Strawberry season is well and full here. So we’ll be seeing strawberry shortcake on the menu for the next few weeks (from late spring to early summer)

Eileen Gray, owner/creator of BAKING SENSE: The Art and Science of Baking (www.baking-sense.com) says “The best shortcake desserts start with the right biscuit—and not just any biscuit will do. They should be lightly sweetened, extra tender, and perfect for soaking up juicy summer fruit. They're superbly fitted for casual gatherings.”

Eileen doesn’t stop at “short” cake, however. She knows we all like to bake up a little drama now and then, and so she’s created a way to take this proverbial dessert up to a higher level—literally.

I’m referring to her Strawberry “Tall” Cake, made with airy cake layers, fluffy whipped cream, and juicy fresh strawberries. It’s a summery showstopper.

It’s a departure from the true biscuit-like shortcake. Instead, our baking expert goes the sponge-cake route. You can use any sponge-cake recipe you like. No big deal there. But what makes the cake extra special is how she handles her berries.

Most strawberry shortcake recipes instruct you to toss the berries with a little sugar (macerating them) before assembling the cake. That’s a great idea. Sugar not only draws out the juices from the berries, making a delicious syrup, the berries take in some of the sugar. What you end up with is a lovely mixture of softened and slightly sweetened berries with strawberry syrup.

But Eileen takes it a step further; she tosses the sliced berries in sugar and marinates them in 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier liquor for at least 60 minutes or longer. This wee drop of Grand Marnier adds a little more sugar and another layer of flavor that enhances, but doesn’t overpower, the strawberry flavor.

If you don’t do alcohol, though, you can use a splash of orange juice. It won’t be exactly the same, but the juice will spark the flavor of the berries.

After the berries are fully marinated, she spreads them atop each layer of cake and covers each layer with a thick spread of sweetened whipped cream. The result is a tall, moist, and berry/cream flavored cake that reviewers call “stunningly good!”

While you could eat this cake as soon as it’s assembled, it’s best to give it at least an hour in the fridge so the juice will have some time to soak into the cake.

The cake will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Eileen doesn’t recommend freezing it because the strawberries will break down (turn mushy).

In closing, here’s her recipe. I cannot wait to go from strawberry “short” to strawberry “Tall” cake this season!