Doesn't that look nice, especially of you (us) Winter-worn people who are eagerly awaiting blue skies, warmer
weather, Spring colors and smells?  That is a picture taken last May at home..enough cold weather already, we
are now moving through the month of March.  March is a celebratory month, Purim, maybe Passover, maybe
Easter, St.Patrick's Day, St. Joseph's Day...and with every holiday or festival there are foods which enhance and
sometimes define that celebration.  Strawberry Shortcake is not a holiday defining dessert, it just is a great
dessert.  My Sister-in-law's Scandinavian family made a layer cake called Norwegian Cream Cake, a yellow
cake layered with fresh strawberries, and slathered in whipped cream.My Sicilian Grandmother would make
a yellow cake she layered with a jar of Strawberry Preserves and topped with Fresh whipped cream, not really
Sicilian at all, she was being American here!  Traditional Strawberry Short Cake is just that, a short cake, like
a biscuit with strawberries macerated in sugar topped with fresh whipped cream.  Very good, not my favorite,
I like the yellow cake with the juice of the macerated strawberries over the first layer, then whipped cream, then
the strawberries, then the second layer, then cover the entire cake with fresh whipped cream and a garnish of
strawberries.
    Start with 2 pints of fresh, aromatic strawberries.  Rinse
under cold water and gently pat dry with paper towels.  Cut the tops off and slice.  Place into a non-reactive bowl.
When all cut, squeeze the juice of 1/2 lemon over them.(not that boiled stuff out of a jar or that cute plastic squeeze
lemon, the pastuerization process changes the flavor...)  Sprinkle 6 tbs. of sugar over them and mix.  Let this
sit for 2 hours in the fridge.
Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.  Now take 1 quart of HEAVY WHIPPING CREAM, well chilled.  Use a stainless
steel mixing bowl which you have had in the freezer for 10 minutes.  Pour the cream in and add 3 tsp. of sugar (or
more to your taste) 1 tsp. of GOOD VANILLA EXTRACT, never never never never use Imitation Vanilla.  It's garbage.
You don't use vanilla that often, spend the extra $$ on a good pure vanilla. Whisk the cream until stiff peaks form, then
stop, or, it will separate and you are basically churning butter at that point.  Cover and refrigerate until you are ready
to frost the cake.
  Now you can do one of two things here...prepare
your favorite yellow cake mix, Duncan Hines, Pillsbury, Betty Crocker, Williams-Sonoma, Barefoot Contessa, or follow
this link to my favorite from scratch recipe for yellow cake, from Martha Stewart, just after you have made the batter, switch
to my prep for the cake.  The link is:  http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/yellow-cake-with-lemon-filling.  So you're not
totally confused here, we just want the cake batter recipe, not the lemon filling or anything else.  Prep butter and flour
2 8 inch cake pans or 1 1/2 sheet pan.  Pour in the batter wacking the pans on the counter to knock out any air bubbles.
Follow the cake box's cooking times or the Martha Stewart recipe time.  Don't over cook cake.  Dry and crumbly and
that burnt sugar taste are not appealing.  Moist and clean is the experience you are looking for.  OK.  When the cake
is FULLY COOLED, no specific time here, the cake should be room temperature.  If using the sheet pan, cut it in half
and place that layer on a platter, if using the round pan place one layer on a cake plate.  Drizzle the layer with the juice
from the strawberries.  Then add the strawberries.  Over this add a thin layer of Whipped Cream.  Top with the second
layer and frost the entire cake with the whipped cream.  Garnish with some fresh whole strawberries.  CHILL THE
CAKE.  This is not too tasty at room temp.  An ice cold slice of this with a deep, dark cup of coffee or a fragrant steamy
cup of tea, OR an icy tumbler of milk are just a great pairing. 

  Here is a prime example of simple
flavors that do not need much more to satisfy your sweet tooth.  Just so you don't think I'm going all Sandra Lee
on you with a semi-homemade mode of cooking, I'm not above using cake mix.  There.  I've said it.  We all grew
up on them.  They taste good.  They are a staple of every home in America.  Is homemade cake (from scratch)
better, depends on the baker.  However, stay away from whipped topping...Cool Whip..or any of those other
ready made non-dairy toppings.  Real whipped cream has no substitute.  The better the cream, the better the
taste...So now go ahead, have your cake and eat it too...!