Strawberry Shortcake

Name: Strawberry Shortcake
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 45 min
Ingredients: 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour; 2 tsp. baking powder; 1/4 tsp. ground Himalayan pink salt; 3 large room temperature free-range eggs, whites and yolks separated; 1/8 tsp. cream of tartar; 1 cup granulated sugar, divided; 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature; 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract; 1/2 cup milk; 9 medium whole strawberries with stems on, washed and patted dry for garnish; 1 1/2 cups strawberries, hulled and sliced; 1 tbsp. granulated sugar; 1 tbsp. white rum or strawberry liqueur such as Tequila Rose (optional); 1/2 tbsp. pure vanilla extract; 1 1/2 cups 35% heavy cream; 1 1/2 tbsp. powdered sugar; 1/2 tbsp. pure vanilla extract

Author: Francine Lizotte

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Posted on Jun 5th, 2025

by Francine Lizotte

I love late spring and summer… plain and simple!
First, I enjoy the warm weather. Second, I’m physically more active 🏌️‍♀️. Third, I like wearing my open-toed sandals. Fourth, I take more time to relax and lastly… I can’t get enough of the foods, either sweet or savory!

It seems that everything tastes so yummy during this time of year! As you know, David and I adore grilling on the barbecue. The smokiness gives such a great flavorful layer to the food. Another plus of barbecuing is the kitchen doesn’t heat up especially when it’s super hot outside 🥵.

I also enjoy making summer desserts like Ice Cream, Blueberry Lemon Cake, Biscoff Icebox Cake, Rocky Road Ice Cream Pie, Cherry Clafoutis, Banana Split 🍌, Peach Cobbler, Ice Cream Sandwiches, Key Lime Pie, Raspberry & Limoncello Semifreddo, Flapper Pie, Café Liégeois, Mixed Berry Crisp, Mango Lassie, etc.

June is definitely the month to celebrate strawberries. There are festivals everywhere highlighting this amazing fruit. I have a lot of recipes using these tasty little guys like No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake, Strawberry Ie Cream, Strawberry Milkshake 🥛, and many more.

One that I bake every year is my Strawberry Shortcake! This homemade version is beyond scrumptious and far better than the store-bought 🛒! With a gorgeous buttery vanilla cake and a tasty strawberry filling along with whipped cream from scratch, this dessert is unquestionably the perfect summer treat!

Although there are a few steps, this recipe is still easy to make…
The vanilla cake has to be baked first so it has time to cool completely before assembling. Eggs 🥚 are separated and when whipping the egg whites, cream of tartar is added and process until soft peaks form. From there, I gradually add the granulated sugar which helps to stabilize the mixture until stiff peaks form.

The “stiff peaks” we’re looking for is a meringue. The mixture should be thick and firm as well as glossy and smooth. To check 👀 if it’s done, get some on the beater or on a spatula and the peaks should stand upright without bending.

What does cream of tartar do 🤔?
It’s a stabilizer that helps to keep the structure of the whipped egg whites from bonding together too tightly. It keeps the air bubbles stable, holds the shape of the egg whites which prevents them from deflating and also helps the cake to rise, preventing it from collapsing.

After the batter is made 👩‍🍳👨‍🍳, the meringue is gently folded in. Don’t overdo it as the air bubbles can be crushed, resulting in a dense and less fluffy cake. If there are some little sticks of meringue and batter here and there, it’s fine.

When these two are mixed, the batter is poured into a greased springform pan lined at the bottom with a parchment paper round and levelled out. Don’t tap the pan on the counter for the same reason given earlier when folding 🥄 batter and meringue together.

To bake the cake, it should take 40 to 45 minutes ⏰ or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean with just a few crumbs. It’s transferred to a wire rack and carefully unlatch the springform pan. Without the high-sided band around, it helps to cool the cake faster.
Meanwhile, the strawberry filling and the whipped cream are made.
In my strawberry mixture, I add some white rum although Tequila Rose is amazing in it. The reason why I don’t use the tequila one is as much as I love this liqueur, my body doesn’t react well to it. I quickly get drunk 🥴.

After being macerated for 15 minutes ⏳, the strawberries are well-drained in a sieve sitting over a bowl to collect the liquid. Both are used later when the cake is at room temperature.

To assemble, the cake is sliced 🔪 horizontally in half. The bottom is placed on a serving platter or cake stand, and the reserved syrup is brushed on. It’s important to allow the cake to absorb the liquid completely otherwise the whipped cream won’t stick to it.

From there, half the whipped cream is spooned over 🥄, spread out evenly and leaving a gap around the edges. Then 2/3 of the drained strawberries are added on top, keeping 1/3 for garnish.

The top layer cake is placed over and pressed down gently. It’s covered with the remaining whipped cream, bringing it up all the way to the edges. I like placing whole strawberries with the stems attached 🍓 around the cake and spoon the remaining ½ cup of the drained strawberries in the middle of them… it makes a nice presentation.

June is definitely the month to highlight this amazing fruit. What better way than making this scrumptious Strawberry Shortcake! It’s an incredible dessert to welcome summer 🌞 and this version will surely impress you!
Bon Appétit! 🍽

Check out these other scrumptious summer dessert recipes… 😀
– Piña Colada Ice Cream
– Coconut Cream Pie
– Pavlova
– Indoor S’mores
– Bing Cherry Pie
– Fudgesicles
– Fruit Salad
– Lemon Gelato
– Cherry Cola Float
and for even more dessert recipes 🍧🍰🍨, click on this link… Recipe Category • Dessert

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