National Strawberry Shortcake Day is a holiday that’s observed annually on June 14th. It’s a day on which people can enjoy one of the most delicious and sublime summer desserts ever made: strawberry shortcake. People can celebrate this day by making their own version of this classic dish, or perhaps by buying some strawberry shortcake from their local eatery.

The History Of Strawberry Shortcake

Even though we’re unsure of the history of National Strawberry Shortcake Day, we can do a deep dive into the history of this dessert. According to culinary historians, the earliest known recipe for this dessert was found in an English cookbook that dates back to 1588. However, this dessert was probably already being made for many years before it even made it into the book.

By the middle of the 19th century, strawberry shortcake was a biscuit and fruit dessert that was often served with sweetened cream and butter. It became so popular in the U.S. that people would organize strawberry shortcake parties—right around the time that fresh strawberries were being picked. Because strawberries are often picked between April and June in the U.S., it’s likely that this is how National Strawberry Shortcake Day became a holiday.

Tasty Facts About Strawberry Shortcake

As we dug into this holiday, we learned quite a few interesting facts about strawberry shortcakes. Since we don’t like to be stingy, we decided to go ahead and share this information with everyone interested in this holiday. The following tasty facts will give people a few things to think about while they’re enjoying all of that delicious strawberry shortcake.

• A shortcake is a sweet cake that’s leavened with baking soda or powder.
• In the U.S., strawberry shortcakes became popular during the mid-19th century.
• In 2012, the Pasadena Strawberry Festival featured the largest shortcake. It used over 3,200 pounds of strawberries and 280 pounds of whipped cream icing.
• The strawberry is the only fruit that has its seeds on the outside.
• Each strawberry has about 200 seeds.
• Every year, 23,000 acres of strawberries are planted in California.
• Strawberries are grown in every U.S. state and in every Canadian province.
• Almost 95% of all American households consume strawberries.
• Strawberries are among some of the first fruits to ripen in the spring.
• Almost three-quarters of all strawberries grown in the U.S. are grown in California.
• Each acre of land in California will produce about 21 tons of strawberries a year.
• Americans eat approximately 1.8 pounds of frozen strawberries per person per year.

Observing National Strawberry Shortcake Day

The best way to observe National Strawberry Shortcake Day is to take advantage of the availability of strawberries at this time and make yourself a serving of this dessert for yourself and your family. There are few things finer than having a tasty plate of strawberry shortcake.