In the 1850’s, strawberry shortcake parties were a popular way to celebrate the arrival of summer (2). This sweet dessert is traditionally made with baking soda to produce a crumbly biscuit often referred to as a scone in the UK. For a lower calorie version of the dessert, angel food cake is used to replace the shortcake (my version includes a variant of this cake). In Japan a sponge cake is used to instead of shortcake and is commonly served at Christmas and at birthdays (3). The oldest printed reference is from Michigan from the 1840’s (4) .
Bryant Chapin lived in worked in Massachusetts from the late 19th century to the early 20th. He was predominately a still life painter but traveled to Europe several times to paint landscapes. His still life subject of choice was fruit and he would paint them using strong colour and atmospheric light (1). As with Still Life of Overturned Basket of Strawberries (1922), Chapin would often paint his fruit with softened edges and place his subject on a table that would enhance the reflection of the fruit. With the still life above, Chapin explored light and shadow with a low and very strong light source originating from the bottom left of the canvas.
Strawberry Shortcake with Blueberry Syrup
adapted from Gourmet
4 large egg yolks and 2 large egg whites
3/4 cup vanilla sugar
2 TB milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
To serve: (recipes below)
vanilla cream
strawberries in vanilla-orange syrup
blueberry syrup
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C) and butter a metal bread pan. Line bottom of pan with parchment or wax paper, then butter paper. Dust with flour, knocking out excess. Whisk together yolks, 1/2 cup sugar, milk, and vanilla in a large bowl until combined well. Whisk in flour and salt (batter will be thick). Beat whites with an electric mixer until they hold soft peaks. Gradually beat in remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until whites hold stiff, glossy peaks. Stir about one third of whites into batter to lighten, then fold in remaining whites in 2 more batches, gently but thoroughly.
Transfer batter to bread pan, spreading evenly, and bake in middle of oven until pale golden and a tester comes out clean, 14 to 16 minutes. Cool cake completely in pan on a rack (cake will shrink from sides of pan). When cool, run a sharp knife around side of cake if necessary and invert onto rack, then remove paper.
Top with the strawberries in vanilla-orange syrup and vanilla cream. Drizzle the blueberry syrup over each portion.
Vanilla cream
1/4 cup chilled heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla sugar
2 tablespoons sour cream
Beat together cream, sugar, and sour cream until mixture just holds stiff peaks.
Strawberries in vanilla-orange syrup
1/3 cup vanilla sugar
1/3 cup water
1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons finely grated fresh orange zest (from 2 oranges)
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 pint strawberries (3/4 lb), trimmed and quartered
Add sugar, water, zest, and juice. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved, and boil 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl and chill 30 minutes. Pour syrup through a fine sieve into another bowl and discard solids. Gently stir in strawberries and let stand 15 minutes.
Blueberry syrup
1 cup blueberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
Cook the berries with the sugar and water until thick. Spoon around strawberry shortcake.
20 comments
Julie says:
Jun 25, 2009
Megan, your strawberry shortcake looks both patriotic and delicious.
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella says:
Jun 26, 2009
Wow, such gorgeosuly vivid strawberries. Strawberry Shortcake is a definite favourite in this house and this would be gobbled up in a second!
MeetaK says:
Jun 26, 2009
i love this painting! and what i like even more is that very unique shot of the stars and stripes. i really love strawberry shortcake brings back a few great memories!
Anh says:
Jun 26, 2009
Everything in this post sounds BEAUTIFUl!!
flintstone says:
Jun 26, 2009
I love the Chapin still life. Strawberries are my favorite. We just made 5 batches of jam…
Y says:
Jun 26, 2009
Great photos! I love the way you designed the flag :)
tastestopping says:
Jun 26, 2009
Hey! I#39;m a native Michigander, too! I miss it this time of year…being close to the water during the hot and humid days. (Written from a currently-land-locked location!) I love the combination of art and food on your site. And your recipe is something to enjoy year round! (As one who usually uses buttermilk biscuits, I#39;m looking forward to trying your version of angel food cake.)br /br /Anyway, I found you on TasteSpotting and am writing to say that if you have any photos that aren’t accepted there, I’d love to publish them. Visit my new site (below), it’s a lot of fun! I hope you will consider it.br /br /Best, br /Caseybr /Editorbr /www.tastestopping.wordpress.com
dessert girl says:
Jun 26, 2009
I love the flag pic! So creative!
Michelle O'Brien says:
Jun 26, 2009
I JUST love this. Can#39;t wait to try it out.
petoskeygirl says:
Jun 28, 2009
Megan Your Strawberry shortcake looks just delicious. I miss Grandpa#39;s strawberries. We haven#39;t had many good ones since he tilled them under. I like the flag you did.
Forager says:
Jul 1, 2009
This looks like such a lovely summery dessert. And Strawberry Shortcake – I have such fond memories of her!
Sunshinemom says:
Aug 3, 2009
Congrats. Your picture is truly original. My first time here and such a lovely recipe greets me:).
Feasting on Art Recipe Contest »Feasting on Art says:
Feb 18, 2010
[…] could be adapted to either a sweet or savory recipe, see my posts for Strawberry BBQ Pulled Pork, Strawberry Shortcake, and Berry Vlaai for inspiration. You can find the contest and prize details […]
H2Ope for Haiti Raffle »Feasting on Art says:
Feb 22, 2010
[…] the prize page to peruse the long list of contributions. I was asked to submit a print of my Berry Flag photograph from my post about Strawberry Shortcake back in June. If you would like to own a little […]
Strawberry Seeds says:
Jun 7, 2010
I’d have to say.. strawberries are amazing. Nice post! :D
10 Things I Love Tuesday: Independence Day Style « says:
Jun 29, 2010
[…] [source] […]
Tweets that mention Bryant Chapin – Strawberry Shortcake with Blueberry Syrup »Feasting on Art -- Topsy.com says:
Jul 5, 2010
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Tres Jolie Studios. Tres Jolie Studios said: Happy 4th of July – recipe for Strawberry Shortcake with Blueberry Syrup, the perfect red, white and blue dessert! http://bit.ly/9bHaYz […]
happy (day after) independence day | SIMA says:
Jul 5, 2010
[…] (image source) […]
Food :: Photo Competition :: DMBLGIT July 2009 Winner » Megan Fizell | Tres Jolie Studios | Freelance Writing and Photography says:
Oct 9, 2010
[…] strawberries. Captured with a Canon 5D Mark II and a 24-70mm lens. The photograph was shot for the strawberry shortcake recipe for the food blog Feasting on […]
(@mfizell) (@mfizell) says:
Jul 4, 2012
Happy 4th of July http://t.co/ckcg7opw