Make a bigger version of a summertime treat
During the first wave of COVID-19, Ricardo Larrivée and his team were putting the finishing touches on his new cookbook, Sheet Pan Everything. Distanced, working from their respective home kitchens rather than the Ricardo test kitchen, they kept togetherness in mind.
“Eventually, we’ll be back with the people we love,” says Larrivée. “And we’ll have this epiphany: ‘Oh my God, it’s so good to be with you and to have something in the middle of the table that actually was simple.’”
They created this supersized strawberry shortcake as an embodiment of celebration and simplicity. You can use whatever berry you like and while Larrivée favours orange liqueur, you could use any type of infused spirit you enjoy.
As an added bonus, he highlights, you don’t have to decorate it to make it special — just scatter over Thai basil leaves.
“You put the whole sheet pan on the table and whoa. Everyone is happy.”
In terms of the method, there are two key points to remember, says Larrivée: beat the eggs well, until tripled in volume; and use a spatula to spread out the batter in an even layer.
“You will never beat these eggs enough — especially if you’re doing it with a hand mixer instead of a stand mixer, which is more powerful. The preparation has to be super fluffy,” he adds. “This is the secret to this cake: beat the hell out of the eggs and make it even in your sheet pan. There’s nothing else.”
STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE
Preparation: 40 min, Cooking: 18 min, Cooling: 1 hour, Macerating: 15 min
Cake:
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
6 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
Strawberries:
6 cups quartered strawberries
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp orange liqueur (optional) Thai basil leaves, for serving Whipped cream:
2 1/2 cups 35% cream
1/2 cup sugar
Step 1
Cake: With the rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the bottom of a sheet pan with parchment paper, letting it hangover two sides. Butter the paper and sides of the sheet pan.
Step 2
In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Step 3
In a large bow1, whisk the eggs and sugar with an electric mixer until the mixture is pale, is tripled in volume and falls from the beaters in a ribbon, about 10 minutes.
Step 4
Sift the dry ingredients over the egg mixture and fold in with a whisk. Spread the batter out evenly on the sheet pan.
Step 5
Bake for 18 to 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let cool completely on a wire rack, about one hour. Step 6
Strawberries: Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the strawberries with the sugar and orange liqueur, if using. Let macerate for 15 minutes. Drain the strawberries, keeping the syrup. Step 7
Whipped cream: In a bowl, whisk the cream and sugar with an electric mixer until medium-firm peaks form. Step 8
Assembly: Drizzle the cake with the strawberry syrup. Cover with the whipped cream and strawberries. Garnish with Thai basil leaves. The cake will keep for two days in the refrigerator.
Serves: 16