Lemony Strawberry Shortcake for Memorial Day
I’ll be out of town for Memorial Day this year so I am sharing my very favorite for the season with you right now. Berry season is just beginning here in Connecticut and when it comes around I am all about the strawberry shortcake. It is so. darn. good. Of course, you all know how to make shortcake, of course, but here is my special twist: lemon pastry cream. You guys, it is so much better than basic whipped cream and tastes incredible.
Pastry cream can be daunting to many people but I’ve nailed down a pretty simple method for making it. I don’t even worry about using the eggs so much since I use Davidson’s Safest Choice® Eggs. They are pasteurized in an all-natural, gentle water bath pasteurization process to eliminate the risk of Salmonella. Using Davidson’s means I don’t have to stress over making sure the eggs are completely cooked while I am working on the sauce. They are already perfectly safe to feed to my family right out of the carton.
Since I make the pastry cream from scratch I often use a fresh store-bought pound cake for the shortcake. It makes the dessert easier to pull together in a flash. However, if you want to make the pound cake from scratch feel free to do so!
Once the pastry cream is cooled and ready I layer the strawberries, cream, and cake to make a double (or sometimes triple!) decker sandwich. It is the perfect way to great summer and kick off the season!
(This post is sponsored by Safest Choice Eggs. This year I am an ambassador for Safest Choice Eggs and part of the Darling Dozen. I believe in their product and you can read more about my brand work in my affiliate disclosure. The opinions, recipe, and photographs are wholly my own. Thank you for supporting the sponsors that make The Naptime Chef possible.)
This delicious recipe works well with all kinds of berries and would be delicious with sliced peaches, too.
Ingredients
- 4 large egg yolks from Davidson's Safest Choice Eggs
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1 ½ cups whole milk
- 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Zest of one large lemon
- 1 loaf lemon or plain pound cake
- 1 cup sliced strawberries
Instructions
- 1. Slice the pound cake into 1-inch thick slices and set aside.
- 2. To a make the cream: Whisk the yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and milk together in a large saucepan over medium heat. Continue to whisk for about 5 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- 3. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the butter until melted. Stir in the extract, salt, and zest. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic directly on top of the cream. Chill the mixture for 6 hours, or up to one day.
- 4. Assemble the shortcakes by layering the berries, cake, and cream. Serve immediately.
