Strawberry Shortcake

Yes, I know, Strawberry Shortcake again......!  Just couldn't resist myself from buying punnets of strawberries on the supermarket shelves when they are offering cheap cheap!  It's in my fridge for a week now and needs to do something about it.

When I finished baking the cake, while it is resting to cool down, I had a shocking look at it, it shrink and collapse down.  I thought it is a failure for me but after I cut and layer the top off, it still can be saved!

I'm still no good in doing the whipping of the cream eventhough I have used the stabilised gelatin in it.  And more so, of piping and spreading nicely on the cake.  Needs alot of practice.

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

The cake recipe source from Grace of Piggy's Cooking Journal

Cake Ingredients
3 eggs
75g caster sugar
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon milk
85g cake flour, sifted twice
30g butter, melted

to make the cake

1) Lightly grease a 7 inch round cake pan, line with parchment paper. Preheat the

    oven to 170 deg C.

2) Add the eggs, sugar and honey into a bowl. Place the bowl over a saucepan of

     simmering water and then beat with an electric mixer until the mixture

     reaches 36-38 deg C.

3) Remove the bowl from heat. Continue to beat at high speed until the batter

     turns pale and thick, and it leaves a ribbon like trail when the whisk is lifted up.

4) Add milk, beat until well combined.

5) Add flour, gently with a hand whisk until the flour disappears into the batter.

6) Add melted butter, fold until well combined.

7) Pour the batter into the prepared pan, drop the pan on the counter 1-2 times to

     release air bubbles.

8) Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the

     center of the cake turns out clean. Cool the cake completely on the cake rack.

    

Stabilised Whipped Cream

2 tsp gelatin powder

8 tsp cold water

2 cups whipping cream, cold

½ cup icing sugar

15g strawberry puree, sifted to remove seeds

A or two drop of red colouring

300g strawberries, (pick 5 nice ones for decor on top of the cake)

Method

1.  Chill mixing bowl and beaters in the freezer for 10 minutes.

2.  Pour cold water in the small saucepan.  Sprinkle the gelatin powder over the surface

     of the water and let stand for 5 minutes.  Place saucepan over the low heat and stir

     constantly with a wooden spoon just until gelatin dissolves.  Removes saucepan from

     heat and cool to room temperature.

3.  Remove the mixing bowl and beaters from the freezer.  In the mixing bowl, combine

     the whipping cream, icing sugar, strawberry puree, red coloring and vanilla and whipped 

     until slightly thickened. 

     Then, while slowly beating, gradually pour in the gelatin into the whipped cream

     mixture.  Then, whip the mixture at high speed until slightly stiff.


To assemble:
Cut the cake into 2 layers.  Spread thinly the frosting on top of one layer and lay the cut  strawberries and coat the frosting to cover the strawberries.
Place another layer of cake .
Spread all over the frosting to the cake and put in the fridge to set.
Decorate strawberries on top.

I didn't do well in this cake..... feeling a little disappointment (it was not evenly cut the layer) but I loves the frosting because of the strawberries puree whipped into it.