These high altitude cherry blueberry shortcakes start with fluffy vanilla cupcakes, topped with cherry blueberry compote, and fresh whipped cream. Shortcake cupcakes make a wonderful summer dessert for the July 4th holiday weekend, and you can make the fruit compote with any variety of cherries and berries that you like.
You might also love these high altitude recipes for one layer mixed berry shortcake cake, mini strawberry shortcakes, and lemon blueberry layer cake.

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High Altitude Cherry Blueberry Shortcakes
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.

Equipment
- Muffin Pans + 15 Paper Liners
- Electric Mixer (Stand or Hand-Held)
Ingredients
Fruit Compote
- 12 oz frozen blueberries and pitted cherries (6 oz each)
- â…“ cup granulated sugar
- 12 oz fresh blueberries and pitted cherries (6 oz each)
Cupcakes
- 1 recipe High Altitude Vanilla Cupcakes
Whipped Cream
- 1 recipe Stabilized Whipped Cream
Instructions
Fruit Compote
- In a saucepan, combine the frozen cherries and blueberries with the sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for about 5-10 minutes, until the fruit is very soft, and some of the liquid has evaporated.
- Remove from the heat, and immediately stir in the fresh fruit (pit the fresh cherries, and cut them in half first). Let the compote cool completely before serving with the cake.
Cupcakes
- Make the Vanilla Cupcakes (cake only, no buttercream).
- Cool completely before assembling with the toppings. If your cupcakes are domed, you may want to slice off a small portion of the domed tops so that you can more easily pile the cupcakes with toppings.
Whipped Cream
- When you're ready to assemble and serve the cupcakes, make the Stabilized Whipped Cream.
- Serve each cupcake topped with the fruit compote and the whipped cream.
Notes
- You can make the compote up to two days in advance, keeping it stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator until needed for your shortcakes. If you have any leftover compote, you can eat it with yogurt and granola, or spoon it over oatmeal.
- Wait to make the whipped cream until you’re ready to serve the shortcakes. Store any leftover whipped cream in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
- You can bake the cupcakes in advance if needed, keeping them frozen in an airtight container for up to 3-6 months. If they dry out in the freezer, thaw the cupcakes and brush them with milk before serving.
- Instead of the cherries and blueberries, you can use just one fruit, or any combination of cherries, blueberries, blackberries, or raspberries to make the compote.
- Using both frozen and fresh fruit is important for the texture of the compote. By cooking the frozen fruit with sugar first, it will break down into a sweet jammy sauce that will coat the whole, fresh berries.

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