My sister’s birthday was last weekend and I wanted to make her a one of a kind cupcake. With inspiration from the strawberry festival that has been going on here in FL I decided to make a rendition of the strawberry shortcake. These stuffed shortcakes with strawberry & rosemary vodka frosting are a great way to kick off the spring season with a kick of liquor to get the party started.

Shortcakes are traditionally supposed to be more like biscuits, but over the years the line has been crossed from biscuit to cake. This shortcake recipe is a lot more like a cake than a biscuit. There is no cutting in butter involved in this! Also there is no heavy cream in this recipe, it calls for Greek yogurt and milk instead, which is healthier!

I used a coconut whipped cream to stuff the angel food cupcake. Traditionally strawberry shortcake has whipped cream on top. I decided to place it in the center of the cake instead for a delightfully creamy surprise!

I was trying to figure out how to add the rosemary flavor to the cupcake and decided a rosemary infused vodka would do the trick and it turned out amazing! The rosemary and the strawberry flavors blended so well without an overpowering vodka flavor. I highly recommend this icing recipe. This can always be left out of the frosting for a virgin version of the dessert, just make sure you replace the vodka with another 1/2 cup of butter.

Stuffed Shortcakes with Strawberry & Rosemary Vodka Frosting Serves: 12 Shortcake 1 2/3 C Flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 C unsalted butter

1 C sugar

2 egg whites

3/4 C milk

1/4 C plain Greek yogurt

2 tsp maple syrup (or vanilla extract) Coconut Whipped Cream 1 (14 oz.) can Full Fat Coconut Milk

1 tsp Honey Strawberry Rosemary Vodka Frosting 3/4 C Unsalted Butter, softened

4-5 C Powdered Sugar

1/4 C Rosemary Infused Vodka (see note below)

4 TBS Strawberry Syrup

1 TBS Vanilla Extract

Milk/Half & Half/Whipping cream to make a smoother consistency if needed

Fresh strawberries, hulled and halved, for garnish ***Rosemary infused vodka: Pour 1/4 C vodka (of good quality) over 1 sprig rosemary and let sit 24 hours. Remove rosemary sprig prior to using in the icing. ***NOTE: Substitute another 1/2 C Unsalted Butter for vodka if you would like to make this a virgin frosting. If you still want the rosemary flavor in this recipe you can add it to the butter using this recipe here: The Little Epicurian Instructions: Cupcakes Mix together flour, baking soda, baking bowder and salt in a medium bowl and set aside Melt butter and let cool. Once cool add sugar and whisk until combined Add egg whites, milk, greek yogurt and maple syrup (or vanilla extract) and whisk again until combined (dough will be thick) Divide batter into 12 lined cupcake tins, filling cups ~3/4 of the way full Bake 20 minutes in a 350 degree oven When cupcakes are cooled, used the end of a spoon to make a small hole in the middle of the cupcake to make room for the whipped cream Instructions: Coconut Whipped Cream Refrigerate the can of coconut milk upside down for 8 hours Chill beaters and mixing bowl 15 min prior to making the whipped cream Scoop coconut milk into mixing bowl and beat 3-4 minutes on medium speed until creamy, add honey during this time Place in refrigerator if the cream becomes too thin Using a pastry bag, fill the middle of each cupcake with whipped cream Instructions: Strawberry Vodka Frosting Combine butter, vodka, strawberry sauce, and powdered sugar together. Add vanilla extract and beat on high for 20 seconds Add milk/half & half/whipping cream 1 TBS at a time until buttercream has the consistency to hold its shape Frost and garnish each cupcake Adapted From: OMG Chocolate Desserts, Healthy Liv, Christina’s Cucina, and Add A Pinch

I would pair this cupcake with a very sweet pink moscato to balance the sweetness of the cupcake, but because my sister also loves red velvet cake I decided to buy her a bottle of the Cupcake Vineyards 2013 Red Velvet. You could pair this with your steak dinner before your cupcake dessert if you please. This wine has aromas of fruits and cherries as well as a hint of chocolate. The taste is smooth and creamy with some mocha thrown in there!