Grandma and Popo's Strawberry Shortcake

When I was growing up, every June our family would gather at my Grandma and Grandpa’s house to feast on their extraordinary strawberry shortcake.  I remember impatiently waiting for it to be ready on their front porch swing, and afterwards lying on their TV room floor with a satisfied full belly.  I miss those days so much, but one bite of this recipe immediately takes me back to summers with my grandparents.

Grandma and Popo’s Strawberry Shortcake

Serves 8 to 10

Ingredients:

3 quarts Strawberries hulled and sliced

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

2 cups Jiff Baking Mix

2 tablespoons melted shortening

1/2 cup milk plus more to pour over before eating

1 egg

2 cups powdered sugar

In a bowl combine 1 cup sugar and the cut berries.  Stir and place them in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.  The longer they sit the more juice the berries will make.  Preheat oven to 400.  In a bowl combine 2 tablespoons sugar, Jiff mix, shortening, 1/2 cup milk and egg.  Mix until just combined.  Pour the dough into a prepared 13 by 9 baking dish.  Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Let cool to room temperature.  Combine the powdered sugar with a few berries and a few tablespoons of the juice from the berries.  This will eventually become a luscious pink frosting.  Add juice until it reaches the desired consistency.  I love to use an immersion blender for this.  It’s a lot easier than the fork my grandma used to use.

To serve, place a generous piece of cake in a bowl.  Frost it with the icing and pour a heaping spoonful of berries and juice on too.  We always topped it with milk (my favorite), but I have tried whipped cream and vanilla ice cream as well.  Enjoy!