Strawberry Shortcake
Strawberry shortcake is one of the first desserts that comes to mind when thinking about how to end a meal with this wonderful berry. It’s a timeless classic—simple, yet elegant—and a celebration of early summer when strawberries are at their most fragrant and flavorful.
Strawberry shortcake dates back to at least the mid-1800s in America, with versions appearing in older English cookbooks as well. The term “shortcake” refers to the use of fat (often butter) that creates a tender, crumbly texture in the biscuit. Over time, versions with sponge cake or angel food cake have appeared, but for purists, the biscuit-style shortcake is unmatched for contrast and texture.
This dessert lives and dies by the quality of the fruit and the shortcake biscuit. Visit a local farm stand or farmers’ market for berries that are sweet and juicy. The sprinkle of sugar on the mashed and sliced berries will soften them and draw out more of the juices which soak deliciously into the biscuit layers.
In my search for the best shortcake biscuit, I found that many of the recipes were quite similar in most respects. The biscuit starts out with a dry mixture of flour, baking powder, a small amount of sugar, and a pinch of salt. Cold butter is then cut-into the dry ingredients. The difference is in the next step, the liquid.
One recipe used half and half, one heavy cream, and one buttermilk (which required a little baking soda in the dry mix). The biscuits with buttermilk had the best rise, and looked the best, but were a bit heavy. The heavy cream biscuits tasted very good but spread out too much. The half and half biscuits, based on a recipe from an old Cooks’ Illustrated, had very nice flavor and were the most tender.
It is in that recipe that I learned the clever technique for cutting in the butter. You freeze the stick of butter,and then grate it in using the large holes on a box grater. I found it easiest to place the grater on a flat surface, such as the lid of a rectangular takeout food container or a piece of parchment and hold the butter with a paper towel.
To prepare Strawberry
Strawberry Shortcake
| Yield: 6 to 9 shortcakes | # of Servings: 6 to 9 | Method: Biscuit | Difficulty: Easy |
Ingredients:
Shortcake Biscuits:
2 cup (9.3 oz / 263 g) pastry, or all-purpose flour
1 tbl (.5 oz / 14 g) baking powder
¾ tsp salt
3 tbl (1.35 oz / 38 g) sugar
8 tbl (4 oz / 113 g) unsalted butter, frozen
1 large egg
½ cup + 1 tbl half and half
1 egg white
Demerara sugar, as needed
Berries:
3 pints fresh strawberries, rinsed and hulled
¼ cup + 1 tbl sugar (to taste)
Whipped cream:
1 ½ cup (12 fl oz) heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbl sugar
Special tools and equipment needed:
Box grater
Pastry blender
2 ¼” round biscuit cutter
¼ sheet pan or small cookie sheet
Silpat or parchment liner
Pastry brush
Pre-recipe preparations:
- Freeze butter
- Rinse strawberries and allow to thoroughly dry
- Pre-heat oven to 425°F
Directions:
Shortcake biscuits:
- Thoroughly whisk together the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
- Using the large wholes on the box grater, grate the butter onto a cold plate. Add to the dry ingredients.
- Use the pastry blender for about 15 seconds to complete blending the butter into the dry ingredients.
- Add the egg to the half and half and whisk to combine.
- Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the liquid. Mix together just until a dough starts to form. Add drops of additional half and half if necessary to moisten any dry parts of the dough.
- Scrape onto a lightly floured counter and knead lightly two times just enough to make a cohesive dough.
- Pat into ¾” thick square, about 6.5” by 6.5”. A perfect square is not necessary.
- Using a 2 ¼” round cutter, cut six biscuits and place them on the silpat or parchment lined baking sheet.
- You can re-roll the dough (or mush it together the dough) to make two or three additional biscuits, but they will not be as tender. Organize your baking sheet to keep the re-rolls separate from the first batch.
- Brush with lightly beaten egg white and sprinkle with the Demerara sugar.
- Bake just until tops are a light golden brown and the biscuit feels just firm to the touch, about 10 to 12 minutes.
- Remove from the pan and place on a cooling rack.
Strawberries:
- Place one pint of the cleaned strawberries in a bowl and mash with a potato masher. Quarter the other two pints and add to the bowl.
- Add the sugar and mix to combine, adding more sugar if necessary. the cleaned strawberries. Gently toss with sugar and lemon juice. Depending on the sweetness of the strawberries, another tablespoon or two of sugar may be required.
- Allow the strawberries to sit for at least one hour, at room temperature, to soften and develop juices.
Whipped cream:
- In a chilled bowl, whip the heavy cream with the vanilla and sugar just until soft peaks.
Assembling shortcakes:
- Using a small serrated knife, split each shortcake biscuit in two. Place the bottom half on a plate or shallow bowl.
- Spoon strawberries along with some syrup onto the bottom. Add a good dollop of whipped cream.
- Cover with the biscuit top, and spoon some of the strawberries mixture over the top.
- Serve immediately.
Note: the biscuits, strawberries and whipped cream may be placed on the table or sideboard and guests can assemble their own.
