Today is the first day of Summer! I don’t know about you…but I am so happy it is finally here! I live in Wisconsin and this year it truly felt like Winter would never end. Even now it still doesn’t feel 100% like summer, but I will take it!

To celebrate Summer, I needed a recipe that truly felt like summer. When trying to think of the perfect Summer dessert, I soon realized that I eat Strawberry Shortcake more during Summer, than any other time of the year. This is because it is so light, from the cake to the whipped cream topping…the perfect dessert for cookouts! Plus, there is no butter…so there are fewer calories!

I do not have a bundt pan, so cupcakes were the obvious option. The challenge was making sure that the delicious strawberry flavor was reflected throughout the cupcake. I pondered different ideas, such as strawberry frosting. However, I truly love the “creamy” flavor of the whipped cream, and I didn’t want to take away from that. So my solution was to add a layer of diced strawberry on top of the fluffy cake.

This is seriously so good, you could just stop here….

But I love to indulge, so the whipped cream topping is a must! I love whipped cream, so I didn’t add a lot of ingredients. Since whipped cream is fragile, it is very important that you whip it until it forms a stiff peak. This will ensure it will stand up to piping.

Strawberry Shortcake Cupcake

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup cake flour
• 6 egg whites, at room temperature
• 2 1/2 T warm water
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 t cream of tartar
• About 12 strawberries, for topping the cupcakes and for garnish

Yields 16-18 cupcakes

1. Preheat over to 35o degrees
2. Put sugar in a food processor for about a minute, or until extra fine. In a small bowl, mix together the cake flour and half of the sugar. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together egg whites, warm water, vanilla extract and cream of tartar. You can do this with the whisk attachment of a stand mixer or using a hand mixer. After they are well combined, add the remainder of the sugar, mix well until it will hold a peak. Slowly begin folding the flour mixture into the egg mixture. Be sure to not add too much flour at once.
4. Line a muffin pan with paper liners. Fill each liner with batter, as these cupcakes will not rise. Bake for 17-20 minutes, until a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean.
5. While cupcakes are cooling, chop up about 6-8 strawberries to top the cupcakes with once cool.

Adapted from Cooking Classy

Whipped Cream Frosting

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 T sugar
• 1/2 t pure vanilla extract

1. Pour all ingredients into mixing bowl. Using either the whisk attachment of a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat until a stiff peak forms.
2. Pipe or spread frosting on top of the diced strawberries.
3. Garnish cupcakes with strawberry slices.