Sweet and Cute
Valentine’s Day is coming up, which means desserts — and lots of them! While I don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day to its fullest extent, I will definitely use it as an excuse to bake desserts and make things look extra cute! To kick off the holiday, I have this Easy Strawberry Shortcake recipe that’s incredibly easy to make but still elevated enough to impress someone. We have buttery, toasted slices of pound cake topped with a homemade vanilla bean whipped cream and macerated strawberries and raspberries!
Spruce It Up!
If you’re planning on cooking up a storm for your special someone or for a party, this Easy Strawberry Shortcake is the perfect dessert to end the night. You don’t have to stress because we’re using store bought pound cake and the shipped cream and macerated berries can be prepared in advance. Each of these elements are fairly simple on their own, but we’re sprucing them up to become a little bit fancier!
To start, add the strawberries, raspberries, granulated sugar, lemon juice and salt into a bowl. Mix until combined then set it aside in the fridge for at least 20 minutes while you follow the rest of the recipe. This will allow the berries to release their natural juices. When combined with the sugar, it’s create a deliciously sweet syrup!
The Good Stuff
In a separate large bowl, add in the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla bean seeds. I love using vanilla beans for special events because it really is the good stuff. You get a deeper vanilla flavor and I love seeing the specks of the seeds throughout the cream! Beat it with a hand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until you get soft, fluffy peaks of whipped cream. Set it aside in the fridge.
Heat a large pan over medium heat. Add in the butter and allow it to melt. Place the slices of pound cake into the pan and cook for 1½-2 minutes on each side until toasted and golden brown. To serve, plate 2 slices of pound cake on each dish and top with a dollop of whipped cream and a spoonful of the berries with the juices. Enjoy!
Last Minute Dessert
I love how quickly this Easy Strawberry Shortcake comes together! Even for a last minute get together, this makes for a delicious yet easy dessert. It’s light and fresh from the airy whipped cream and berries but still has an element of indulgence from the buttery pound cake. I especially enjoy the contrast between the warm poundcake and the chilled toppings. Let me know what you’re planning on making this Valentine’s Day and maything think about adding this Easy Strawberry Shortcake to the menu!
Easy Strawberry Shortcake
Ingredients
- 1 cup quartered strawberries
- ½ cup raspberries
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp lemon juice (about ½ a lemon)
- Pinch of salt
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar
- ½ vanilla bean (beans scraped out of the pod)
- 8 (½ inch) slices of butter vanilla pound cake
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter (for toasting)
Instructions
- Add the strawberries, raspberries, granulated sugar, lemon juice and salt into a bowl. Mix until combined then set it aside in the fridge for at least 20 minutes while you follow the rest of the recipe.
- In a separate large bowl, add in the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla bean seeds. Beat with a hand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until you get soft fluffy peaks of whipped cream. Set it aside in the fridge.
- Heat a large pan over medium heat. Add in the butter and allow it to melt. Place the slices of pound cake into the pan and cook for 1½-2 minutes on each side until toasted and golden brown.
- For serving, plate 2 slices of pound cake on each dish and top with a dollop of whipped cream and a spoonful of the berries with the juices. Enjoy!
