Strawberries are starting to appear in the markets in and around Seattle, which is a sure sign of spring for me. Being a berry fiend, I have already started to think beyond strawberry slushies and smoothies and on to strawberry shortcakes.
Here is an oldie and goodie for me, with a twist I’ve never tried before. I whipped up some crème frâiche (heavy cream-based yogurt) for this concoction, with surprisingly good results. It has a bit of that sour taste that yogurt imparts, however it balances well with the sweetness of the cupcakes and is rounded out by the tartness of the strawberry. And the cream shines through.
This treat is good any time of day or night. I had it for lunch. Yum.
Strawberry Shortcakes
Tip If you're looking to go low-fat, you can eliminate the butter and replace the yogurt with applesauce.
Servings: 10 cakes
Calories: 261kcal
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup honey plus 2 tablespoons for the whipped cream
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt or use half and half yogurt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract plus 1/4 teaspoon for the whipped cream
- 2 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 cups almond flour
- 1 cup crème frâiche
- 1 pint strawberries trimmed of green tops and sliced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 310 degrees F.
- In a bowl, blend yogurt, eggs, honey, and vanilla together. Next, add 3 tablespoons of melted butter and blend well.
- Add the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, and pinch of salt) to the wet mixture, and blend the cupcake batter well.
- Prepare a cupcake/muffin tin with cupcake liners. Pour the batter about 3/4 of the way full into each cupcake liner. This batter makes about 10 cupcakes.
- Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the center is not wiggly.
- It may sink a bit in the center, but no worries. The top will be starting to brown and a toothpick will come out clean.
- While the cupcakes are baking and cooling, combine the crèmefrâiche, honey, and 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla (optional) in a bowl and whip until it is lighter and fluffier. It will be a bit heavier than regular whipped heavy cream.
- Take a cupcake out of the liner, turn it upside down, and slice it in the middle. Add some cream and sliced strawberries. Put some more cream on top of the strawberries, and place the rest of the cupcake on top.
- Top off with some more cream and berries, and enjoy!
Nutrition
Calories: 261kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 51mg | Sodium: 142mg | Potassium: 152mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 201IU | Vitamin C: 28mg | Calcium: 107mg | Iron: 1mg
In the ingredient list it calls for 5 T. butter but in the directions it says 3 T. melted butter. Which one is the right amount? Thank you! I’m sooo happy I found your site – I’ve tried several of your recipes and am very pleased.
Thanks Jeri. That is an error – corrected. It’s leftover from the upside down apple cake which uses the extra 2 tablespoons for the apple mixture. So it’s just 3 tablespoons of melted butter for the batter.
Can I make this recipe using coconut flour instead? Would I need to add more eggs if so?
Erica, I got a chuckle when I read you had this for lunch; I had it for dinner tonight. I halved your recipe and used sugar substitute instead of honey and I made some whipped cream. It was so good!
I got a set of 6 small silicone bakers last week that about the size of a custard cup. Half of your recipe made 4 perfect size shortcakes. Taste and texture very much like a really good yellow cake.
Many thanks!
Thanks Michelle. Great idea! I haven’t tried cashew cream yet – I want to use it to make ice cream as well.
I actually made some cashew cream last night and it was fantastic! very thick but wonderful as a topping to a peach crumble I made. I combined about 1/2 c of raw cashews and about a 1/2 cup of almond milk in my little magic bullet blender and let it go until all the nuts were ground into cream. Added a touch of vanilla, nutmeg, and cinnamon, and a dash of cardamon! It was soooo good! I haven’t tried the coconut milk, but I can say that cashew cream can work well. It’s just much heavier than a traditional whipped cream.
Hi Gina. If you like creme fraiche, you’re going to love it whipped. I have also made this using heavy whipped cream (which is delicious of course).
I think I’m making this in the next couple of days. Glad to see you had success making a “whipped” cream with the creme fraiche, can’t wait to try it!
I just wanted to say that I tried this recipe and it is absolutely amazing! Thanks for your wonderful healthy recipes!
Probably, but I only have their Coconut Cream Concentrate at the moment. I love that stuff. I do need to order some stuff from there anyways.
I wonder if Tropical Traditions coconut milk would work well.
OK so to follow up, nut milks don’t make good whipped cream. Regular Coconut milk is best so far, the light kind is so-so. It’s hard to find coconut milk without gums though. The easiest to find is the trader joes light, but it is more like a foam than the regular coconut milk.
Strawberry shortcakes were my favorite treat as a child. Ever since I went on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, I couldn’t have it. I’ll have to keep this recipe in mind!!
When I get some time, I’m going to make some homemade almon milk or cashew milk and try that. I’m guessing cashew milk may whip better? I’ll post my results.
Steve, I suspect TJ’s coconut milk has gum in it anyway – it’s probably less than 2 percent so they don’t have to add it to the label. The consistency doesn’t seem right. I think it’s low fat too, which is more likely why it’s not whipping up into cream.
Good to know coconut milk works though. Thanks for all this good info!
OK the coconut milk works fine. Find a whole coconut milk without added junk like gums. The Trader Joes Light Coconut Milk worked so-so, a little too watery and turns to liquid pretty quick if it warms up. I bought an iSi half pint model at Bed Bath and Beyond with a 20% off coupon. It’s teh half-pint version of this one, you can use it with half and half or whatever milk substitute you want:
http://www.amazon.com/iSi-Pint-Dessert-Whip-White/dp/B00007JXQZ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1268868442&sr=8-1
Ah yes. Berries. Tis the season for me to go off of my super low-carb and GORGE myself on berries! 😉
I was out on Mercer Island yesterday and decided to treat my kids to yummy strawberries to celebrate the sunny(ish) day.
Thank you for the wonderful recipe. This will be a wonderful replacement for my childhood ‘strawberry shortcake’ summer dessert that we used to partake in.
I miss my old hometown, Carnation, with its local tradition of the city-hosted strawberry shortcake festival!
I was wondering about non-dairy whipped cream alternatives. Let us know if whipping up coconut milk works out. Great idea!
Oh wow this looks delicious. I can’t wait to try it, although I think I may try it and test out my new whipped cream maker with coconut milk.
Ann, yes, folks have used applesauce with good results (from what I read on the upside down apple cake post). And yes to the regular creme as well.
I’m so very ready for the wonderful sprinbg and sumeer produce! This recipes looks so wonderful!
This recipe lookes amazing! I can’t wait to try it. Do you think it would still work if we use applesauce to replace the eggs due to an egg sensativity? And use regular creme instead of the creme fraiche?
I just bought a basket of organic strawberries on sale this afternoon! I can’t tell you how it makes my heart swell when berries are in season. I *must* try your recipe.
Very appetizing picture, I can’t wait to try this!