Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial beginning of summer. It is also the height of the strawberry season. Therefore, Strawberry Shortcake is the quintessential dessert of the day. A little extra effort will pay huge dividends in the form of deliciousness and admiration from your guests.
The three main components of a simple shortcake biscuit, red, ripe strawberries, and whipped cream are by themselves wonderful. Together they complement each other to the point that most other desserts will be ignored.
Although the shortcake biscuits are an easy recipe, many choose to use a store-bought replacement to save time. There are prefab sponge cake disks often on display near the strawberries; I prefer a vanilla or even lemon pound cake.
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds fresh deep red strawberries
- 2 Tbsp. Sugar
Shortbread:
- 2cups AP Flour
- 4 Tbsp. Baking Powder
- 3 Tbsp. Sugar
- ½ Tsp. Salt
- 6 Tbsp. Butter
- ¾ C. Buttermilk
Whipped Cream:
- 1 Pint Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1 Tsp. Vanilla extract
- ¼ C. Sugar
Begin by slicing your berries into large tidbits reserving 6-8 of the most perfect large berries to use later as a garnish. Sprinkle the sugar over berries and stir. Let them sit in the fridge while you complete the biscuits and cream. They will emerge marinated in their own syrup.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Combine all dry biscuit ingredients in a bowl. Cut in very cold butter until it is the size of small peas. Add buttermilk* all at once and stir until it balls up, then knead by hand just until it is uniform. Do not overwork the dough as that will toughen it. Pat or roll to ¾ inch thickness and cut into the desired shape. Place on a baking sheet so that they all touch (The biscuits encourage each other to rise higher and fluffier when they touch). Brush tops with milk then sprinkle with sugar. Bake 13-15 minutes until golden.
*No Buttermilk? Add ¼ Tsp. Lemon Juice to regular milk.
Add very cold whipping cream to a refrigerated bowl and whip on high adding the vanilla and sugar towards the end, when the cream is stiffening.
Assemble by fork splitting the shortbread. Top with strawberries ensuring some syrup soaks into the shortbread. Add ample dollops of whipped cream. Garnish with one of the reserved “perfect” berries.
For any gathering, the shortbread and berries can be prepared in advance. I have never heard a complaint if the whipped cream comes from an aerosol can. To make this a patriotic dish add some blueberries.
Time: 50 minutes
Serves: 6
Enjoy!
