As tiny humans are apt to do, little G decided to watch Frozen for the 847th time the other day. We’re finally soaking up some gorgeous summer weather here in Minnesota, thus he needed a reminder of ice covered fjords. He’s five. He hasn’t figured out that if he just waits 12 weeks, Elsa-esque weather will return all on its own.

So while he was singing “Let It Go” at the top of his lungs, I was humming “In Summer”.

Because Minnesota Summer. No, really. There is a reason we all put up with sub-zero temperatures for an inordinate amount of time in this state. Summer here is straight-up glorious.

As a life-long Minnesotan, I want to soak up every minute of our all-too-brief season. While my 12 week reference isn’t totally accurate, it’s also not terribly far off. Neighborhood pool days. Lake visits. Grilling. Fresh fruit. Patio and driveway happy hours. What’s not to love?

So, of course, I decided to cram as much fresh, bright summer joy into as many desserts as possible, starting with these. Few things feel as quintessentially summer as Strawberry Shortcake. Angel food cake, whipped cream and sweet, delicious strawberries. Honestly, I may start making these in the dead of winter, just for nostalgia’s sake.

fresh strawberries for strawberry shortcake cupcakes

Cooking Notes

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. The ever-popular prequel to any baked recipe!

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. You can use a sieve to actually sift this, but a whisk will do the trick as well. The key here is to eliminate any clumps that may exist, and fully distribute the baking powder which activates these cupcakes, and makes them light and airy.

meringue strawberry shortcake cupcake batter

Bring the water to a boil, either by microwave or stovetop. Dealer’s choice. Pour the water over your dry ingredients and use a hand mixer to blend them together. Start on low, so as not have an eruption in your kitchen, and start to increase your speed as the water gets absorbed. The batter will be very sticky at this point. That is what you want to see! Set this batter bowl aside to cool.

Separate your eggs and beat the egg whites, cream of tartar, vanilla and almond extract together in stand mixer. It will take approximately 4-5 minutes to get this mixture to reach stiff peak stage. You want the egg whites to be able to “stand” on their own, both in the bowl and on your whisk attachment.

If either bowl feels warm, give them a few more minutes to come to temp. Once it has cooled, gently fold the egg white mixture into the batter. I like to add the egg whites in smaller batches to make folding everything together a little easier. In this case, I did 4 additions before I was done.

This recipe makes 24 cupcakes. Line two muffin tins, if you have them, or bake in batches.

Fill each of your cups about 3/4 full, and bake for 18-20 minutes, depending on your oven. The cupcakes will be light and spongy, and just barely golden. The classic toothpick test should tell you if they are cooked through. Let them cool before frosting.

The Frosting

This frosting is one of my faves, because it is just a smidgen thicker than your standard whipped cream (in a house known for overdoing whipped cream). Strawberry Shortcake in cupcake form helps us all with portion control. Or so we tell ourselves.

Start by sifting together the flour and powdered sugar. It doesn’t need to mixed heavily, just a light toss to bring it together. In your stand mixer, cream this mixture together with the cream cheese. Blend in the vanilla, until fully combined. I typically use my paddle attachment for this portion and then switch to my whisk.

With the whisk attachment, slowly whip the cream cheese and whipping cream until light and fluffy. This will take about 4 to 5 minutes for the whipping cream to gain volume and start to solidify. When it truly looks like whipped cream, you can add the preserves.

*Note: This frosting is incredibly versatile. You can reuse this same base, and mix in any other type of fruit preserves or even melted chocolate, depending on your mood or the season.

Pipe or spread the frosting onto the tops of your cooled cupcakes. For the strawberries, you can dice them up and sprinkle over, or to create the “crown” I have pictured here cut each strawberry in half twice from the tip, stopping just as you reach the base. Gently fan them apart, and place them on top of each cupcake, base down.