Petra's Strawberry Shortcake

Ingredients

• 2 pounds fresh strawberries , sliced
• 2 cups white sugar , divided
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
• 5 large eggs , separated
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

Instructions

1. 1

   Combine strawberries and 1 cup sugar in a bowl. Cover the bowl; refrigerate 2 hours to overnight, stirring occasionally.

2. 2

   Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13-inch baking dish.

3. 3

   Whisk flour, cornstarch, and baking powder together in a bowl; set aside. Beat egg yolks and vanilla extract together in a separate bowl until smooth; set aside.

4. 4

   Whip egg whites in a separate bowl with an electric mixer until very stiff. Fold in remaining 1 ¼ cups sugar, a few tablespoons at a time, until well combined. Fold in yolk mixture until mostly blended. Fold in flour mixture until just combined (a few small lumps of flour should remain). Transfer batter to the prepared baking dish.

5. 5

   Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 22 to 25 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes, invert cake onto waxed paper, cut into 8 equal pieces, and continue to cool.

6. 6

   Whip cream and confectioners' sugar together in a bowl until soft peaks form.

7. 7

   Halve each cake square horizontally; transfer to plates. Divide strawberries and syrup among cakes; top with cake tops. Dollop with whipped cream, then serve.