Preheat the oven to 425°F.
This very old recipe makes a crisp shortcake (somewhat like a large biscuit) rather than a soft fluffy cake, in the old fashioned style of strawberry shortcake.
Combine dry ingredients and cut in the shortening until mixture resembles cornmeal.
Add water and mix until a ball of dough forms.
Turn the dough out on a floured board and pat it flat and round until cake is about an inch thick.
Bake until golden, about 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven, and with a sharp, heated knife, carefully split it and butter it as you would a biscuit. Put strawberries inside the still-hot buttered cake.
Pour a small amount of heavy cream over each serving just before bringing to the table.
Submitted by: CM
