Strawberry Shortcake with Lemongrass-Basil Whipped Cream | www.floatingkitchen.net

Strawberry Shortcake with Lemongrass-Basil Whipped Cream

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Driscoll’s. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting companies that help to support Floating Kitchen!

It’s my birthday this weekend and…

{insert dramatic pause}

I’m going to be turning 36 years old.

Which officially makes me closer to 40 than to 30.

I’m not sure how I feel about that.

But I do know how I feel about birthday cake: pretty great.

Because I’m a June baby and strawberries are at their peak season, my Mom and Grandmother would always make me a strawberry shortcake to celebrate my special day (I’ve since learned that June 14th is National Strawberry Shortcake Day!). I fondly remember the light sponge cake, juicy strawberries and pillows of whipped cream that would mark this yearly occasion. And as an overly eager kid who could never seem to get enough sugar, that cake was definitely the best part of my day.

It seems that I’ve always preferred consumable gifts over material items.

This year, I decided to re-create my Grandmother’s strawberry shortcake recipe (with a few twists, of course!). And I’m so excited that Driscoll’s has agreed to help me out!

Strawberry Shortcake with Lemongrass-Basil Whipped Cream | www.floatingkitchen.net

I made my Grandmother’s sponge cake recipe exactly as she had written it out (although after some internet searching, I’ve come to believe that the sponge cake recipe is pretty standard). And then I used my 3-inch biscuit cutter to cut out little rounds. You can certainly skip this part and serve the cake as a sheet cake (which is how my Grandmother used to serve it), but my love for cute, individual desserts knows no boundaries. And bonus: you get all these scraps of cake from around the edges, which I lovingly refer to as the “chefs prerogative”.

Strawberry Shortcake with Lemongrass-Basil Whipped Cream | www.floatingkitchen.net

I slathered a thin layer of strawberry jam onto the sponge cake rounds. And then topped them with some Driscoll’s strawberries tossed in a little sugar and lemon juice. And because we’re all grown up now (at least according to my actual age), I made a wonderfully scented lemongrass and basil infused whipped cream. Don’t skip this part. The difference is rather remarkable. Trust me.

So…any advice for me in my 36th year of life? Eat more cake, maybe?

Cheers,

Liz

Strawberry Shortcake with Lemongrass-Basil Whipped Cream

Serves about 12

Strawberry Shortcake with Lemongrass-Basil Whipped Cream

Ingredients

  • For the Lemongrass-Basil Whipped Cream
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 1/4 cup chopped lemongrass
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
  • 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract

  • For the Cake
  • 5 eggs, separated
  • 1 cup sugar, divided
  • 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
  • 1 cup sifted cake flour
  • 1/4 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • About 1/4 cup strawberry jam

  • For the Strawberries
  • 2 packages (16 ounces each) Driscoll’s Strawberries
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice

Instructions

  1. Infuse the whipped cream. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, warm the cream, lemongrass and basil until small bubbles start to form around the edges of the saucepan. Do not let the cream come to a boil. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the cream cool to room temperature. Then cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to overnight.
  2. Meanwhile, make the cake. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of a rimmed 10 X 14-inch baking pan (see my notes below about baking pan sizes) with a piece of parchment paper and coat it lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
  3. In the bowl of your stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until small bubbles form. Slowly add in 1/2 cup of the sugar, beating on high speed until the egg whites becomes glossy white and stiff peaks form. Transfer the beaten egg whites to a clean bowl and set aside. In the same mixing bowl (no need to clean it out), beat the egg yolks until they become thick and pale yellow. Slowly add in the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar, beating on high until smooth. Beat in the lemon juice and zest. Gently fold the beaten egg whites into the egg yolks. In a small bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Then gently fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture, working the batter until everything is just combined.
  4. Pour the batter into your prepared baking pan and smooth the top to create an even surface. Transfer to your pre-heated oven and bake for 15 minutes. The cake should be starting to brown a little bit around the edges and pull away from the sides of the baking pan slightly. Remove from the oven and set the baking pan on a wire rack to cool for about 5 minutes. Then remove the cake from the baking pan by carefully inverting the baking pan over a parchment paper-lined wire rack. The cake should easily come out. If the parchment paper has stuck to the bottom of the cake, peel it off and discard it. Allow the cake to cool completely before cutting and serving.
  5. Prepare the strawberries. Trim and discard the greens. Slice the strawberries in half or quarters. Toss the sliced strawberries in a large bowl with the sugar and lemon juice. Set aside for about 15 minutes to give the strawberries time to release some of their juices.
  6. Make the whipped cream. Chill your mixing bowl and whisk in your refrigerator for 5-10 minutes. Then strain the infused whipped cream into your chilled bowl, discarding the solids, and whisk on medium-high speed until the cream starts to thicken. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extra and continue whisking until peaks form. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
  7. Assemble the shortcakes. Using a 3-inch round cookie/biscuit cutter, cut out rounds of shortcake. If you carefully space the cuts, you will be able to get 12 individual rounds. Spread about a teaspoon of strawberry jam onto each shortcake round. Then top with a spoonful of the strawberries, making sure to get some of the juices. Top with a dollop of whipped cream. Serve immediately.

