Mamaw’s Strawberry Shortcake: A Slice of Summer Memories
- Patti Butler
- May 17
- 2 min read
by: Patti Butler
If you grew up in my family, strawberry season meant one thing: a trip to the U-Pick fields, and Mamaw’s Strawberry Shortcake later that evening. This wasn’t the biscuit-style shortcake you’ll find on restaurant menus or Pinterest boards. No, Mamaw’s version was something altogether different—drier, denser, a little old-fashioned, and always served in a bowl with milk and sugar. It sounds strange if you haven’t had it before, but one bite and you’d understand why this was my Dad’s favorite. He will choose it year after year for his birthday cake, and to this day, it tastes to me like summer in a forkful.
The cake itself is a simple layer cake, mixed by hand and baked in two round pans. The topping? A mix of crushed berries and a fluffy meringue, spread between the layers and slathered on top, finished with a crown of whole strawberries.
Let’s dive into the recipe that’s been passed down like a sweet little secret. I dare you to try it and not fall in love!
Mamaw’s Strawberry Shortcake Recipe
Cake Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
4 tablespoons Crisco
2 egg yolks, beaten
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Topping:
2 pints fresh strawberries
4 fresh egg whites (or substitute with meringue powder for safety)
½ cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
Instructions:
1. Make the Cake: Cream together the sugar and Crisco until smooth. Mix in the beaten egg yolks. In a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Add the dry mixture to the creamed mixture alternately with milk and vanilla, mixing well. Pour batter into two greased round layer pans and bake at 350°F for 25 minutes. Let cool completely.
2. Prepare the Topping: Crush most of the strawberries, leaving a few whole for decoration. Stir in ½ cup sugar and let the berries macerate. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form (or prepare your meringue powder according to package directions). Add 2 tablespoons sugar and fold into the berry mixture. Spread the mixture generously between the cake layers and over the top. Decorate with the reserved whole berries. Chill before serving.
How We Eat It (the Old-Fashioned Way)
This cake is dry on purpose. It was always meant to be served in a bowl, broken up a bit, and soaked in milk with a sprinkle of extra sugar—almost like a dessert cereal. It's humble, a little quirky, and completely delicious. Some folks prefer to ladle on extra crushed berries and juice instead of milk, which gives it a more vibrant, summery punch.
This cake might not win a bake-off for presentation, but it wins every time in the “tastes like home” category. It’s the kind of dessert that tells a story—about berry-stained fingers, summer birthdays, and a Mamaw who knew exactly what summer was supposed to taste like.
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