Monday, May 19, 2008

Strawberry Shortcakes

As a family we seem to go through these dessert phases… Smore’s, homemade ice cream, funnel cakes (yes, this is as pathetic as it sounds)! We just all seem to crave the same thing at once and we get hooked on it for months. Lately it’s been Strawberry Shortcakes; notice not “shortcake” but “shortcakes”. It’s a short stake of blueberry pancakes layered with strawberry compote and topped with creamy whipped topping.

Ingredients
Pancakes (we prefer Blueberry)
Strawberries (the sliced strawberries with sugar found in the freezer section)
Whipped Topping

Directions
There’s nothing to it! Cook the pancakes according to the directions on the package. Layer each of the pancakes with strawberries and top with the whipped cream!

Although strawberry shortcake -- the quintessential version of this sweet dish-- is an American classic, the origins of the treat date back to 16th century England. Traditional shortcake is, in fact, not really cake at all but is actually a sweet biscuit with a fruit filling and topping. It is believed that early Americans preferred their shortcake with blueberries, but today it is served with a variety of fruit fillings. It was not until the 1850s that strawberry shortcake became particularly popular in the United States and evolved into a cookbook staple shortly thereafter.

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