Okay, so I had this massive craving the other day for that strawberry shortcake they do at California Pizza Kitchen. You know the one. It’s simple but just hits right. Decided I’d try and make it myself at home.
Getting Started
First thing, had to get the ingredients together. Wasn’t too complicated, really. I needed:
- Strawberries, obviously. Got a big container of fresh ones.
- Some kind of shortcake or biscuit. I wasn’t about to bake from scratch, let’s be real. Found some decent-looking dessert shells at the store, kinda like sponge cake cups. Figured they’d work.
- Heavy cream for whipping. Gotta have fresh whipped cream.
- Sugar. Just regular granulated sugar.
- A bit of vanilla extract for the whipped cream.
That was pretty much it. Simple stuff.
Prep Work
Got home and started with the strawberries. Washed the whole bunch under cold water. Then, sat down and started hulling and slicing them. I like them sliced, not too thick, not too thin. Tossed them all in a bowl.
Next, I sprinkled a few spoonfuls of sugar over the sliced strawberries. Gave them a gentle stir just to coat them. Then I just let the bowl sit on the counter. The sugar helps pull out the juices and makes them nice and syrupy. Left them there while I sorted the rest.
Whipped cream time. Poured the cold heavy cream into a bowl. Added a splash of vanilla and a bit of sugar – didn’t measure precisely, just went by eye. Then I got out my hand mixer and went to town. Whipped it until it formed nice, soft peaks. Didn’t want it too stiff. Tasted it – yeah, that was good. Put the bowl in the fridge to keep it cool.
Putting It All Together
Alright, assembly time. This is the fun part. Took out those dessert shell things I bought. Placed one on a plate.
Grabbed the bowl of strawberries. They were looking perfect, nice and juicy. Spooned a generous amount of the strawberries and their syrup right into the cake cup. Let some spill over the sides, why not?
Then, fetched the whipped cream from the fridge. Dolloped a big spoonful right on top of the strawberries. Like, a really big spoonful.
And… that was basically it. Stood back and looked. It looked pretty darn close to what I remembered!
The Result
Dug in right away. The cake shell was soft, the strawberries were sweet and juicy, and the fresh whipped cream was light and just right. It wasn’t exactly the same as CPK’s, maybe their biscuit is different, but man, it was delicious. Totally satisfied the craving.
Super easy to make, honestly. Took maybe 20 minutes of active work, mostly just slicing berries and whipping cream. Definitely doing this again when strawberries are in season.
