Dairy Strawberry Shortcakes

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper. Set aside. Arrange whole frozen strawberries in one single layer, over a double layer of paper towels. While still frozen, so as to retain the shape of the strawberries, slice half of the strawberries into thin slivers. Allow strawberries to defrost. Whisk together flour, sugar, and baking powder. Add orange juice, canola oil, vanilla extract, and eggs, and mix well. This can easily be done by hand, or in a mixer. Spoon the batter onto the lined pan. Even out the batter over the surface of the baking pan with a spatula. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. While the cake is baking, prepare the whipped cream. Use an electric mixer or stand mixer fitted with chilled beater, whip the cream in the chilled bowl until the cream is almost stiff. Add confectioners’ sugar 1 tablespoon at a time and continue to beat until stiff peaks are just about to form. Do not overbeat or cream will become lumpy and butter-like. If you have time, chill the cake in the freezer, to reduce the crumbs before cutting. Use a 2.5-inch square cookie cutter to cut out 18 squares of cake. Arrange half of the cake squares on a clean baking sheet. Evenly spread a slightly rounded tablespoon of cream over each piece. Layer the sliced strawberries over the cream. Top each piece of cake with a second square of cake. Use an offset spatula or butter knife to evenly spread coconut cream over all sides of each cake square. Spread more coconut whipped cream on top of the mini cakes. Garnish with whole or halved strawberries. Store individual strawberry shortcakes in the refrigerator. If preparing a day in advance, take the desserts out 1 hour before serving, as coconut cream will firm up and harden a bit in the refrigerator.

As seen in Joy of Kosher with Jamie Geller Magazine (Summer 2012) – Subscribe Now.

For a parve version of this cake get this recipe for Strawberry Shortcakes with Coconut Frosting.