Notes

1. There is some variability in the sizes of baking pans commonly labeled “jelly roll pans” or “half sheet pans”. I’ve made this recipe successfully in both a 10 X 14-inch pan and an 11 X 17-inch pan. Just adjust the cooking time by a minute or two, if necessary.

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28 comments on “Strawberry Shortcake with Lemongrass-Basil Whipped Cream”

  1. Lovely dish and happy birthday this weekend 🙂

  2. Happy happy almost birthday fellow June baby (mine is the 28th!)! I wish I would be there to cheers together, but these shortcakes are so perfect for celebrating!

  3. Happy early birthday, girl! My birthday was last week – geminis unite!! I hope you have a fabulous time celebrating this weekend! This strawberry shortcake looks like the perfect dessert for any occasion and I’m going bonkers over that lemongrass basil whipped cream. Advice for your 36th year: beer. As much as possible 😉

  4. Happy birthday, gorgeous! How sweet that your Grandmother and Mother always baked you a strawberry shortcake. I love traditions like that. They become so meaningful and we carry them with us forever. THIS…with that yummy lemongrass and basil whipped cream…oh, my! My daughter graduates high school next week…I am so making these for her party!

    • Thank you for the sweet words, Caroline. This cake would be perfect to celebrate your daughters graduation!

  5. I’m borderline obsessed with these strawberry shortcakes…especially since you added that AMAZING lemongrass basil whipped cream!!! Also, happy early birthday girlie 😉 it’ll be a great one!

  6. Happy (soon-to-be) birthday, Liz!! Thank you for giving me just the nudge I need to make strawberry shortcakes…it would be a crime not to this time of year, right? That whipped cream sounds so good!!

  7. Happy Birthday Liz and thanks for sharing this with us!

  8. Happy birthday, Liz, and you’re still younger than me! haha Strawberry shortcake sounds like a great birthday tradition and I love your version here with that whipped cream! Hope you have a great weekend full of celebrating!

  9. Happy happy birthday, beautiful friend! These shortcakes are so lovely. I especially love that you used your grandmother’s recipe and that there’s some lemongrass tucked in there. (Three cheers for being lemongrass twins this week!) I’m so glad that our paths brought us together in this crazy world of blogging. Cheers to another year of that, another year of life, and to these beautiful individual strawberry cakes! xoxox

  10. Happy Birthday, Liz!!! Age ain’t nothing but a number! I have a summer birthday too and my mom always made me a homemade cake with tons of fresh fruit.Summer birthdays are the best! These mini shortcakes look delicious and perfect for pepole like me who don’t like to share their desserts 🙂

  11. Happy Birthday Sunshine!! I hope your weekend was delicious and filled with all the things you love… including copious amounts of cake and booze! These cakes looks over the top delicious and those berries and absolutely gorgeous! I’ll help you eat the cake edges! Last month, my birthday cake request was straw shortcake (:o) too…. (!!) Now, 30 seems like it was just yesterday.. and you blinked and you’re 36. My advise? Eat more cake yes, and take more time to breathe deep and go to the beach (not that you needed to hear that from me! 😀 ). Sending you a big ole hug my dear! Happy Happy Birthday!

  12. Liz, happy belated birthday! How does 36 feel?? just take the new year in stride. . 40 is the new 20 🙂 I am actually making strawberry shortcakes tomorrow!!!! LOVE your lemongrass-basil-whipped-cream!!!! Damn, so good! this is the perfect summer treat!

    • Thank you so much, Alice! I got carded at the bar two days after my birthday, so I’m not worried about it my age anymore I guess. Lol! 🙂

  13. Happy Happy birthday Liz!! I am a June baby too 😛 Love these strawberry shortcakes you made!

  14. Oh how delicious! The strawberry shortcake recipe is wonderful. It has been a long time favorite of mine. Liz you are so awesome!

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