CAKE FOR STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE RECIPES

Steps:

• For the strawberry shortcake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour an 8-inch cake pan.
• Sift together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter with 1 1/2 cups of the granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the sour cream and vanilla, and mix until combined. Add the sifted dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just barely combined.
• Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Bake until no longer jiggly like my bottom, 45 to 50 minutes. Remove the cake from the pan as soon as you pull it out of the oven. Place the cake on a cooling rack and allow it to cool completely.
• Stem and halve the strawberries, and mash then them. Sprinkle the strawberries with the remaining 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and allow to sit for 30 minutes.
• For the icing: Combine the powdered sugar, cream cheese, butter, vanilla and dash of salt in a mixing bowl. Mix until very light and fluffy.
• Slice the cake in half to make 2 smaller cakes. Spread the strawberries evenly over each cut side of the cake halves, pouring on all the juices as well. Place the cake halves into the freezer for 5 minutes, just to make icing the cake easier.
• Remove the cake halves from the freezer. Use a little less than one-third of the icing to spread over the top of the strawberries on the bottom layer. Place the second cake layer on top. Add half of the remaining icing to the top, spreading it evenly. Spread the remaining icing around the sides of the cake.
• Leave plain or garnish with strawberry halves. Serve slightly cool.

Steps:

• For the crust: Line the base of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper and lightly spray the pan with nonstick cooking spray.
• To a 12- to 14-cup food processor fitted with the blade attachment, add the sandwich cookies, slightly breaking them up as you add them. Process until the cookies are completely broken up. While the machine is running, slowly stream in the melted butter. The mixture should now resemble wet sand and should hold together when pressed in your hands. Add the mixture to the prepared pan and evenly spread all over the base and about 1/2 inch up the sides. Place the crust in the freezer for 30 minutes. Reserve the food processor bowl to make the shortcake crumbs.
• For the shortcake crumbs: Reattach the food processor bowl and blade. Add the sandwich cookies, slightly breaking them up as you add them. Add the freeze-dried strawberries. Process the mixture until it’s a very fine, cohesive consistency. With the machine running, slowly stream in the melted butter. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and set aside.
• For the filling: When the crust is frozen, scoop on half of the softened vanilla ice cream. Use a small offset spatula to smooth the ice cream into an even layer. Sprinkle 1 cup of the shortcake crumbs over the ice cream, slightly pressing in to adhere. Freeze for 45 minutes.
• After 45 minutes, scoop on the softened strawberry ice cream. Use a small offset spatula to smooth the ice cream into an even layer. Sprinkle 1 cup of the shortcake crumbs over the ice cream, slightly pressing to adhere. Freeze for 45 minutes.
• After 45 minutes, scoop on the remaining vanilla ice cream. Smooth with an offset spatula and top with the remaining shortcake crumbs. Freeze for at least 6 hours and up to overnight.
• To serve, run a knife or offset spatula around the edge of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Remove the springform ring and slice the cake into wedges.