Last weekend was a whirlwind! It was last day of school, Juneteenth, Father’s Day and my daughter had a soccer tournament, so we had plenty to celebrate! Since we were out of town, I decided to make a Strawberry Shortcake Macaron cake the night before we left. The 4″ macaron cake has a combination of macaron shells, fresh sliced strawberries and vanilla bean frosting. It was inspired by and made for Juneteenth, which is even more significant this year as the day was recently designated as a Federal holiday by the Senate!
STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE MACARON CAKE
Four delicious 4″ oversized macaron shells, topped with layers of fresh sliced strawberries and piped with dollops of vanilla bean frosting, then stacked to form a small 4″cake. Dairy & gluten free.
When thinking of the right dessert to make for Juneteenth, naturally macarons were the first to come to mind. Initially I thought of going the Southern route, like the banana pudding macarons I made here. But then decided on a summer favorite, strawberry shortcake! The intention behind the strawberry shortcake, was to highlight the color red, as red drinks and desserts are commonly served on Juneteenth as part of history and tradition.
RED DRINKS AND DESSERTS ON JUNETEENTH
The red desserts served on Juneteenth are said to represent the African cultures, while also signifying philosophical and spiritual beliefs, such as bloodshed by ancestors. The first Juneteenth celebration dates back to June 19th, 1865, Galveston Texas, when the enslaved were given word of the abolishment of slavery. This happened two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. Now over 150 years later, the significant day in history has become more mainstream and is officially considered a holiday! As this is a major indicator of progress, I remain hopeful for what the future holds!
And with my Southern family roots, Juneteenth is a day we look forward to celebrating in our household, with family and a mix of traditional and modern foods, like this strawberry shortcake macaron cake.
STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE MACARON CAKE FLAVOR
But in addition to Juneteenth, the macaron cake would be delicious for any summer occasion. Complete with layers of fresh garden berries and vanilla frosting, it is such a light, dreamy and delicious twist on the original!
With each bite you’ll taste tart strawberries and creamy vanilla, balanced out with almond shells in-between. Fortunately it is one of the easier macaron cakes to make, with less steps than previous cakes I’ve shared.
HOW TO MAKE A MACARON CAKE
The filling in this macaron cake is simple. The use of fresh berries, means no jam, or compote is necessary! The only difference is that you’re making larger macarons than the usual bite sized macarons, which ultimately means piped batter will be larger. Essentially, you’ll pipe the macaron batter into large 4″ rounds, instead of piping small shells. This can be done by tracing the shape of a 4″ circle and using it as a template. Or by using the count method. If using the count method, simply count to 25 while squeezing the batter with equal amounts of pressure for each round.
From there, bake off the shells and allow to cool. Make the vanilla bean frosting and slice fresh strawberries. Layer these ingredients between each macaron shell to form the cake, then transfer to the fridge for maturation.
Slice the macaron cake when chilled and serve.
Because there are fresh berries in this cake, I highly recommend making and serving it the same day so the fruit doesn’t break down. Or you could make the separate components and then just assemble and refrigerate a few hours before serving.
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Strawberry Shortcake Macaron Cake
- Prep Time: 45
- Cook Time: 35
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 slices 1x
- Category: Baking
- Method: Macaron cake
- Cuisine: French
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Four delicious 4″ oversized macaron shells, topped with layers of fresh sliced strawberries and piped with dollops of vanilla bean frosting, then stacked to form a small 4″cake. Dairy & gluten free.
Ingredients
- 106 grams of almond meal
- 106 grams powdered sugar
- 41 and 45 grams of egg whites divided
- 115 grams of granulated sugar
- 79 grams of water
- dash of cream of tartar or lemon juice for stabilizing
ADDITIONAL SUPPLIES:
- 1 piping bag fitted with large round tip or coupler.
- 1 piping bag fitted with a round tip (Wilton 12) for macaron batter.
- Fresh strawberries and icing sugar for garnish.
FOR THE VEGAN VANILLA BEAN FROSTING
- 2 cups organic shortening or vegan butter (you can also use regular butter)
- 2 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean
- pinch of salt
- dash of vanilla and a splash of non dairy milk.
FOR THE STRAWBERRIES:
- Fresh strawberries, sliced into rounds and patted dry on a napkin to remove any excess moisture.
Instructions
FOR THE 4″ MACARONS
- Wipe down the mixing bowl and whisk attachment with vinegar to remove any built up residue. This will ensure that the egg whites whisk up properly.
- Prep and measure all of the ingredients using a kitchen scale.
- Prep a piping bag with a round tip. Wilton tip 12.
- Line 2 baking sheets with silpat (or parchment).
- Combine measured almond meal & powdered sugar together in a bowl. Sift one time to remove any lumps, discarding of them, then mix together to break up clumps.
- Make a well in the center of the dry mix and pour the 41 grams of measured egg whites into the center of the dry mixture. Fold together until blended. The finished mix will be thick and paste-like. Set aside.
