Best Bites: Strawberry Shortcakes
By Donna Erickson
Make Mini Strawberry Shortcakes on a Stick for the Fourth of July
This Fourth of July, I'm going to mess with our family favorite. Well, just a little bit. Instead of baking and preparing strawberry shortcake the traditional way using homemade, baked shortcake biscuits that heat up my kitchen on a hot summer day, I'm taking a shortcut and buying prepared frozen pound cake and creating colorful red, white and blue strawberry mini shortcakes on a stick.
PHOTO CREDIT: Donna Erickson
There's still the tempting fresh seasonal fruit, whipped cream and cake, but in a new presentation. For those who aren't big on desserts, they can enjoy just one, but there will be plenty for seconds.
Bring your young kids in the kitchen so they can practice their pattern-making skills when they help you with the final step of poking red strawberries, white firm pound-cake chunks, and blueberries, in that order, on skewers.
Welcome all at your dessert table to help themselves to one or more, and celebrate the red, white and blue colorful reminders of our national holiday.
MINI STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKES ON A STICK
Makes 12
12 wooden skewers, cut in 6-inch lengths
24 large strawberries, washed and hulled
12 1-inch chunks of prepared frozen pound cake (such as the Sara Lee brand)
1/3 cup fresh blueberries, separated in two dishes
1 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
Mint garnish (optional)
Set out skewers, one dish of blueberries, strawberries and pound cake chunks, and a second dish of blueberries on your kitchen counter in that order, assembly-line fashion. Include a serving platter at the end of the line.
Show your child how to poke a strawberry, blueberry, cake chunk, another strawberry, and another blueberry onto the skewer. Arrange in rows on a serving platter.
Meanwhile, whip the cream with sugar and vanilla. Spoon into a bowl and set on the platter.
Invite family and guests to help themselves to a shortcake on a stick and a spoonful or two of whipped cream on individual dessert plates. Dip fruit and cake into the cream and enjoy!
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Donna Erickson creates relationships and community through food and fun. Find more to nourish and delight you at www.donnaerickson.com.
(c) 2024 Donna Erickson
Distributed by King Features Synd.