Upside-Down Strawberry Shortcake -- The Mess Is the Joy

Mother's Day. The pandemic version. Denise came to the driveway. She stood by her car in a mask and she held up a sign that said "Happy Mother's Day, Mama. I love you from six feet." I stood on the porch and I read that sign and I cried, which I do not recommend on Mother's Day but which I could not prevent because my daughter was standing in my driveway, six feet away, telling me she loved me from behind a piece of cardboard, and that is the saddest and sweetest thing I have ever seen.

Kayla left flowers on the porch at dawn. Pink carnations. She found pink carnations, in a pandemic, in May. I don't know where — maybe Doris on Habersham is still open, maybe she found them at a grocery store. But they were pink and they were carnations and they were on my porch and I brought them inside and put them in the blue vase and I looked at them and I thought: Kayla is telling me that the tradition isn't dead. The carnations continue. Earl is gone but the carnations survive. Love outlasts the lover. It always does.

Earl Jr. called from Atlanta. Amara is eighteen months now, talking in sentences, or what passes for sentences when you're eighteen months old. He held the phone to her ear and she said, "Hi Gah-gah." That is my name. Gah-gah. I will accept it. I will answer to it. I will be Gah-gah until she learns Granny and even then, I will still be Gah-gah in my heart.

Patricia called. Darnell called — quiet Darnell, who never calls, who called specifically to say, "Happy Mother's Day, Granny. We miss you." I held the phone against my face after he hung up and I breathed. These children. These impossible, beautiful children and grandchildren who call and visit and leave signs in driveways and flowers on porches. They are the reason I cook. They have always been the reason.

I made strawberry shortcake. Biscuits from scratch, strawberries macerated in sugar, whipped cream by hand. I ate it on the porch in the sun and I let the juice run down my chin and I didn't wipe it because there's nobody here to see, and sometimes the mess is the joy.

Now go on and feed somebody.

That shortcake I made for myself on the porch — biscuits from scratch, strawberries gone soft and sweet in sugar, cream whipped until my arm ached — it was the most intentional thing I did all day. This Upside-Down Strawberry Shortcake is the recipe I reach for when the occasion deserves more than ordinary, when the strawberries are good and the day has been both hard and holy. Make it for someone you love, or make it just for yourself and eat it in the sun and let the juice run where it will.

Upside-Down Strawberry Shortcake

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 45 min | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Instructions

1. Macerate the berries. Combine sliced strawberries with 2 tablespoons of the granulated sugar in a bowl. Stir gently and set aside for at least 15 minutes until the berries release their juices.
2. Prepare the pan. Preheat oven to 375°F. Pour melted butter into a 9-inch round cake pan, tilting to coat the bottom evenly. Sprinkle brown sugar over the butter in an even layer.
3. Arrange the fruit. Spoon the macerated strawberries and all their juices evenly over the brown sugar layer in the pan.
4. Make the shortcake batter. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and remaining 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Cut in cold butter pieces using a pastry cutter or your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
5. Combine the wet ingredients. Stir together milk and vanilla extract in a small bowl or measuring cup. Pour over the flour mixture and stir just until a soft dough comes together — do not overmix.
6. Top and bake. Spoon the batter in large dollops over the strawberries, spreading gently to cover as evenly as possible without disturbing the fruit layer. Bake 22–25 minutes, until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Invert immediately. Run a knife around the edge of the pan. Place a serving plate firmly over the pan and, in one confident motion, flip the shortcake upside down. Let the pan rest for one minute before lifting it away so the caramelized strawberry topping can settle onto the cake.
8. Whip the cream. In a chilled bowl, beat heavy cream with powdered sugar by hand or with a mixer until soft peaks form. Serve alongside warm shortcake.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 340 | Protein: 4g | Fat: 18g | Carbs: 42g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 230mg