Strawberry Shortcake Cakes
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.
Ingredients
For the cakes
- 4 eggs, separated
- 1 pinch fine salt
- 125 g (⅔ cup) caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 125 g (1 cup) plain flour
- 5 g (1 teaspoon) baking powder
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
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F (without fan).
- Lightly butter a 12-hole muffin tin (see Kitchen Notes).
- 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.
- Add a pinch of salt to the egg whites and whisk them until stiff peaks form.
- Add the sugar and vanilla to the yolks, and beat until the mixture is pale and fluffy.
- Sift the flour and baking powder into the yolk mixture, and mix until well-combined.
- Lightly fold the beaten egg whites, ⅓ at a time, into the batter.
- 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.
- Bake the cakes for about 15 minutes, or until the cakes are lightly golden on top.
- Let the cakes cool slightly before carefully removing them to a wire rack to cool completely.
To Make the Filling
- Melt the chocolate in a bain-marie (or in a bowl over a pan of simmering water), or in short bursts in the microwave.
- Set aside to cool slightly.
- Whisk the cream until it is soft and thick.
- Add the mascarpone and continue whisking until the mixture has thickened and is firm enough to fill the cakes.
- Whisk in the melted chocolate.
To Assemble the Cakes
- Slice each cake in half.
- I find it easier to pipe the cream using a piping bag, but you could simply use a small spatula.
- 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.