How to Make Strawberry Topping for Shortcake

Serve fresh strawberry topping with your shortcake.

While you can top homemade or store-bought shortcake simply with fresh, sliced strawberries, a glaze adds both visual appeal and extra flavor. You can purchase strawberry glazes at grocery stores but making your own doesn't require special tools or skills. If you can heat water and operate a blender, you can create a homemade strawberry topping to adorn your shortcake.

Things You'll Need

• 2 pints strawberries
• Paring knife
• Large mixing bowl
• 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
• Medium saucepan
• 1 cup water
• Blender
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp. cornstarch
• Red food coloring
• Plastic wrap

Instructions

1. Rinse 2 pints of fresh strawberries under cold running water.

2. Remove the green leaves and white bit from the top of each strawberry with the paring knife, then cut the berries into 1/4-inch-thick slices. The 2 pints should yield approximately 4 cups of sliced strawberries.

3. Put 3 cups of sliced strawberries into a large mixing bowl with 1/2 cup of confectioners sugar. Stir the sugar and strawberries together. Place the bowl in your refrigerator.

4. Put the remaining cup of sliced strawberries in a medium saucepan with 1 cup of water.

5. Cook the strawberries and water over low heat until the strawberries are soft and mushy.

6. Pour the strawberries and water from the saucepan into a blender or stand mixer equipped with a whisk attachment. Process the mixture until it is smooth and free of lumps.

7. Pour the strawberry puree back into the saucepan and add 1/2 cup of granulated sugar, 1 tbsp. of cornstarch and 2 to 3 drops of red food coloring.

8. Heat the strawberry puree over low heat while stirring constantly until the mixture thickens. It should have a consistency similar to heavy cream.

9. Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow the mixture to cool to room temperature.

10. Pour the cooled strawberry glaze over the remaining sliced strawberries in your large mixing bowl. Stir the glaze and strawberries together.

11. Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate your strawberry topping until you are ready to serve the shortcake.

Tips & Warnings

• This recipe makes enough strawberry topping for eight individual shortcakes or one 8-inch to 9-inch round or square cake.

References

• Purdue Extension: Spring Produce
• "The Victory Cookbook"; Ruth Berolzheimer; 1944