Strawberry shortcake cups

 

 

Strawberry Shortcake Cups

I always loved strawberry shortcake when I was younger, so this is an update, with a bit of a show-off presentation. It started off as a cheesecake with a shortbread base, but then I decided to make little shortbread cups instead. This is when the silicone muffin tin came in handy, but I’ll come back to that later.

 

Recipe for Strawberry shortcake cups
200g strawberries
200g shortbread biscuits
50g butter
½ tin of condensed milk
4 heaped tablespoons of fat free greek yoghurt
½ tub of cream cheese

Heat the butter gently in a small pan and while it’s heating, crush the shortbread biscuits into crumbs. You can do this by putting them in a strong food bag and smashing them with a rolling pin – this is the most cathartic method, good for releasing some tension, but be careful not to make any holes in the bag, or the crumbs will go flying. You can also crush the biscuits in a blender, which is more efficient but not as satisfying.

Add the biscuit crumbs to the pan and combine with the melted butter, then line the silicone muffin tin with the crumbs, about 1cm thick all the way round. Press the crumbs down quite firmly and smooth out. I used the end of a rolling pin to flatten down the base and then smooth up the sides, but you could use the back of a metal spoon too. When you’ve moulded all the cases, put them in the freezer to set. They’ll need to be rock solid before you take them out of the tin, so they don’t break. Give it at least an hour, preferably two.

Next, add the cream cheese and yoghurt to a bowl and then beat until smooth, then stir in the condensed milk. Add the vanilla and then finally the chopped strawberries. Chill in the fridge for as long as you leave the cups to set.

After an hour or two, remove the muffin tin from the freezer and very carefully remove the cases one by one. The best way is to actually peel the silicone away from the case. Carefully place each cup on a plate and then spoon in the filling and serve with a couple of fresh strawberries on the side.

If you’re not going to serve them straight away, freeze them until you’re ready, then get them out about 10 minutes before. 

© Katheryn Rice 2008