Champagne Strawberry Shortcake
This strawberry shortcake recipe was inspired by a birthday cake commission I received a couple weeks ago. I made a champagne vanilla bean cake with vanilla buttercream and strawberry slices, and wanted to get a similar recipe out in time for Valentine’s Day. This recipe is perfect for a small dinner party or a special date night in. I adapted this recipe from Food52’s “Rustic Strawberry Shortcake for One” recipe.
This dessert is perfect for the amateur baker as you could try your hand at a few new techniques or use shortcuts to save time. This cake also makes a great activity for adults and kids who might want to assemble their own cake themselves. I hope you all give this a try and make sure to tag us @ovenbakedbybianca and #ovenbakedbybianca.
Ingredients
Makes 4 servings
For the cake:
½ cup melted, salted butter
1 cup all purpose flour
4 large egg whites
½ cup light brown sugar
⅓ cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
For the champagne simple syrup:
⅓ cup champagne
¼ cup water
¼ cup granulated sugar
For the strawberry compote:
2 cups of strawberries with stems cut off
Juice of half a lemon / lime
1 tablespoon of granulated sugar
For the whipped cream:
1 cup of heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon of powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
How to Make it
For the cake:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Butter and cover 4 4-inch ramekins in flour to prevent cakes from sticking.
Mix butter and light brown sugar using a handheld or stand mixer until just combined.
Add egg whites, vanilla, and milk. Then add flour and baking powder.
Mix everything until just combined and pour evenly into your prepared ramekins.
Place ramekins on a sheet pan and bake for around 26 minutes.
Let cool for 10 minutes, then flip cakes out of ramekins onto a drying rack.
For the champagne simple syrup:
Heat water and sugar in the microwave for 30 seconds, then add champagne.
For the strawberry compote:
Pour ingredients in a saucepan, and turn on medium-low heat.
Occasionally stir mixture for 10 minutes until a syrup forms.
Try to keep the strawberries in-tact during this process for best texture.
Let compote cool, and then refrigerate until assembly.
For the whipped cream:
Whisk ingredients on medium-high speed using a handheld or stand mixture until stiff peaks form on the end of the whisk.
Assembly
Take a serrated knife and cut the cakes into two even layers.
Using a pastry or basting brush, brush on champagne simple syrup to all layers of your cake.
Using a piping bag or a knife, spread on a layer of whipped cream to your bottom layer of cake.
Spoon some strawberry compote on top of the whipped cream, then add a bit more whipped cream.
Place on your top layer of cake and repeat this process.
