It doesn't get more classic - or springtime perfect - than this 1930s strawberry shortcake recipe

My word, is this year barreling along quickly! We're nearly 5.5 months into it already and in just two months time (to the day), it will be my 31st birthday. Wow! Before then though, we get to savour what is arguably one of the most pleasant and appealing times of the year, late spring. Gone, for nearly all of us north of the equator, are the snowmen and parkas, and yet we haven't hit the point of needing to sleep with a fan mere inches from our faces yet either.

These days, brief, bold, fleeting, and undeniably beautiful bring with them an abundance of perks, very much including all of the awesome fresh produce that is hitting the farmer's market and grocery store shelves again. Our local farmer's market (which I blogged about here back in 2012) kicks off once more this month and I'm sure you'll spot Tony and I down there on many a Saturday morning in the coming months (when we're not out yard saling, that is! :)).

Today's featured vintage recipe calls on an ingredient that you can usually find being sold there, but which is farmed on far greater scale in the Lower Mainland (aka, Greater Vancouver Area) of our beautiful province, thanks to the lush climate, damp soil, and idea growing conditions for this beloved fruit in that neck of the urban woods: the humble, delicious strawberry.

Not only are strawberries one of my favourite fruits ever, they're also one of just a teeny, tiny handful of fruits and vegetables that (knock wood!) my various medical conditions that are strongly influenced by dietary factors has allowed me to continue to safely eat through thick and thin on the health front over the years. I love, love, love strawberries, so this is a very good thing and with locally and provincially grown options in the stores and market stalls again, I'm going to be chopping down on even more of them than usual during the balmy, sun-kissed days of the second half of spring.

The following vintage recipe, which dates back to 1939, is as classic as strawberries themselves. It's a snap to whip up and is quite budget-friendly, too, making it a great choice for a weekday dessert and/or if you need to feed a large crowd.



{Like lemonade, ice cream cones, and sweet tea, spring and summer just wouldn't be the same without strawberry shortcake and this great 1930s version is as classic as they come. It's ideal for Mother's Day, garden and tea parties, birthdays, picnics, BBQs, and everyday desserts alike. Vintage recipe image source. Click here for a larger, easier to read size of this vintage Spry shortening ad.}


Strawberry shortcake has to be, to my mind, one of the most springtime perfect desserts ever! It's also tasty as the day is long and generally adored by diners of all ages. For my fellow gluten-free folks, I would suggest making a GF white or yellow sheet cake either using your favourite mix or recipe and then employing a round cookie or biscuit cutter (or even a wide-mouthed drinking glass) to stamp out circles to use for the cake layers in this mouthwatering dessert.

If strawberries aren't your favourite, or you can't eat them for whatever reason, you can easily swap in another type of berry, such as raspberries, blackberries, red or white currents, boysenberries, huckleberries, or (my mom's favourite) blueberries. Peaches, nectarines, and apricots, especially when they're in season come July and August, are rather sublime here as well, and then as the weather gradually grows nippier again, I never say no to stewed or baked pears, apples, or plums used in towering shortcake stacks like this either.

As I always like to mention with vintage recipes that involve, as many of them (especially desserts) do, shortening, if it's not your first choice of cooking fat, by all means sub in butter, margarine, or a vegan margarine instead (you could even try using solid coconut oil, if desired).

Save for making them safe for me to eat, I don't usually alter my strawberry shortcake recipes much. I adore the classic combination of airy, soft cake, silken whipped cream, and juicy, plump berries precisely as they are. That said, if you'd not tried it before, I do recommend lighting toasting (a toaster oven or couple of minutes under the broiler work well there) your rounds of shortcake for a fabulously lovely twist every now and then. The subtle crunch that the cake takes on really adds an exciting layer to this timeless dessert.

And should you be so inclined, especially when the dog days of summer strike, even the most die-hard of strawberry shortcake purists will likely be on board if you'd like to add a bit of vanilla (or another flavour) of ice cream to the mix as well, either in lieu of, or along with, the whipped cream.

