENT

You will need

Electric hand-held mixer

An electric hand held mixer is very helpful in beating the egg whites.

Rubber spatula

A rubber spatula is handy in folding the flour into the egg mixture. It scrapes the cake batter from the mixing bowls effectively too.

Sieve

A sieve breaks the lumps in the flour, adding air to the flour. Sieving gives a spongier and lighter  cake.

Baking tins

You can use any type of tin. It depends on the type of cake you would want to make. This is a simple dessert but you can turn it into a delicate, beautiful-looking ceremonial cake!

INGREDIENTS AND SUBSTITUTION

Sponge Cake

All-purpose flour

All-purpose flour or cake flour works perfectly in this recipe.

Eggs

Eggs enrich the cake with protein.  Egg whites are beaten till white and fluffy. Fluffy egg whites make the cake very spongy and airy.

Vegetable oil

Vegetable oil is the best in this recipe as it is light in weight as compared to fat or butter.

Sugar

Granulated sugar sweetens the sponge cake batter. You can substitute sugar with a more nutritious sweetener such as stevia.

Vanilla essence

Vanilla essence adds an amazing calm, sweet fruity flavor to the cake. It masks the scent of eggs that makes spongy cakes undesirable. You can use strawberry essence too, how about that?

Glazed strawberries

Strawberries

I love strawberries, don’t you?. They are the best fruits you can use. The flavor in the small fleshy fruits can never go unrecognizable. They possess a rich sweet fruity flavor with tangy and almost bitter undertones.

Strawberries elevate the look of the desert with their shape and color. You might use other types of berries such as raspberries and blueberries.

Sugar

Sugar coats the strawberries and draws the sweet juices from the strawberries.

Lemon juice

Lemon juice adds a tangy flavor to the glazed strawberries.

Whipping cream

Sweetened whipping cream

I used sweetened whipping cream and didn't have to add sugar. If you use unsweetened whipping cream, remember to add sugar to sweeten the cream.

FAQ AMISH STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

Why did my sponge cake sink?

You probably opened the oven door before the baking time was over.

When the oven door opens, a stream of cool air enters the oven and this makes the cake cool and sink. Ensure the oven door stays closed until the recommended time is over. 

Can I use other types of berries?

Oh yes, most berries are sweet and tangy in taste, various types of berries complement perfectly with the cake and cream that are all sweet.

Can I use a biscuit instead of a sponge cake?

A shortcake in some recipes is a dense crumbly biscuit. However, growing up my mother and other Amish women preferred the spongy cake.

I loved the sponge because it can soak up the juices from the strawberries.

A biscuit can soak and become messy if not handled carefully.

With spongy cakes, you can make a truffle and other classic desserts too.

Why should I make an Amish Strawberry Shortcake?

The Amish are a conservative religious group that migrated from Europe to America in search of religious freedom back in the 1800s.

The Amish live in closed communities and rarely mingle with other people. Most Amish women are great cooks, their culinary skills are almost world-famous. There are numerous recipes for strawberry shortcakes but I will always make our Amish version.

Amish recipes call for simple ingredients that could be easily found in your pantry at any time.

The Amish have a culture of sharing meals after every church service.

Amish Vanilla Pie Recipe

PRO TIPS

Do not over-mix the cake

Over-mixing will make you lose the spongy property. The gluten in the wheat flour will be activated making the batter rubbery and chewy.

Over mixing removes the air that was whipped in the cake batter. This makes the cake reduce in volume too.