Hurray 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.
Easy 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.
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Here’s your ingredient list:
- Sugar
- Cornstarch
- Lime
- Nutmeg
- Strawberries
- Poundcake
- Whipping Cream
Got the ingredients? Good. Let’s get started.
How to make this simple Strawberry Shortcake
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 the perfect size for a dessert and it gives me a reason to use them. These martini glasses are a modern update and would definitely be fun to use. If you’re not a martini drinker, Mason jars or juice cups also are fun to use.
- Fill the bottom of the glass with a couple of tablespoons of the cooled strawberry sauce.
- Alternate adding the pound cake cubes and sliced strawberries.
- 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.
More strawberry desserts from One Hot Oven
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.
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.
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.
Let’s make a strawberry dessert!
No-Bake Strawberry Shortcakes
Equipment
- Multipurpose Cutter
Ingredients
No-Bake Strawberry Shortcakes
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 tbls cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp. lime zest
- pinch 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
Try other berries in place of strawberries
- Apricots
- Peaches
- Blackberries
- Blueberries
- Raspberries
Nutrition
A Sweet Strawberry Shortcake
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. Lastly, don’t forget the poundcake!
Enjoy the strawberry season.
Jere’
Kate Hackworthy
Such a tasty looking desserts. I love the zing of lime in there too.
Jere Cassidy
That little bit of lime just makes this dessert extra tasty.
Tisha
Anything no bake is high on my list for favorite desserts!
Liz
It’s been so hot here, I’ve been looking for no bake desserts. This is so perfect! And I love strawberries!
Jere Cassidy
When the temps get to 100 degrees there is no way I am baking.
Traci
What a delicious an adorable idea… Especially for summertime! No baking required?…Genius!!!
Beth Pierce
What a delicious dessert! Looks like it came straight from the bakery window! Delish!
Cindy @ A Uniquely Edible Magic
This reminds me of the cartoon! So cute and sweet.