Mini Shortcake Cups

Sweet and simple mini shortcake cups made with angel food cake, whipped cream, and plump berries. Great for patriotic holidays or all summer long, and can easily be prepped in advance!

 

Mini Shortcake Cups for Summer

It’s likely that someone will correct me for using the term “shortcake” in this recipe name. Strawberry shortcake is traditionally made with a sweet cake or biscuit, so technically, these cute little cups are not shortcakes. But I called them mini shortcake cups because I know plenty of people who have adapted the old favorite by using angel food cake.

So where do the blueberries come in you ask? Just like in our American Flag Brownies, the blueberries create a patriotic color scheme making them perfect for Memorial Day or the 4th of July!

The summer months bring us bushels and baskets full of ripe strawberries, raspberries, and other seasonal fruits. Summer also means that we want to try and keep things a little lighter in the dessert department, so angel food cake is an ideal choice.

RELATED: you might also like this recipe – American Flag Cupcakes

A Few Helpful Tips

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1. I used basic white plastic spoons with a few star-shaped foam stickers. Easy peasy. If you’re looking for cute, try the short wooden spoons. But be forewarned, you can’t find those at Walmart or the dollar store, you’ll have to plan ahead and order them or find a party supply store that carries them.
2. When looking for containers for these individual shortcake cups I found some plastic snack cups with lids at Walmart in the aisle where plastic utensils, paper plates, and napkins are sold. I thought these were ideal in case anyone wanted to take any home, they could just pop on a lid!
3. You can use Cool Whip if you like. I actually used whipping cream and I beat it in my mixer with some powdered sugar. I don’t have anything against Cool Whip or canned whipping cream. To each his own. So you go ahead and use whatever you like best. It won’t offend me!
4. If you want to make these mini shortcake cups ahead of time you totally can just don’t add the whipped cream until you are almost ready to serve them. Whipped cream, especially fresh that you have whipped yourself that does not contain stabilizers, can begin to collapse as time passes by. It’s safe to add the whipped topping a few hours before serving, just keep them in the refrigerator until you’re ready to hand them out.

Ingredients for Mini Shortcake Cups

CAKE – You can make an angel food cake from scratch, or you can grab one from your local grocery store already made.

BERRIES – I opted for blueberries and strawberries as I was prepping them for the Fourth of July, but you can easily substitute with any combination of berries you wish!

WHIPPED CREAM – If you are preparing your strawberry shortcake cups in advance, I would highly recommend whipping up a batch of stabilized whipped cream, or opting for Cool Whip. Regular whipped cream is great, but it will not last as long and tends to deflate.

Helpful Kitchen Tools

• plastic snack cups
• plastic spoons or wooden ice cream spoons
• paring knife
• serving tray

I have a patriotic American flag kabob recipe that uses angel food cake as well, so if you have leftovers from these little cups, don’t despair! You can definitely use them up there.

Variations of these little Shortcake Cups

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You don’t have to stick with just blueberries and strawberries. Heck, some people might not like strawberries (gasp!). You can use raspberries for the red fruit and blackberries for the “blue” fruit. There’s a photo below showing a few different variations, do whatever you want!

There are no rules. You could even bake up a box of white cake or use a pound cake if you want. You just do whatever makes you happy and that will make your guests happy too.

Serving Suggestions

I think you’re really going to love these mini shortcake cups because they are so incredibly easy to throw together, they are small, but not too small, and they look totally fun and impressive. When food looks fun, it draws people in. Oh, and they’re less than 60 calories per cup!

Serve your cups chilled with a wooden or plastic spoon for scooping and enjoy!

More Patriotic Recipes

• Patriotic Punch
• Red, White and Blue Poke
• Taco Salad Flag
• Patriotic Charcuterie Board
• 4th of July Jello Shots

Mini Shortcake Cups

Mini Shortcake Cups are perfect for Memorial Day, 4th of July or just any time. These adorable little fruit and cake cups are just the right size.

5 from 27 votes

IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!

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Course: Desserts

Cuisine: American

Servings: 16 mini cups

10 minutes mins

Calories: 59

Author: Amanda Davis

Ingredients

• ▢ 4 cups angel food cake cut into cubes
• ▢ 1 cup Strawberries chopped
• ▢ 1 cup Blueberries
• ▢ 2 cups Whipped cream

Things You’ll Need

• ▢
  Small plastic cups ,5 ounces
• ▢
  Wooden spoons or plastic spoons, for serving

Before You Begin

• If you are preparing your strawberry shortcake cups in advance, I would highly recommend whipping up a batch of stabilized whipped cream, or opting for Cool Whip. Regular whipped cream is great, but it will not last as long and tends to deflate.
• You can make an angel food cake from scratch, or you can grab one from your local grocery store already made.

Instructions

• Line bottom of plastic cups with cubed angel food cake
• Add a layer of chopped strawberries
• Add a layer of blueberries
• Add a generous dollop of whipped cream
• Garnish with sliced strawberry

Expert Tips & FAQs

• If you want to make these mini shortcake cups ahead of time you totally can just don’t add the whipped cream until you are almost ready to serve them. Whipped cream, especially fresh that you have whipped yourself that does not contain stabilizers, can begin to collapse as time passes by. It’s safe to add the whipped topping a few hours before serving, just keep them in the refrigerator until you’re ready to hand them out.

Nutrition

Serving: 1mini cup | Calories: 59cal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 64mg | Potassium: 48mg | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 55IU | Vitamin C: 6.2mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 0.1mg

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The recipes on this blog are tested with a conventional gas oven and gas stovetop. It’s important to note that some ovens, especially as they age, can cook and bake inconsistently. Using an inexpensive oven thermometer can assure you that your oven is truly heating to the proper temperature. If you use a toaster oven or countertop oven, please keep in mind that they may not distribute heat the same as a conventional full sized oven and you may need to adjust your cooking/baking times. In the case of recipes made with a pressure cooker, air fryer, slow cooker, or other appliance, a link to the appliances we use is listed within each respective recipe. For baking recipes where measurements are given by weight, please note that results may not be the same if cups are used instead, and we can’t guarantee success with that method.

This post was originally published on this blog on May 19, 2017.

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Amanda Davis

President at Amanda's Creative Studio, Inc.

I’m Amanda Davis, recipe developer, baking enthusiast, and founder of Amanda’s Cookin’. I’ve been cooking, baking, and creating trusted recipes for over 30 years. We create recipes for every cooking and baking level, because great food should be approachable and delicious. We hope you love our recipes as much as we do!

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