Michelle Darmody: How to bake a classic Strawberry Shortcake — and mistakes to avoid

"If strawberries are not a favorite, you can fill them with any soft fruit, grilled peaches work very well or poached pears."

Strawberry shortcake conjures up images of summer days and genteel picnics.

Strawberry shortcake conjures up images of summer days and genteel picnics. For me it also brings back childhood memories of fancy notepaper, stickers and erasers that all had a Strawberry Shortcake character imprinted on them. 

She had a big floppy hat and an arm full of strawberries that you could very often scratch and sniff to unveil an achingly sweet strawberry aroma.