Strawberry Shortcakes - Made with Vanilla Cupcakes

My girls and I really enjoy delicious, sweet strawberries in the summer.  Strawberries can be bought year round, but they are never as sweet as they are in the summertime.  I wanted to make my favorite dessert one last time.  I proudly admit that I normally buy those little shortcakes they always put next to the strawberries in the grocery store.  I like how they absorb all the strawberry juice like a sponge.  I found an easy recipe in my daughter's new cookbook for strawberry shortcakes made using sweet biscuits.  I looked all over the house this afternoon for the cookbook until I remembered she took it to school as part of a homework project.  I thought about it and decided I would rather have more of a cake with the strawberries instead of a biscuit.  I searched the internet for a new vanilla cupcake recipe that is more light and fluffy than my other recipe.  I found it over at Katies Sweet Solutions (which is now a private blog). 

Strawberry Goodness:

1 lb fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water

Combine all ingredients in a bowl.  Stir until sugar is dissolved.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cupcakes are cooked and cooled.

Cupcake Ingredients:

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups flour
3/4 cup milk

Preheat your oven to 350°F. In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl to thoroughly combine all the ingredients together.

Sift the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.  Add to the cream mixture, along with the milk, and mix until a smooth batter is formed. Line a cupcake pan with paper liners.  Use a large ice cream scoop to divide the batter evenly into the 12 cupcake lines.  Bake for 15-18 minutes until golden brown and the cakes spring back to the touch. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Take the time to whip up some fresh whipped cream.  That canned spray stuff just doesn't taste very good!  Pour some heavy cream in a bowl and beat until soft peaks form.  Sweeten with powdered sugar and vanilla extract.  Whip until combined and fluffy.

When the cupcakes have cooled, it's time to build your strawberry shortcake tower.  Use a serrated knife to cut the top off a cupcake.  Set the top aside.  Use the knife to cut a circular well out of the center of the cupcake.  This will create a place for all those strawberries and juice to hang out.  Eat the cupcake circle you remove to make sure it tastes good!  Fill the cupcake with strawberry juice and strawberries.  Top with fresh whipped cream.  Replace the cupcake top.  Add more whip cream and strawberries.  Dust with powdered sugar.  Enjoy!