Fresh Strawberry Cream Cake

from the I dream in pastry cookbook at idreaminpastry.com
 

The cake

1/2 cup high quality shortening
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup milk

The filling

1 quart fresh strawberries
1 pint heavy cream
1 Tblsp Cointreau
2 Tblsp granulated sugar
Grated rind of one orange

 
The glaze

1/2 cup apricot jam
1 Tblsp water

Heat the water and jam so that they soften.

 
Preparation

Cream the sugar and shortening. Add the egg, vanilla, and milk, and mix well. Blend in the sifted dry ingredients, making sure that the batter is smooth. Pour the batter into a buttered and lined 8 inch cake pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Whip the cream, Cointreau, and sugar until the cream is stiff. Crush 5 strawberries and mix with the orange rind and Cointreau. Set aside 1/3 of the whipped cream. Fold the strawberry sauce into the rest of the whipped cream.

The assembly

When the cake is cool, remove it from the pan; discard the liner. Slice the cake in half lengthwise. Place the flat bottom on a serving dish. Spread the filling on top of this layer. Cut the remaining strawberries in half. Reserve 12 halves for the top of the cake. Place the remaining strawberries into the filling. Place the remaining cake on top.

Using a sharp knife, remove a 2 inch circle of cake from the center of the top layer. Put some whipped cream in the hole. Brush the top and sides of the cake with the glaze. Place the decorating strawberries nicely around the top edge. Cut two of the halves into quarters and arrange on top of the whipped cream in the center of the cake.

The finish

Brush the glaze onto all of the exposed berries. The remaining whipped cream can be served on the side, or piped onto the top of the cake for an additional decoration.

 
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