Strawberry Shortcake Cups with Lemony Pound Cake
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These strawberry shortcake cups are layered with lemony pound cake, Triple Sec-soaked strawberries, and fluffy whipped cream. I’m not kidding when I say they taste just like a bite full of summer. Even better, you can skip the homemade pound cake and just use store-bought (I won’t tell). They are one of the easiest make-ahead desserts for dinner parties, BBQs, and picnics!
Ok friends, level with me real quick. Did you grow up in a Biscuit House or an Angel Food Cake House when it came to strawberry shortcake? I was born and raised in a strict Biscuit House. Little mounds of doughy goodness thanks to Bisquick (IYKYK) with extra whipped cream please and thank you.
And I honestly stayed firm in those beliefs until I went to pastry school. We used to make these gorgeous, buttery pound cakes topped with bright red strawberries and swirls of diplomat cream. Ugh, I dream of that cake. So simple but always a hit.
Even though I remain a biscuit girl at heart, I still get nostalgic for those pastry school cakes and that’s where these trifles come in. Trifles are traditionally made with pound cake so it was an obvious choice. But also, it holds up so much better than angel food cake, which makes it ideal for make-ahead dessert cups.
Like my mini strawberry cheesecakes, we’re also spiking the strawberries. I mean, you don’t have to but you should. Just a hint of Triple Sec goes quite lovely with the fluffy whipped cream. And of course, if you have leftover strawberries, use them to make these mini strawberry custard tartlets!
Homemade or store-bought pound cake
You can use either store-bought or homemade pound cake in this recipe. If you’re going the store-bought route, look for a flavor that complements the strawberries, like lemon or vanilla. But typically, I make homemade cake since it’s so easy. If you want to make your own, you’ll need all-purpose flour, Morton’s Kosher salt, baking powder, granulated sugar, lemon zest, unsalted butter, pure vanilla extract, eggs, and sour cream.
For the cups, you’ll need fresh strawberries, sugar, and Triple Sec for the strawberry filling. But feel free to replace the Triple Sec with freshly-squeezed orange juice! For the whipped cream layer, you will need heavy whipping cream, sugar, vanilla, and plain gelatin (more on this later!). You can find plain gelatin next to the Jell-O in the grocery store.
Bake the cake
Stabilized whipped cream
For a vegetarian alternative, use agar agar powder instead. No need to mix it with water – just sprinkle the agar agar powder in dry once the whipped cream has soft peaks.
Spiked strawberries
Make the cups
It’s so much easier to add the whipped cream with a piping bag and tip. If you don’t have one, use a zipper bag with the corner cut off.
8-ounce cups
For this recipe, I used 8-ounce drinking glasses which was truly the perfect amount. Mason jars would also work, and you can top the shortcakes with lids to keep them covered for a party! If you don’t want to use glass, clear 8-ounce plastic party cups are a good choice. Stemless wine glasses work too! Basically, any clear container to show off those pretty layers.
If you don’t have 8-ounce glasses, you can also use standard 10-ounce drinking glasses. Just keep in mind you’ll end up with closer to 6-8 servings. Or, use 4-6 ounce cups to get more servings.
Storing & make-ahead
You don’t want to make these strawberry shortcake trifles too far in advance, or they will get soggy. But I’ve found that you can make them the night before and they’ll still taste great! Just try to leave behind any extra strawberry juices so they don’t leak over the cake.
If you have leftovers, cover the cups with a lid or plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1-2 days, keeping in mind they will get soggier over time!
Measuring flour
When it comes to baking, I will always tell you to use a kitchen scale instead of measuring cups! Even just a little extra flour can totally ruin a cake. If you don’t have a scale, here’s how I measure the flour. First, fluff it with a whisk or fork. Spoon the fluffed flour into a measuring cup and level the flour off without packing it in.
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Strawberry Shortcake Cups with Lemony Pound Cake
Ingredients
Lemon Pound Cake
- 180 grams all-purpose flour, sifted (1 1/2 cups)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 260 grams granulated sugar (1 1/3 cups)
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest (1 large lemon)
- 228 grams unsalted butter, softened (1 cup)
- 15 milliliters pure vanilla extract (1 Tablespoon)
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 120 grams full-fat sour cream, room temperature (1/2 cup)
Stabilized Whipped Cream
- 2 teaspoons plain gelatin
- 45 milliliters cold water (3 Tablespoons)
- 480 milliliters cold heavy whipping cream (2 cups)
- 50 grams granulated sugar (1/4 cup)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Spiked Strawberries
- 908 grams fresh strawberries (2 pounds)
- 66 grams sugar (1/3 cup)
- 30 milliliters Triple Sec or fresh orange juice (2 Tablespoons)
Equipment
- Loaf pan
- Stand mixer or hand mixer with whip attachment
- 10 8-ounce glasses or cups
- Piping bag, with large round tip
Instructions
Lemon Pound Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease a loaf pan with baking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper, leaving a slight overhang on the sides.
- Then, whisk the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and Kosher salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Pour the sugar and lemon zest into a large mixing bowl. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat the sugar and lemon zest until it's very fragrant and the lemon zest has released its oils, about 30-60 seconds. Then, add the unsalted butter and beat for 3-4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl every once in a while, until the butter is very light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time. The mixture may look a little curdled, but it'll smooth out! Once the eggs are thoroughly combined, mix in the vanilla extract and sour cream. Then, add the dry ingredients and stir just until there are no more streaks of flour. Don't over-mix! The batter will be thick.
- Evenly spread the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake the cake, starting to check for doneness at 1 hour. Depending on the size of your loaf pan, it can take up to 1 hour and 20 minutes to bake. If it starts to brown too much, tent the top of the pan with foil. The cake is ready when an inserted toothpick has just a few moist crumbs on it.
- Let the cake cool completely on a wire rack. Then, use the parchment paper overhang to carefully remove the pound cake from the pan. Using a bread knife, cut the pound cake into small cubes, about 1/2-inch.
Stabilized Whipped Cream
- While the cake is baking, whisk the plain gelatin and water in a small bowl until smooth. Let the mixture sit for 3-4 minutes, until it's solid. Then, microwave the mixture until it's liquid-y, 8-10 seconds. Let it cool slightly.
- Meanwhile, add the heavy whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla extract to a large mixing bowl. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer with a whip attachment, beat the cream into soft peaks.
- Then, while the mixer is running, slowly drizzle the melted gelatin mixture into the whipped cream. Turn the mixer to medium-high and beat the cream into medium-stiff peaks.
Spiked Strawberries
- Cut the stems off of the strawberries and thinly slice into bite-size pieces. Add the strawberries to a medium bowl.
- Add the sugar and Triple Sec or orange juice. Stir well. Then, let the strawberries macerate for 5-10 minutes, until the sugar is dissolved and the strawberries have released some of their juices.
Layer the Cups
- Add a layer of pound cake cubes to each cup followed by a spoonful of strawberries. Leave any extra strawberry juices behind so it doesn't make the cake soggy!
- Using a piping bag with a large round tip, pipe a thin layer of whipped cream over the strawberries. Repeat with one more layer of cake, strawberries, and whipped cream. Enjoy!
