Sunshine Shortcake Recipe

Sunshine Shortcake

from Lard: The Lost Art of Cooking with Your Grandmother's Secret Ingredient by Editors of Grit Magazine

Ingredients:

1/2 cup lard, softened, plus more for greasing the pans
1 3/4 cups all-purpose unbleached flour, plus more for dusting the pans
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs, separated
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup fresh orange juice

Topping:

2 cups whipped cream (about 1 cup liquid)
2 cups fresh or canned peach slices, drained

Serves 8 to 10

This and many other wonderful recipes may be found in Editors of Grit Magazine's
Lard: The Lost Art of Cooking with Your Grandmother's Secret Ingredient

This is a favorite dessert in the sunny South, where peaches are a point of pride. Ripe, juicy farmstand peaches work best in this recipe, but in lieu of that seasonal sight, use good-quality canned peaches—or better yet, your own canned peaches from last summer. Finishing it with a few blueberries also adds some nice color if you like.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease two 8-inch layer cake pans with lard; dust lightly with flour and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the lard and sugar; beat in the egg yolks. Stir in the orange zest. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Alternately add the flour mixture and the orange juice to the creamed mixture, beating well after each addition. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans.

Bake for 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pans for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Just before serving, place one cake layer on a cake stand. Spread half the whipped cream on top, then half the peaches. Place the second layer on top and repeat. Serve immediately.