Strawberry Shortcake

Let me get something out of the way right at the top. You’ve probably caught on that I’m going to be sharing a “recipe” for strawberry shortcake. You’re probably assuming that I intend for this to be a dessert. You are wrong. We grew up eating strawberry shortcake for breakfast. My mom is the queen of sweet, dessert-like things for breakfast. French toast casserole, sticky buns (like monkey bread), sweet crepes, Ebelskiver. If it’s high in sugar and low in nutrition, it was on my mom’s weekend breakfast rotation. There were no complaints from me as a child, that’s for sure! As an adult, I appreciate a little protein with my breakfast, but still find myself enjoying one of these decadent dishes before lunchtime!

Now that you know that I eat this for breakfast, let’s get into the “recipe”. I use quotations because it’s straight out of a Bisquick box, so there’s a very small ingredient list. The two key ingredients really come in the form of toppings. The strawberry “sauce” and the homemade whipped cream. You can do store-bought whipped cream, but I promise you it’s 10x better with homemade.

For the shortcake:

Follow the Bisquick box directions for shortcake. It’s mix + milk. I add a little bit of sugar to sweeten it a bit, about 1-2 teaspoons. For this 8″ round cake pan, I doubled the recipe. Spoon the mix into the pan and let it rise on the counter for 10-15 minutes before putting in the oven.

For the strawberry sauce:

When strawberries are in season, it’s as simple as putting some in a food processor and pulsing until it’s the consistency you like. My strawberries from a local farm were sweet enough on their own, but you can add a little bit of sugar to the food processor to sweeten them.

For the homemade whipped cream:

All you need is heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar. I have this gourmet cream whipper and use it far more than I care to admit. Mike loves whipped cream for his nightly dessert, so we often have a homemade batch in our refrigerator. You can also make homemade whipped cream in a mixer! You just need the whisk attachment. You’ll beat the cream on a high speed until stiff peaks form, adding in the sugar along the way to taste.

Cut a slice of the shortcake, top with strawberries and whipped cream, and enjoy! It’s so simple I can’t even call it a recipe, but I promise you’ll be happy you made it. What I like about this shortcake versus others that I’ve tried is that it’s more bread/biscuit-like than cake. The sweetness from the strawberries and whipped cream is the perfect complement to this more savory “cake”.