Dessert: Strawberry Shortcake With Thyme and Whipped Cream

Recipe by Anna Stockwell This impressive, summery, thyme-scented layer cake is easier to pull off than it looks. The genoise-style sponge cake is made with melted butter for a more tender, flavorful base.

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
8 large eggs
1 3/4 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon thyme leaves
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided

Instructions

Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 350 °F. Line bottom of pans with parchment paper, leaving sides unlined and ungreased. Melt butter in a small pot over medium heat; set aside.
Whisk eggs, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Place stand mixer bowl over a pot of barely simmering water and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is warm to the touch and sugar is dissolved (use your fingers to check). Transfer bowl to stand mixer and beat on medium-high speed with the whisk attachment until mixture is cooled and tripled in volume, about 5 minutes (when you lift the whisk, mixture should fall back on itself in thick ribbons).
Transfer melted butter to a medium bowl. Add thyme, vanilla, and 1 cup egg mixture to butter and whisk to combine.
Transfer remaining egg mixture to a large wide bowl. Sift half of the flour over egg mixture. Using a rubber spatula or large balloon whisk, fold flour gently into egg mixture until almost fully incorporated. Repeat with the remaining flour, then fold in butter mixture with spatula just until incorporated. Gently divide batter between prepared pans; smooth surface.
Bake cakes until tops are deep golden and centers spring back when pressed lightly, 25 –30 minutes. Immediately run a knife around edges and remove springform. Transfer pans to a wire rack and let cakes cool completely.