Strawberry Short Cake

Strawberry Shortcake

Makes 2 8-inch round cake or 16 cupcakes

Takes about 1 hour

If you have fresh strawberries, you can place them on top of this dessert for a prettier set-up.  However, I like using frozen strawberries to make the sauce so that this cake can be made all year round and not just during the summer.  If you don’t have pre-made nut butter for the cream, just use a food processor instead of a blender and blend about 3 tbsp of sliced almonds in with the topping instead of the nut butter.  You can use peanut butter, in theory, but the taste will be stronger (you will have a somewhat peanut-y taste).  With the two cakes, you can place one on top of the other with a layer of cream in between and on top, drizzled in strawberry sauce or you can just keep them separate and serve thinner slices.

Cake:

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup white flour

1 1/3 cup sugar

1 tbsp baking soda

½ cup canola oil

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 ½ cup of soy milk

Cream topping:

1 box silken tofu

2 tbsp nut butter (almond or cashew)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp maple syrup

2 tbsp sugar

Strawberries:

2 ½ cups of strawberries, sliced (can be frozen)

2 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp cornstarch

2 tbsp soymilk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease two 8-inch cake pans.

2. Mix together the flours, sugar, and baking powder.  Mix together oil, lemon juice, and soymilk and then add the dry ingredients to it.  Stir and add in vanilla extract.

3. Pour half the cake batter into each pan and bake for 25 - 30 minutes (until toothpick can be inserted cleanly).

4. While the cake is baking, combine all the whipped topping ingredients in the blender and blend.

5. Combine all the strawberries in a pan on the stove.  Cook on high until you have a thickened sauce (about 10 – 15 minutes).  Allow to cool.

6. Serve slices of the cake topped with cream and strawberry sauce.

VARIATION: Strawberry shortcake cupcakes.  Fill tins about ¾ of the way full and bake for about 20 – 25 minutes until toothpick can be inserted cleanly.  Serve individual cupcakes with cream and strawberries.