Strawberry Shortcake Cakes

As a mother to two young toddlers, my idea of the perfect Mother’s Day would start with a few extra hours in bed, preceded, of course, by an uninterrupted full night of sleep the evening before 😉 Upon waking up peacefully to a room filled with natural light, as opposed to the noisy demands of a grumpy child who desperately needs her Hello Kitty doll at 4 am (which, by the way, was sitting on said child’s pillow), I think breakfast in bed would be my idea of heaven.

With Mother’s Day around the corner, I think it will still be a few more years before my children will bring me breakfast in bed, although I definitely have it in my sights to train them for this indulgent, yet very important, life skill 😉

In the absence of any bedside pampering, my ideal way of celebrating Mother’s Day is by making something everyone in the family will enjoy.

One of our favourite cakes is a simple vanilla sponge cake sandwiched with freshly whipped cream and fresh strawberries, quite similar to the Vanilla Sponge Cake with Mascarpone Cream Frosting which I have previously shared. But I thought it would be fun to make them in a mini version this time.

What Are Shortcakes?

As the name suggests, shortcakes contain shortening – either butter or lard – to make the texture soft and crumbly.

In the US, Strawberry Shortcakes are very popular, and these are essentially a large sweet scone (which the Americans call “biscuits”), split in half, spread with whipped cream and topped with fresh strawberries.

However, a popular variation of the Strawberry Shortcake is to use a vanilla sponge cake in place of the scone or biscuit. And such a variation is called a Strawberry Shortcake Cake.

Strawberry Shortcake Cake Recipe

A Strawberry Shortcake Cake is very similar to the British Victoria Sponge Cake, except the latter uses strawberry jam instead of fresh strawberries.

My recipe below for Strawberry Shortcake Cake is for an extra-light sponge which is dairy-free. And I have added mascarpone to the whipped cream to give it more body and creamy taste.

5 stars (2 reviews)

Strawberry Shortcake Cakes

Thanh | Eat, Little Bird
Prep20 minutes
Cook15 minutes
Total35 minutes
Serves: 12 cakes
These mini Strawberry Shortcake Cakes have a light, fluffy sponge filled with a mascarpone cream filling and fresh strawberries. A great recipe to enjoy in summer with seasonal strawberries.
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Ingredients

For the cakes

For the cream filling

  • 125 ml (½ cup) double cream, (heavy cream)
  • 125 ml (½ cup) mascarpone
  • 50 g (2 oz) white chocolate

To assemble

  • fresh strawberries, sliced
  • icing sugar, (powdered sugar) for dusting

Instructions 

To Make the Cakes

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F (without fan).
  2. Lightly butter a 12-hole muffin tin (see Kitchen Notes).
  3. Separate the eggs. Place the whites into one large bowl, and the yolks into another large bowl. If you have two bowls for your stand mixer, now is the time to use them.
  4. Add a pinch of salt to the egg whites and whisk them until stiff peaks form.
  5. Add the sugar and vanilla to the yolks, and beat until the mixture is pale and fluffy.
  6. Sift the flour and baking powder into the yolk mixture, and mix until well-combined.
  7. Lightly fold the beaten egg whites, ⅓ at a time, into the batter.
  8. Fill the muffin tin with the batter. Each hole should be filled approximately half way. I find it is easiest to use an ice-cream scoop to evenly distribute the batter.
  9. Bake the cakes for about 15 minutes, or until the cakes are lightly golden on top.
  10. Let the cakes cool slightly before carefully removing them to a wire rack to cool completely.

To Make the Filling

  1. Melt the chocolate in a bain-marie (or in a bowl over a pan of simmering water), or in short bursts in the microwave.
  2. Set aside to cool slightly.
  3. Whisk the cream until it is soft and thick.
  4. Add the mascarpone and continue whisking until the mixture has thickened and is firm enough to fill the cakes.
  5. Whisk in the melted chocolate.

To Assemble the Cakes

  1. Slice each cake in half.
  2. I find it easier to pipe the cream using a piping bag, but you could simply use a small spatula.
  3. Top with sliced strawberries, followed by a bit more cream.

Kitchen Notes

  • VARIATIONS
    * You can omit the white chocolate from the cream filling.
    * To make this Strawberry Shortcake Cake in a larger size, please see my recipe for Vanilla Sponge Cake with Mascarpone Cream Frosting.
  • STORAGE TIPS
    Due to the fresh cream filling, these cakes are best eaten on the day they are made. Any leftovers should be kept in the fridge.
  • OVEN TEMPERATURES
    All recipes on this website state temperatures for a regular oven (i.e. a conventional oven without fan). If you have a convection oven with a fan, please consult the manufacturer’s handbook on how to adjust the temperature and baking time accordingly.
  • CONVERSIONS
    To convert from cups to grams, and vice-versa, please see this handy Conversion Chart for Basic Ingredients.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 12g, Calories: 204kcal, Carbohydrates: 28g, Protein: 2.8g, Fat: 9.5g, Cholesterol: 83.9mg, Sodium: 57.2mg, Fiber: 0.7g, Sugar: 19.4g

Did you make this recipe?

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