Mother’s Day Strawberry Shortcakes

Photo and recipe courtesy of Kimberly Belle

These bite-size strawberry shortcakes are the perfect celebration of Mother’s Day and sunny celebrations! Once the season’s first berries start popping up at farmers’ markets, it’ll be difficult to experiment with several varieties! Both the strawberry sauce and marshmallow frosting add layers of other flavors. The only thing that makes them hard to gobble up in one bite is how cute they are!

Shortcakes

bakes about 6 dozen minis

• 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter (softened)
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs (at room temperature)
• 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
• 1 1/4 cups allpurpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 6 dozen mini cupcake paper molds
• 1 cup Strawberry Sauce (or jam)
• sliced strawberries & mint (garnish)
• piping bags

Frosting

• 3 egg whites
• 1 1/2 t vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/4 plus 1/8 t cream of tartar
• piping bags

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line mini cupcake pans with paper molds. Slice strawberries and separate mint leaves for garnish. If using jam, you may want to heat it over the stove with the juice of a lemon to add an acid kick and thin it out a little. Make sure the jam is cool before piping.
2. Cream butter until smooth. Add sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, for about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine the flours and add in four parts, alternating with the milk and the vanilla extract, beating well after each addition.
3. Fill each paper mold 3/4 full of batter and bake for 15-16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cake comes out clean.
4. When cool, take a paring knife and carve out little holes in each cupcake. These holes can be as big or small as you like, just be sure not to dig down to the very bottom of the cupcake or the strawberry sauce will spill out. With a piping bag filled with strawberry sauce, fill each hole to the brim with strawberry sauce. These cakes are now ready to frost, but they can also be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for 48 hours before frosting.
5. To make marshmallow frosting, combine egg whites and the vanilla extract in a large bowl of an electric mixer and set aside. In a medium-size saucepan over high heat, combine the water with the sugar and the cream of tartar. As mixture begins to bubble at edges, stir once to make sure the sugar is dissolved completely, then let come to a rolling boll (about 2 to 3 minutes) and remove immediately from heat.
6. Now beat the egg whites and the vanilla extract with the whisk attachment until foamy, about 1 minute. Without turning off the mixer, pour the sugar syrup into the beaten egg whites in a thin, steady stream. Continue beating constantly, on medium-high speed, for about 5 minutes or until stiff peaks form but frosting is still creamy. Spoon frosting into a piping bag and either frost your cakes immediately or tie the bag with a rubber-band and reserve it in the refrigerator until ready to serve. This frosting can be made up to 48 hours in advance as long as it’s kept cold. When ready, frost and garnish your cakes with a strawberry slice and mint sprig, and let the taste of spring shine on in!