The BEST Chamomile Strawberry Shortcake
Ok, let’s clear something up: strawberries are both a spring and summer fruit. I know some people feel passionate about them being in one seasonal camp over the other, mostly summer, but they cover both seasons, and what months just depend on where you live. One of my all-time favorite warm-weather bakes is a strawberry shortcake. The combination of a light and airy base – be that a cake, biscuit, or even choux pastry – topped with fresh whipped cream and strawberries, oh yes pleaseeeee!
While I’m not often a fan of fruit in baked goods (though I have exceptions, of course, like these Blueberry Chai Muffins), I love them as part of a layer with many baked goods. So cake plus whipped cream plus strawberries means that everyone stays in their layer, but together they make for a burst of flavors and textures in each delicious bite.
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CHAMOMILE STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE
Strawberry shortcakes are a classic warm-weather dessert made up of a light sponge cake, topped with whipped cream, and fresh strawberries. The pairing between airy to creamy to sweet, and tart makes for fireworks on your tastebuds. For a fun, springtime twist, this cake includes chamomile. We’re soaking the tea leaves into the milk, making for a delicious, sweet floral bite in every slice.
Why do you alternate mixing in your dry ingredients and your milk? We don’t want to risk knocking out too much excess air or overworking our dry ingredients, which could lead to a dense cake. By adding and alternating the dry ingredients with the milk, we ensure we don’t overmix our batter.
INGREDIENTS
- Milk: Adds moisture to the cake while absorbing all that delicious chamomile flavor
- Chamomile Tea: Flowers, leaves, or tea bags work great!
- All-Purpose Flour: Key binding ingredient helping to build structure
- Almond Flour: Contribute to the bind while adding moisture to the cake
- Baking Powder: Contributes to the rise of your cake
- Salt: Balance the sweet flavors
- Unsalted Butter: Adds a rich taste and moisture to this cake while contributing to the airy structure when beaten with the sugar
- Canola Oil: Paired with the butter, it helps to enhance the softness of this bake
- Sugar: Provides sweetness and structure to your final bake
- Eggs: Make for a tender cake that’s rich in flavor
- Vanilla: The perfect flavor to balance with the chamomile
- Honey: A natural sweetener to brush on a final layer of delicious moisture
- Heavy Whipping Cream: The base of the two-ingredient whipped cream
- Powdered Sugar: Always makes for a sweet whipped topping without the grit
- Strawberries: A delicious pop of fruity color
- Lemon Juice: Helps to soften the strawberries while balancing their naturally tart and sweet flavor
What is the purpose of almond flour in this cake? Almonds contain fat, which in turn can add moisture to your cake. Since this cake is very light and airy, finding ways to add extra moisture makes for a perfectly light but texturally delicious bite.
HOW TO MAKE CHAMOMILE STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE
Start by making your chamomile milk, since it will need time to steep and cool before adding to your cake batter. In a small pot, placed on the stove over medium-low heat, pour in your milk and heat just until it begins to steam. Add in your chamomile tea – no need to place it in a strainer if it’s loose – and cover, allowing it to steep for 10 minutes. Remove the lid and let it cool, with the tea leaves inside, until it reaches room temperature. Once your ready to use your milk, strain out your tea leaves, really pressing out any excess liquid through the strainer, before pouring into your batter as instructed.
For your cake, preheat your oven to 350°F and grease a 9-inch round cake pan before lining the bottom with parchment paper. This cake is likely to have a little stickage to your pan, so I highly recommend adding a layer of flour along the inside of your pan, knocking out any excess flour, before placing your parchment paper along the bottom.
To make your batter, mix together your all-purpose flour, almond flour, baking powder, and salt, and set aside. In a large bowl, add your softened butter, oil, and sugar and beat with your mixer for two minutes until light and fluffy. Crack in your eggs and vanilla extract before mixing again until combined. At this point, you’re going to alternate adding your dry ingredients and chamomile milk, mixing them in, in stages to ensure you don’t overmix your batter. Starting and ending with your dry, add in a third of your dry ingredients, mix, then half of your milk, mix, and scrape down the sides with a spatula. Add in the second third of your dry, mix, and the remainder of your milk, beating and scraping down the sides before mixing in the final third of your dry ingredients.
Pour your cake batter into your prepared cake pan and place it in the oven to bake for 25-28 minutes. Make sure you don’t open your oven before the 25-minute mark so you don’t risk deflating your cake. Your cake should be puffed, golden, and a toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. Remove it from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.
While your cake is cooling, make your chamomile honey syrup. Pour your milk into a bowl and heat in the microwave for 12-15 seconds just until it starts to steam – you can also do this in a pot over medium-low heat on the stove if you prefer. Add in your chamomile leaves and leave to steep for 5 minutes. Strain out your leaves and stir in your honey until completely dissolved. Brush your syrup all over the top and sides of your warm cake.
For your macerated strawberries, halve and quarter them and place them in a bowl with your sugar and lemon juice. Give your fruit a quick stir and set aside to soften and get deliciously juicy while you make your whipped cream. To make the whipped cream, pour your cream into a large bowl and sift over your powdered sugar. Whisk or beat with a hand mixer until soft peaks form – you want them light and fluffy but firm enough that it doesn’t run off the side of your cake.
