Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a muffin tin with cooking spray. Set aside.
In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter, and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs and beat until well blended. Next, pour in the buttermilk and vanilla. Mix well.
Place a sieve over a large bowl. Pour the cake flour into the sieve and sift. Add the sifted cake flour to the batter in the standing mixer bowl. Add the salt, baking powder and mix thoroughly, scraping the sides of the bowl periodically with a silicone spatula.
Use an ice cream scoop or a large spoon to divide the shortcake batter evenly among the prepared muffin cup tins. Bake on the middle rack for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick or knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
Remove shortcakes from the oven. Allow shortcakes to cool in muffin tins for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
Serve your shortcakes upside down with sliced strawberries and whipped cream. Enjoy!
While the shortcakes cool, wash the strawberries. Carefully cut off the leaves and stems. Thinly slice the strawberries and place them in a medium bowl.
Pour sugar into the bowl. Gently mix the strawberries with a spoon to coat with sugar.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator.
In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, pour the heavy whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla extract.
Begin by mixing on low speed, then increase to medium-high. Continue to beat the mixture until stiff peaks form.
All-purpose flour may be substituted for cake flour if cake flour is not available. Cake flour is finely milled from soft winter wheat leaving it finer, lighter, and smoother. Your homemade shortcake will have a more tender mouthfeel and delicate crumb compared to cakes made with traditional all-purpose flour.
Place your homemade whipped cream into a disposable piping bag fitted with a Wilton 1A round piping tip. Pipe the whipped cream onto the shortcakes for a polished look. Our homemade whipped cream recipe yields 2 cups.