Strawberry Shortcake

Creating a beautiful cake doesn’t require professional skills or fancy equipment. Here’s an easy way to dress up your cake using fresh strawberries.

What You Need:

• Strawberries
• Paring knife
• Frosted cake
• Seedless raspberry preserves
• Pastry brush

Follow These Steps:

1. Thinly slice 1 quart of strawberries. Using a paring knife, slice the strawberries lengthwise to between ⅛-inch and ¼-inch thickness.
2. Place strawberries on the cake with their points facing out. Starting from the outside perimeter of the cake, place a ring of strawberries (flat-side down) with the points facing out.
3. Create overlapping circles until the cake is covered. Continue layering concentric rings of strawberries around the cake, overlapping each layer slightly, until you reach the center. The strawberries begin to stand up as you create more rings, giving the cake height and dimension. Use a strawberry end piece for the center.
4. Paint a thin layer of preserves over the strawberries. Heat ¼ cup seedless raspberry preserves in the microwave until soft. Using a pastry brush, paint a thin layer of preserves over the strawberries to give them a nice sheen.
   
   Tip: Brush a thin layer of warmed preserves over fresh fruits to keep them from drying out on your desserts. Raspberry preserves work well with strawberries, and apricot works well with mango—choose a preserve that’s the same color as your fruit.