Fourth of July Dessert: Red, White & Blue Shortcake

I encountered this simple and delicious cake-and-fruit concoction at a July 4th block party. I was 8 years old, and had never seen a themed dessert before. It was the first time I'd ever eaten blueberries, and it completely changed the way I thought about food.

For the Cakes
One bakery pound cake OR six packaged shortcakes.
Two pounds fresh strawberries
Two pounds frozen blueberries
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 Cup of white or turbinado sugar

For the Topping
2 pints of whipping cream
2 tablespoons of sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract, or rum.

In separate bowls...
Bowl #1: Slice the strawberries and mix with 1/2 cup of sugar.
Bowl #2: Mix the blueberries with lemon juice and 1/2 cup of sugar.

Let both bowls stand, refrigerated, for one hour. (You can skip this step, but the berries won't make as much juice.)
Meanwhile, whip the cream (starting with a chilled bowl for maximum whip!) Start on low, then increase speed to medium and whip for one minute. (or whip by hand until you get tired, about four minutes, then whip some more with the other hand, or ask a friend to help.*) Add sugar and vanilla and continue whipping until the cream forms stiff peaks.

At serving time, place one slice of cake on a plate. Working from the left, cover one-third of the cake with strawberries, fill the middle with a strip of whipped cream (either piped or spooned), and envelope the last third with blueberries. Add more berries and sauce on each side of the plate-this is no time to be stingy!

*Not confident about whipping cream? Here are some tips:
Always buy "whipping cream". Coffee cream or half-and-half will not whip, no matter how hard you try.
A cold bowl makes cream whip faster. Put the bowl in the freezer for a few minutes before starting.
A whisk works much better than a fork. An electric mixer is fastest and much easier, especially if you have wrist issues.

Total Preparation time: 1.5 hours. 1 hour for chilling; 30 minutes actual preparation work (unless you buy the berries pre-sliced. Then, it's more like 10 minutes.)

Serves 6