Oya’s strawberry shortcake has been on the menu for only three months, but it’s already outselling the restaurant’s ever-popular banana bread pudding. What makes this version unique? Traditional whipped cream gets a Southeast-Asian accent of coconut milk, and the strawberries are marinated in a citrusy juice. Best of all, it’s a cinch to replicate.
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Oya’s Strawberry Shortcake
Makes six individual cakes.
Bake the yellow cake:
2 cups cake flour, plus more for dusting the molds
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup butter, softened, plus more for greasing the molds
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla
¾ cup milk
6 3-inch circular cake molds or aluminum soufflé cups
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and flour the cake molds or soufflé cups. In a bowl, combine 2 cups cake flour, baking powder, and salt with a wire whisk. Cream the butter and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. Carefully beat in the eggs, 1 at a time. Add the vanilla, and mix until completely combined. Slowly add the flour mixture, alternating with the milk.
Bake the cakes for 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes, then invert them onto a rack and cool completely before frosting.
Prepare the strawberries:
1 pint strawberries, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon lime juice
2 tablespoons orange juice
¼ cup sugar
Zest of 1 orange
Place the strawberries in a mixing bowl and add the lime juice, orange juice, sugar, and orange zest. Mix with a wooden spoon, and transfer to a non-metal container. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until ready to use.
Make the coconut whipped cream:
1 cup heavy cream
1½ teaspoons powdered sugar
2 teaspoons coconut milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Pour the heavy cream into a mixing bowl and whip with an electric mixer until it reaches a nearly stiff consistency. Add the powdered sugar, coconut milk, and vanilla. Beat the ingredients until the cream holds peaks. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Put together the strawberry shortcakes:
To assemble the dessert, cut each cake in half lengthwise. Place the bottom half in a bowl, and add a layer of strawberries and whipped cream on top, then top with the other half. Add with another layer of strawberries and whipped cream. Garnish with a mint sprig (optional) and serve.
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