Blueberry Shortcake Recipe – including vegan version

Blueberry Shortcake recipe | ffeabysawsen

Decorated cakes are all well and good, but sometimes all you need is a cake like this… Simple, elegant, and absolutely delicious, this blueberry shortcake is as great to eat as it is to look at.  For as much as fondant, royal icing and other types of decorated cakes might look great, you know that they’re more about style and less about taste – but this, this is ALL about taste.  With soft mounds of lightly sweetened whipped cream, tumbling berries and a delicate fruit filling, this shortcake is so fluffy and light it just melts in your mouth.  This is the kind of fresh cream cake you can eat 3 slices of without feeling too heavy or overloaded with sugar.  If you fell in love with cake before you fell in love with cake decorating, this cake is for you.  I’ve also given alternatives to make this cake dairy free and vegan, for those with dietary allergies or restrictions. Welcome to my favourite berry shortcake recipe.

If you’re unable to find blueberries or their preserve where you live, you can make this cake equally well by substituting fresh raspberries and raspberry preserve, or strawberries and strawberry preserve for a more traditional strawberry shortcake recipe.  To be honest pretty much any fruit you like would work, as long as you have fresh or canned pieces to decorate, and the matching preserve, jam, jelly or curd to fill with.  Berries, cherries, apricot, pineapple, figs … use what you have, or experiment and see what you come up with ๐Ÿ™‚

Watch my youtube video here:

and the strawberry version including how to make fast coconut whipped cream from coconut milk powder, without waiting hours for canned milk to separate:

 

Blueberry Shortcake Recipe

a fresh cream cake recipe with fruit filling & whipped cream.

Please note, in the blueberry shortcake video I made this recipe twice, once with dairy cream and once with vegan coconut whipped cream made from coconut milk powder (recipes are below).  You can see the dairy cream cake in the first half of the video, and the coconut cream cake at the end (when the blueberries and fruit filling are added).  As you can see, both versions work very well.

  • a 6″ or 7″ round Vanilla Sponge cake or vegan cake, I like the Basic Vanilla Cupcakes recipe from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World baked in a single large pan
  • 1 batch sweetened whipped cream or vegan coconut whipped cream (see below)
  • 1/2 cup pure apple juice
  • 8 tablespoons of blueberry preserve, or jam/ jelly of choice
  • 1 portion of my Easy Fruit Filling (see below)
  • about 1 cup blueberries or fruit of choice to fill & decorate

Sweetened Whipped cream:

  • 300ml dairy or non-dairy whipping cream (35% fat), or Vegan coconut cream (see below)
  • 3-6 tbsp powdered/ icing sugar, or to taste
  • optional: 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions: Place all ingredients into a large bowl and use a hand mixer to whisk until soft peaks form as shown in the video.  Do not overwhip or the mixture will become grainy or separate.

Vegan coconut cream from coconut milk powder

Directions: Dissolve the powder fully in the water and whisk until smooth and lump free.  Place in the freezer for 10 minutes or so until well chilled but still liquid.  Alternatively you could use 2 cans of coconut milk left in the fridge overnight to separate, then pour the liquid off and use the solid portion (I prefer the powder method as the results of this may vary by brand).

Watch the following video to see how to make the coconut whipped cream:

Fruit Filling:  it’s called fruit filling because I wasn’t sure what else to name it, but I only use it on top of the cake.  You could fill with it too but triple the quantity and make sure it’s thick enough not to slide around between the layers.

  • 2 tbsp water
  • 1/2 tbsp (or 1.5 tsp) cornflour/ cornstarch
  • 2 tbsp fruit preserve, jam or jelly
  • optional: 2 tsp sugar, or choice of sweetener to taste ( I didn’t use any)

Directions: dissolve the cornflour (cornstarch in the US) and sugar/ sweetener in the water then add the preserve.  Heat on the stove for a few minutes, stirring continuously, until a thick, translucent and glossy filling forms.  Cover and allow to cool completely before use.  You may further adjust the consistency by adding a few drops of water to thin if required.

Method:

  1. Prepare the sweetened whipped cream or vegan cream, and fruit filling as per instructions above and video.  Wash the blueberries and shake well to dry off.
  2. Prepare the cake needed.  You can bake one from scratch using the recipes provided above and let it cool completely, or use a store bought cake.  Split into 4 layers as shown.
  3. Place a cake layer onto a plate or flat surface and drizzle lightly with 2-3 tbsp of apple juice (not shown in video).  If using a more dense or moist cake you may omit this, but sponge cakes taste much better with this step.
  4. Spread 1-2 tbsp of preserves on to the cake and add another layer.  Drizzle this second layer with apple juice as before.
  5. Spread some whipped cream onto the cake, then arrange the blueberries on top.  Spoon over more whipped cream and spread evenly.
  6. Place another cake layer on top and drizzle with apple juice.  Spread over with more preserves before adding the final layer.
  7. Add the final cake layer, then drizzle and spread over the top and sides with whipped cream.  The covering does not have to be smooth as we will be piping a design over the top.
  8. Fill a piping bag fitted with a star tip (I used Wilton No.2D) and pipe a design as shown.
  9. Decorate the cake with fresh blueberries and fruit filling as shown.  Serve immediately or chill until ready to eat.

Blueberry shortcake recipe including vegan option - ffeabysawsen

 

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