Vanilla Bean Strawberry Shortcake

FOR THE TOPPING/FILLING:
Slice and hull 2 pounds of fresh strawberries. Put 1/3 of the sliced strawberries in a bowl and mash with a fork or potato masher. Add remaining sliced strawberries and sugar, cover with a paper towel and set aside for 30-60 minutes (or longer). The remaining 1 pound, just simply hull, you will use them whole. Set the whole berries aside.

FOR THE CAKE:
Preheat oven to 325F.

In a small bowl, whisk together 3/4 cup sugar and the cake flour. Set aside.

Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds, set aside.

Beat egg whites until frothy, then add cream of tartar and salt. Beat until fully incorporated then begin to add the remaining 3/4 cup of sugar 1-2 tablespoons at a time. When sugar has been added, beat egg whites to soft peaks. You will know when you have soft peaks because the egg whites will look like soft waves and when you lift the beaters, the peaks will droop back down into the batter. If your batter is falling in ribbons, it is not quite done. Don’t be afraid to slow down the mixer and check a few times as you get close. Do not beat all the way to stiff peaks.

Once you have soft peaks, add the vanilla bean seeds and the vanilla extract and beat for a few seconds to evenly distribute. Sift the flour/sugar mixture over the egg whites in 6-8 additions (depending on your proficiency with folding flour into egg whites) and gently fold it in after each addition. It is better to take your time and do it gently than to rush and deflate the egg whites. Spoon batter into two 8 inch round cake pans with parchment paper on the bottoms (or a 9 inch bundt pan if you choose to do this not as a cake). Smooth the top with a spatula and tap the pan on the counter once or twice to ensure that there are no large bubbles lurking beneath the surface.

Bake for 40-45 minutes, until the top springs back when lightly pressed. Remove from oven, allow to cool for 5 minutes then run a paring knife around the edges. Invert onto plate, then invert again (so the top side is again on top) onto a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

FOR THE ICING:
Beat heavy whipping cream and vanilla till soft peaks form, add powdered sugar and combine.

ASSEMBLY:
Place one layer of the angel food cake on a cake serving dish, top with a thin layer of whipped cream icing. Add a layer of the strawberry topping on top, do not over stuff because remaining strawberries will be heavy. Place second layer of cake on top, then ice the entire cake with the remaining whipped cream frosting. Add whole strawberries around edges if desired, then add remaining sliced strawberry mixture on top. Strawberry juice will drip down the sides some, again not made for beauty, but beautiful taste!

One more quick note, this tends to slice a lot easier and tastes a little better with age. I let mine sit in the fridge over night before serving!