Biscuit or cake? Plant City market solves great strawberry shortcake debate

PLANT CITY, Fla. - It's official, strawberry shortcake is now the state dessert of Florida and one Plant City family has been dishing up the delicious dessert for three generations. 

"Have you ever had a homemade cake that your mom made for you? There’s that crunch, that sweetness, that juice. It’s delicious," shared Xiomara Meeks, co-owner of Parkesdale Farms.

Meeks says the secret to strawberry shortcake is mixing the best of both worlds.

"People like the angel food cake. People like the strawberry shortcake with the biscuit. So, our cake is a combination of both. So, it’s moist enough, but not too dry because we need it to be able to soak up the strawberry grease and that’s what makes our strawberry shortcake perfect," she said.

The key ingredient is the fresh strawberries from Florida. That’s why the sweet treat is only available for a limited time at Parkkesdale Farm Market to coincide with strawberry season.

"When we get the strawberries, we wash them, we take the stems off and we put them through our little slicer. Then, we mix them with a little sugar…it’s just fresh strawberries and a little bit of sugar. That’s it. Simple. For the cake, you got to have two pieces, so there’s a piece of cake on the bottom, a cup of strawberries, another piece of cake and then more strawberries. You can get it with ice cream or without, but you can’t get it without the whipped cream. You have to have the whipped cream on it," Meeks shared.

Parkesdale Farm Market sells strawberry shortcakes from late January through early April. The market also sells fresh produce, plants, and other farmer's market items year-round. 

LINK: Learn more about Parkesdale Farm Market here.