National Strawberry Shortcake Day is June 14th. Did you know that the first ever shortcake recipe was printed in an english cookbook in 1588? In the 1850’s Strawberries were added to the delicious shortcake. Since then, there have been several variations of one of America’s favorite desserts with whipped cream added to the sweet treat in 1910.
Images from Driscoll’s
Our refrigerator is always stocked with Driscoll’s Strawberries. It was hard pass up the opportunity to celebrate National Strawberry Shortcake Day with Driscoll’s. When I asked my 5-year-old daughter how we could celebrate, naturally she said “with a party”. We started the planning process and decided to keep it simple and invite a few neighbors. We looked through recipes and looked at the history to find out which variation we wanted to make. Growing up in the 1980’s, angel food cake with whipped cream and strawberries was very popular and the only version I remember having as a child. I told her it was my favorite summer dessert and my brother had it at everyone of her birthdays. She decided we should try my childhood favorite.
A few days before the party, we went to a friends bake sale. My daughter saw ice cream cone cupcakes there. She decided she wanted her strawberry shortcake in a cone. I suggested making cupcakes to in case some of the adults or kids didn’t want a cone. On the day of the party, we were about to fill our the cones and cupcake liners with angel food cake when she decided to add strawberries to the batter to “surprise” her friends. Together we came up our own variation called Strawberry Shortcake Surprise, Any Way You Like (recipe below) in which guests could choose how they wanted their cake and what would go on it.
What you will need:
- cutting board
- Curious Chef Kids Knife
- cupcake pan
- aluminum foil
- cupcake liners
- bowls or Aladdin PMI Mason Cups
Ingredients:
- Boxed Angel Food Cake or try this recipe on Driscoll’s
- Package of Ice Cream Cones
- 1 container Driscoll’s Strawberries (available at Whole Foods)
- 1 can Whipped Cream (We used Whole Foods 365)
- Strawberry Ice Cream
- “Surprise” Toppings: My girls favorites are strawberries, rainbow sprinkles, and Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips
Directions:
- Lay aluminum foil over half of the cupcake pan. Cut slits in the aluminum to place ice cream cone. Line the remaining cupcake spots.
- Let your child(ren) help by slicing or chopping the strawberries using a Curious Chef Knife or mixing the Angel Food Cake ingredients together.
- Fill cupcakes and cones with cake batter and strawberries. Bake for 12-15, times will vary so make sure to check occasionally.
- Clean up and set the table for the party.
- Place Ice Cream, Whipped Cream, Cupcakes, Ice Cream Cones, “Surprise” Toppings, Aladdin Mason cup(s) or bowels on the tables.
- Let your little guests get creative and create their very own Strawberry Shortcake Surprise. Strawberry ice cream was added too the cones, topped by whipped cream and delicious toppings while cupcakes were eaten with whipped cream and fresh strawberries or were placed in a mason and layered with with the ice cream, whipped cream, and other toppings.
A party wouldn’t be complete without decorations and activities. To let our neighbors know where the party was, my daughter made a sign on her boogie board and stuck it on the door. When my girls hear Strawberry Short Cake, they think of their favorite show and the adorable characters. We used our Strawberry Short Cake Berry Bitty Clubhouse on the table for decoration which the kids had fun playing with after. The next activity was, pin the strawberry on the shortcake. I printed a blank cake my daughter colored in. Each child picked a Peaceable Kingdom Scratch and Sniff Strawberry Sticker and took their turn to get it on the cake. It was a blast.
The next variation of Strawberry Shortcake we make will be Dorrie Greenspans Strawberry Mouse Shortcake (below). Check out her story and connection to Strawberry Shortcake on Driscoll’s.
Image from Driscoll’s
For more great recipes visit http://www.driscolls.com/recipes. Follow the celebration with @driscollsberry on twitter and instagram using #StrawShortcake!
Click the Image to ENTER for a chance to win a KitchenAid Stand Mixer & a year of berries
Happy National Strawberry Shortcake Day 2014!
Disclaimer: I received coupons and a gift card to Whole Foods to use towards our celebration with Driscoll’s All ideas and opinions expressed are my own. Information in italics are from Driscoll’s.
Tastefully Childish 