Instead of making individual shortcakes for everyone, make one big blackberry shortcake cake. It is a beauty to make and serve and it tastes delicious too. With layers of slightly sweet biscuity cake, fluffy vanilla frosting and plenty of blackberries to go around, it is a sure winner.
Preheat oven to 350°F and grease two 9 inch cake pans.
Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and mix until fully incorporated.
Stir in milk and vanilla.
In a small bowl, stir together flour, salt and baking powder.
Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir until just mixed. The batter will be relatively thick.
Spread in two prepared cake pans and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick placed in the center comes out clean.
Cool in the pans for about 5 minutes and then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.
Place one cooled layer on your cake plate. Spread about ⅓ of the ermine frosting over the cake, creating a divot in the center. Fill the divot with blackberry sauce.
Top with the second layer of cake and spread with remaining ermine frosting. Spoon remaining blackberry sauce over the center.