Once your cake has cooled and you’ve prepped your strawberries and whipped cream, it’s time to assemble! Place your cake on a plate and pile it high with the whipped cream, topping with strawberries as the final layer. Slice and enjoy!
3 reasons you’ll love this cake
TIPS & VARIATIONS
- You can easily swap or add fruit based on your preference. Mixed berries would be delicious, or even just raspberries or blueberries
- If you can, grease and flour your cake pan before lining the base with parchment paper. This cake is very light, so it’s very likely it will stick a little to your pan. A little extra nonstick protection never hurts!
- For the chamomile, you can use flowers, leaves, or tea bags! I use the dried chamomile flowers from U.S. Wellness Naturals
- When making your chamomile milk, the longer you steep your tea, the deeper the chamomile flavor will be. You can make this up to a day in advance, letting it steep in the fridge overnight before straining. When you go to strain it, really press down on the leaves or tea bags to press out all that yummy flavor into your milk!
- I like a lightly sweetened whipped cream just as it is, but if you want to amp up the flavors, you can add in a splash of vanilla or make a chamomile whipped cream topping. For that, just heat your whipping cream in a pot over medium-low heat until steaming, steep 2-3 tablespoons of chamomile in it until it cools back to room temperature, strain, and pop it in the fridge to re-chill it before whipping it into your whipped cream!
- Do not open your oven to check your cake before the 25-minute mark! This cake holds a lot of air, and if you open the oven too soon, you risk your cake deflating and potentially not cooking properly in the oven.
MAKING AHEAD & STORING
For an even deeper chamomile flavor, you can make the milk up to a day in advance, steeping your chamomile in it overnight to deepen the flavors. The whipped cream can also be made the day before and stored in the fridge in a container. When ready to use the next day, give it a few beats with a whisk to bring it back together, as it may separate slightly in the fridge.
This cake is best eaten the day it is made, but it will last in the fridge for two to three days, sealed in an airtight container. Since this cake is so light and airy, it can dry out quicker, and the strawberries, once macerated, will continue to soften, which is why this cake is best within the first 24 hours.
MORE SPRING RECIPES
For a quick and easy treat, try these Earl Grey Lavender Shortbread cookies or these One Bowl Lemon Shortbread Bars topped with a crackly lemon glaze. To use up those winter fruits, try these Simple Spring Orange & Lime Fruit Tarts. For something more savory but definitely showstopping, this Spinach Feta Mediterranean Deep-Dish Quiche is my absolute favorite.
Equipment
- 9-inch Cake Pan
- Parchment Paper
- Mixing Bowls
- Mixer
- Whisk
- Spatula
- Knife
- Cutting Board
- Wire Rack
- Fine Mesh Sieve
- Small pot
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Pastry Brush
Ingredients
- ½ cup milk
- 4 tbsp chamomile tea leaves or 4 tea bags
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup almond flour
- 1 ¼ tsp baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp milk
- 1 tbsp chamomile tea leaves 1 tea bag
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
- 2 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1 pint fresh strawberries rinsed and quartered
- 1 tbsp lemon juiced
- 1 tbsp sugar
Instructions
- Pour your milk into a small pot and place over medium-low heat. Heat until just steaming, remove from heat, and add in your chamomile tea. Cover and let steep for 10 minutes, then remove the cover and leave, with tea inside, to cool completely. This is really important to getting all that chamomile flavor! Strain out your tea once you’re ready to use it below.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease a 9-inch round cake pan with butter and flour, knocking out any excess flour from the pan. You can also line the bottom with parchment paper if desired. Note that this cake is very soft, so I highly recommend flouring your pan as well to ensure a fully nonstick barrier!
- In a small bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, almond flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside
- In a separate large bowl, beat the softened butter, oil, and sugar together for two minutes. This is important for adding air to your cake, you’ll notice the mixture becomes lighter and fluffier as you beat it.
- Add the eggs and vanilla extract, beating until combined
- Add your dry ingredients and chamomile milk in stages, starting and ending with your dry ingredients. Add in a third of your dry mixture to the bowl, beat, then add half of the chamomile milk, beat, add the second third of your dry ingredients, beat, then the remainder of your chamomile milk, beat, and the remainder of your dry ingredients. Beat until just mixed, and use a spatula to scrape down the sides in between each addition
- Bake for 25-28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then use a spatula to loosen from the sides and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely
- While your cake is cooling, make your chamomile syrup. Pour your milk into a bowl and heat in the microwave for 12-15 seconds, just until it’s steaming. Add in your chamomile leaves and steep for 5 minutes, then strain and stir in the honey until dissolved
- Brush your syrup all over your slightly warm cake (even the sides!) and leave to let the cake cool completely
- For your strawberries, add your cut fruit to a bowl with the lemon juice and your sugar. Give a quick stir and set aside
- For your whipped cream, pour your cream into a bowl with room for growth and sift your powdered sugar over it. Beat with a mixer or a whisk until soft peaks form
- To assemble, place your cooled cake on a cake plate, top with whipped cream, and pile the strawberries all over
- Slice and enjoy!
