Strawberry Mango Shortcake

One of my families favorite things is strawberries. With the onset of Spring we anxiously await the first real strawberries. Not the flavorless ones available year round, but the big juicy red ones bursting with flavor and juice. The kind that need no accompaniments because they’re that good.

The second favorite thing my family loves is my berry shortcake. There are numerous ways to make shortcake some people use biscuits others use angle food cake I use a vanilla cake.

I make a firm vanilla cake, torte it, brush the layers with a strawberry syrup and fill it with a fresh ricotta and goat cheese filling, and strawberries then finish it with more cream and fruit.

There are many variations to this cake recipe I use it in many of my favorite desserts. You can find many of them here on my blog. For the cake recipe you will need either white spelt flour or two to two and a half cups whole grain flour like whole grain spelt or half white spelt & half wholegrain. I like Einkorn and Red Fife flours which are both ancient whole grain flours with a lot of nutritional value. You could use whole wheat flour but make sure to use whole wheat pastry flour it is lighter and has been milled longer than regular whole wheat flour. Either way if you want to do a whole grain version you’re going to want a half and half blend and you should sift it for a lighter texture. For the one in the picture I used half white spelt and half red fife flours.

For the Cake

Mix together and set aside

1-1/2 cups white spelt or organic white all purpose flour  

1 cup sifted whole grain flour (if using all white flour you need 3 cups total)

1- 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder      

1/2 tsp sea salt

Liquid ingredients:

3 eggs  

1 cup avocado oil  

1 cup milk

1 1/2 cups monk fruit blend 

1 Tb real vanilla

In a mixing bowl on medium speed mix the liquid ingredients until all sugar has melted and mixture is creamy and a pale lemon color. Add the liquid mixture to the dry and incorporate well. Pour batter into 1-9″ oiled spring form pan or 2- oiled 9″ cake pans. Bake in a 325 ‘ oven for 30 minutes. Single pan may take 45 minutes or longer. Make sure to test the cake by inserting a toothpick or knife in the center of the cake when it comes out clean the cake is done. Set the cakes aside on cooling racks for 20 minutes. Carefully remove the cakes from the pans and flip over the two cakes or using a long skinny knife tort or cut the single cake in half horizontally and carefully flip one layer onto a plate. Brush the layers with strawberry syrup (recipe below). Now set the cake in the fridge to set up. Tip: Place each layer in a pan before setting in fridge to cool. This will help keep the cake together and if you build the cake in the pan it makes a nice, clean, no-mess presentation.

Strawberry Syrup – In a small pot add 1 cup sliced or chopped strawberries and 3/4 cup monk fruit blend with 2 tablespoons of water bring to a boil over medium heat. Once it starts to boil mash the strawberries up and allow to cook on low until they reduce to a syrup like consistency. This will be a little looser than a thick pancake syrup but thick enough to be able to spread on the cake layers. Sometimes especially if this is a special cake for adults and not children once the syrup has cooled I will add a couple of tablespoons of brandy, vodka or other fruit liquor to give it a little bit of a kick. It works really well in this cake.

Cream Filling – Make this while the cake is baking and set it in the fridge.

1 16oz container good whole fat ricotta cheese                                                                 

8 oz creamy goat cheese like chevre

1/2 cup plain greek yogurt

8-10 drops orange or vanilla stevia drops

1 tsp vanilla

In a mixing bowl with a mixer on medium speed cream the goat cheese, vanilla and stevia until soft and smooth. Add the ricotta cheese and using a mixer again, on low this time mix the ricotta into the goat cheese. Next fold in the yogurt until the mixture is smooth. Taste the mixture for sweetness, if it is not sweet enough for you add 1 drop of stevia at a time until it is perfect. Do this carefully as too much stevia will ruin your mixture. Set this in the refrigerator to firm up and remain cold.

Fruit mixture – You might want to do this before you make the cream filling so that it has plenty of time to create some juice. Sprinkle 1 cup sliced fresh strawberries with 1/4 cup monk fruit blend, toss and set in fridge. You will also need 1 cup fresh mango diced.

To assemble the cake, place one layer inside a spring form pan or on a cake plate. Top that with 1/2 of the cream filling then spoon the strawberries on top of that using just a little of the juice, not too much or it will make the cake too soft and it will fall apart. Top that with the other cake layer and the rest of the cream. This time create a well in the center of the cream to hold the mango. Carefully spoon the mango into the center of the cream. Set the cake in the fridge to set up over night or at least 2 hours. Serve cold and …

Enjoy!