No Bake Strawberry Shortcakes

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Hurrah for strawberry season!  It’s hard not to love these beautiful, ruby-red berries. Thankfully we have local strawberry stands and farmer’s markets all around our area in the summer, so fresh berries are always available. These strawberries are perfect by themselves, but these No Bake Strawberry Shortcakes are the perfect hot weather summer dessert.

No Bake Strawberry Shortcakes

When is strawberry season?

You can get good strawberries from April to September in many places.  June, when the weather is just right, is the peak season.  Those warm days and cool nights make the strawberries extra sweet.

One thing about the California summers is that we get endless supplies of juicy red berries. And since it’s summer, that means we are all busy having summer fun and dealing with some hot temperatures.  Standing in a kitchen all day with the oven on to make a dessert is not my first choice.

Enter no-bake desserts.

No-bake recipes are great anytime but are a summer must-have.  These shortcakes are light, luscious and so easy to make. You are going to love them!

And when the shortcake is gone, you can still snack on the strawberries.

Here’s your shopping list:

1. Sugar
2. Cornstarch
3. Lime
4. Nutmeg
5. Strawberries
6. Poundcake
7. Whipping Cream

Got the ingredients?  Good.  Let’s get started.

You want to make the strawberry sauce first so it has time to cool.  Put sliced strawberries in a medium-sized saucepan along with the sugar, cornstarch, lime zest, and nutmeg.

Use a potato masher to mash the berries as they cook.  Then bring the sauce to a simmer until it thickens.

While the sauce is cooling, cut the pound cake into small cubes, cut up some more strawberries and whip the cream.

Now, for the Strawberry Shortcake assembly:

I’m using vintage martini glasses.  They are a perfect size for a dessert and it gives me a reason to use them. If you’re not a martini drinker, Mason jars or juice cups also are fun to use.

1.  Fill the bottom of the glass with a couple of tablespoons of the cooled strawberry sauce.
2. Alternate adding the pound cake cubes and sliced strawberries.
3. Top with more strawberry sauce and a nice big dollop of the strawberry whipped cream.

This is seriously one of the easiest desserts to make. It looks elegant with those beautiful berries topped with the strawberry whipped cream, and it tastes sweet and fresh.

Not a strawberry fan?  Try these other fruits:

• Blackberries
• Blueberries
• Apricots
• Peaches
• Raspberries
• Mango
• Or mix a few different fruits together!

For a lighter alternative to pound cake, you can use angel food cake.

Let’s make dessert!

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5 from 6 votes

No-Bake Strawberry Shortcakes

Here is a light and luscious dessert using fresh summer strawberries. Try this No-Bake Strawberry Shortcakes recipe for those times you want a delicious fruity treat.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings 4

Calories 348kcal

Author Jere @ onehotoven.com

Ingredients

No-Bake Strawberry Shortcakes

• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tbls cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp. lime zest
• pinch of nutmeg
• 3 cups strawberries - sliced save 1 cup of sliced berries
• 1/2 pint heavy whipping cream
• 16 oz Pound Cake - if frozen - thawed I used Sara Lee frozen poundcake

Instructions

How to make the Strawberry Sauce

• Combine the sugar, cornstarch, lime zest and nutmeg in a small saucepan.
• Add 2 cups of the sliced strawberries and mash with a potato masher.
• Bring the strawberries to a simmer over medium heat; stir until thickened, about 5 minutes.
• Remove from heat and cool

Making the Strawberry Whipped Cream

• Pour the whipping cream into a bowl and beat until firm peaks.
• Add 2 tbls of cooled strawberry sauce and whip to combine. Keep in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Dishing up the Strawberry Shortcakes

• Select a small cup or bowl.
• Put 1 - 2 tbls of the cooled strawberry sauce in the bottom of a cup/bowl
• Alternately add the reserved sliced strawberries and cake pieces
• Top with 1 - 2 tbls of cooled strawberry sauce
• Top your dessert with a large dollop of strawberry whipped cream and extra lime zest.
• Keep this dessert refrigerated until ready to eat.

Notes

You can use angel food cake instead of pound cake.

Try other berries in place of strawberries

• Apricots
• Peaches
• Blackberries
• Blueberries
• Raspberries

 

Nutrition

Serving: 4g | Calories: 348kcal | Carbohydrates: 38.9g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 22.1g | Cholesterol: 85mg | Sugar: 29.3g | Calcium: 90mg

Make sure to check out the One Hot Oven post on How to Keep Strawberries Fresh.  This trick will keep your strawberries fresh for a week.

Because strawberries are a favorite here are a few more recipes –

Strawberry Curd Tarts are filled with a sweet cream strawberry curd and topped with just a hint of whipped cream.

Frozen Strawberry & Raspberry Cheesecake Mousse. This is another super quick dessert to make, and don’t be surprised how fast it disappears.

You might enjoy these items from the post. – Martini glasses are such a fun and sophisticated way to serve these shortcakes. I use a potato masher for so many other things besides potatoes, and the strawberry slicer works wonders on mushrooms and hard-boiled eggs.

Enjoy the strawberry season.

Jere’