Strawberry season, like these near magically gorgeous days of May, won't be around forever, so while they're still here, why don't you join me in stocking up on fresh fruit and serving your family and friends plate after plate of lip-lickingly awesome strawberry shortcake this spring!

Celebrate Mother's Day with this delicious vintage strawberry cake recipe

Mother's Day just happens to fall in the midst of one of loveliest times of the year. Sandwiched as it between the chilly days of early spring and the sizzling heat that generally returns by the second half of June when summer rounds the bend again. Though May can be rainy at times, it's also prone to luminous bursts of sunshine, carefree breezes, and gardens that are beginning to swell to the breaking point with scrumptious produce once more.

Few flavours go hand-in-hand (or perhaps more fittingly, fork-in-mouth) with this beautiful time of the year than that of fresh strawberries. Ripe, juicy, gorgeously crimson and packed full of flavour and nutrients alike, strawberries are practically a must come May.

Unlike a great many fruits out there, strawberries are (knock wood!) one that my health still permits me to eat without running into any trouble. In fact, because I'm unable to have so many fruits (and vegetables, for that matter), I eat strawberries nearly every day year-round, even paying three times their springtime cost in the dead of winter (when you're lucky if one or two shops in our small town even brings them in). None however compare to those that one gets fresh, picked a wee bit south of us here in B.C. (in the Lower Mainland, which has been producing stellar strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries for ages), when possible, during the middle and tail end of spring.

You might think that eating strawberries so often, I'd grow tired of them, but (again, knock wood!) even after many years of consuming a bevy of these succulent little fruits, I haven't lost my passion for them iota, and continually enjoy coming up with new ways to safely incorporate them into my diet (if you've never partnered grilled strawberries and chicken breasts, give it a go, you'll love it!).

Though I may consume more strawberries per annum than many people, I'm by no means alone in my passion for these plump, pretty berries. Strawberries are a beloved food the world over and one lends itself especially well to springtime celebrations, such as wedding showers, Victoria Day weekend sweet treats, and of course Mother's Day desserts.

With today marking the marvelous celebration of moms and those who take on the role of being a mom (grandmas, aunts, foster parents, etc), it seems only fitting that this week's vintage recipe - called rather charmingly Strawberry Long-Cake - includes this much admired springtime fruit.

{One baking dish, some fresh fruit, and a few basic panty ingredients are all it takes to whip up this crowd pleasing strawberry cake. Image via Eudaemonius on Flickr.}


Many of us - myself included - prefer not to bake with lard most of the time (or at all), so by all means feel free to sub in butter or margarine here if you prefer. By the sake token, if you're not a fan of strawberries (or of course if you happen to be allergic to them, strawberries being a relatively common food allergen after all) then why not try the peach variation suggested at the bottom of the page? 

You could also use any other soft, juicy fruit here that you'd like. Blackberries and pears would be a fetching combination come late summer/early fall, new season raspberries would tantalize the taste buds in a few weeks, and apricots would be a fantastic summertime spin on this easy-to-make mid-century dessert.

For those like me who need to follow a gluten-free diet, I can report that this recipe works wonderfully when made with two boxes (a single box doesn't yield enough for to match the original recipe here) of Betty Crocker's Gluten-Free Golden Cake Mix, as well as just about any good, standard white or golden GF cake recipe.

Strawberries and whipping cream go together like robins and spring, so definitely don't hold back if you feel the urge to serve each slice of this lovely cake with a generous dollop on top. Lightly sweetened crème fraîche, a nice creme anglaise, or vanilla (all the better if it's French vanilla) ice cream would also be delectable accompaniments, too.

Mother's Day, much like this wonderful vintage cake recipe, should be sweet, enjoyable and fun, and that is precisely what I hope today will be for each and every one of you, dear ladies.