- For the sugar syrup:
- To make the sugar syrup, heat granulated sugar and water in a pot on medium heat with a candy thermometer attached to the side. **Make sure the thermometer is not touching the bottom of the pot so the temp measures properly**.
- Once the thermometer’s temperature reaches approximately 200 degrees F, place the 45 grams of measured egg whites in the stand mixer and whisk on medium speed, to soft peaks.
- Add a drop of lemon juice or dash of cream of tartar to stabilize, THEN continue whisking.
- If the egg whites are at soft peaks before the syrup reaches 248 F, turn the mixer down to low speed to keep the egg whites moving.
- Watch the sugar syrup closely.
- As soon as the sugar syrup reaches 248 degrees F, remove from heat.
- Quickly increase mixer speed to medium and begin slowly pouring the sugar syrup down the side of your mixing bowl into the meringue until thoroughly combined.
- THEN increase the mixing speed to high and whisk sugar and meringue together until glossy and medium peaks form and the meringue has cooled down. (The meringue should slightly keep its form.)
- Gently transfer finished meringue into the almond/powdered sugar mixture in thirds, making sure that it’s fully incorporated before adding the additional 3rd of meringue.
- Continue to fold the batter in a circular motion, going around the edges of the bowl, then once through the center. Repeat these steps until smooth and thick ribbons of batter run off the spatula.
- **Be careful not to over-mix**
- You want the batter to be slightly thick, but not so thin that it does not hold the ribbon shape. Err on the side of caution.
- Transfer batter to the prepped piping bag.
- Pipe four 4 inch rounds about 4 inches apart on the silpat lined baking sheet (s).
- Be sure to hold the piping bag about 1/2 inch directly above the baking sheet when piping the rounds. For this size of macaron, you can either use a 4 inch circle template to pipe the rounds of batter, or the count method. Counting to about 25 seconds for each 4″ round.
- Reserve the second baking sheet for smaller macarons to use the leftover batter.
- *Gently tap the bottom of the sheet the macarons are piped on to release air bubbles.
- *Pop any air bubbles that come to the surface, using a scribe or even a toothpick.
- Before placing the macs in the oven, let them rest until a proper skin has formed on the full outside of the shell. This takes around 20-30 minutes. For the large shells I recommend 25-30 minutes total, depending on humidity. Test by touching the center of the piped macs with a clean finger. They should be dry to touch with no batter coming off on fingers.
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
- Once dry to touch, place the macarons in the middle rack of the oven and bake from 15-18 minutes.
- Feet will form halfway through the baking process.
- You can open the oven after the first 14 minutes to test the shells. Wiggle gently from side to side to see if they need more time. A fully baked macaron should be sturdy when tested.
- Once fully baked, remove from oven and allow 20 minutes to cool before attempting to remove the shells from the silpat.
- Once macarons are completely cool, gently remove from parchment paper/silpat.
- Repeat same steps to bake the remaining macaron batter. You can fill up the second baking sheet with smaller macaron shells or make extra 4″ shells for a second cake.
- Once completely cooled, set aside until ready to assemble.
FOR THE VEGAN VANILLA BEAN FROSTING:
- Mix shortening/butter, powdered sugar, milk and vanilla bean seeds in a stand mixer until incorporated.
- Transfer filling to piping bag fitted with a round tip or coupler, set aside.
MACARON CAKE ASSEMBLY:
- To assemble, place the bottom shell on a cake stand.
- Pipe dollops of vanilla bean frosting along the outside edge of the top of the first shell, all the way into the center, covering the entire top of the shell in frosting.
- Top frosting covered shell with sliced berries, and pipe an additional layer of frosting dollops on top of the strawberries.
- Top with second macaron shell, then repeat with the frosting, berries and then frosting.
- Top with third shell, then repeat with the frosting, berries and frosting.
- Place the 4th shell on top, then decorate the top of the macaron “cake” with fresh berries and a dusting of icing sugar.
- Cover and chill for at least 4 hours before serving.
- Carefully slice with a sharp knife while the cake is still chilled and serve on small canapé plates.
- Enjoy!
Keywords: Juneteenth desserts, red desserts, strawberry shortcake macarons, macaron cakes, dairy free macarons, summer macarons, strawberry shortcake
This strawberry shortcake would be delicious served with other traditional Juneteenth favorites such as red punch or strawberry soda.
I’d love to hear what traditions you incorporate into Juneteenth celebrations in your household!
And if you’re looking for ways to support or celebrate the black community on Freedom day, you can do so but continuing to uplift and amplify black artists, businesses and creators.
More on the way soon!
This post titled Strawberry Shortcake Macaron Cake was seen first on Posh Little Designs All Rights Reserved. 2021
hello, i am making this times 3
why all the egg whites? I do not see where to use them all.
thank you
please respond soon its for my 5 YO birthday party tonight
your sister in baking
Meghan
Hello, this method of French macarons is made with Italian meringue, so 41 grams of the measured egg whites is mixed with the dry ingredients, while the remaining measured eggs whites is whisked to make the meringue. Reference step 6 in the recipe and then step 9. Thanks!