strawberry shortcakes.

note: this recipe is adapted from anne willan’s fruit desserts cookbook that i thrifted. this recipe makes about 3-4 strawberry shortcakes

ingredients

• shortcake biscuits

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour

  • 2 tsps baking powder

  • 1 1/2 tbsps sugar

  • pinch of salt

  • 1/2 stick (4 tbsps) butter, cold

  • 1/3 cup heavy cream + more to brush on top of biscuits

• strawberry filling

  • about 4oz (3/4 cups) fresh strawberries

  • 1 tbsp sugar

  • zest of about 1/4 lemon

• whipped cream

  • 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

  • 1/2 tbsp powdered sugar

  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

tools

• fork

• rolling pin

• biscuit/cookie cutter or knife

• baking sheet and wire rack

• whisk or hand mixer

steps

1. make the strawberry filling: toss strawberries with sugar and lemon zest. chill and let sit for at least 30 minutes

2. make the shortcake biscuits: whisk flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt together

3. cut cold butter into small cubes and rub the flour into the butter with your hands until the butter pieces are as small as peas

4. add heavy cream into the flour+butter mixture and stir with a fork until combined into a shaggy dough

5. place the shaggy dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead until the dough comes together (this may take some time!). form a rough square, then cut the dough in quarters and stack them and gently press/combine into one dough. repeat this 2 times - this creates all the flaky layers. roll out dough with a rolling pin, about 1/2 inch thick. chill dough in freezer for 5 minutes before cutting out biscuits

6. cut out biscuits to desired shape and evenly place on baking sheet. brush biscuits with some heavy cream

7. place biscuits in the freezer and preheat oven to 425F

8. bake biscuits for 12-15 minutes in the oven until lightly browned. let cool

9. make the whipped cream: whip heavy cream with powdered sugar & vanilla extract until soft peaks

10. assemble the shortcake biscuits: gently cut the biscuits horizontally in half (they’re very delicate!). place strawberry filling on the bottom half of the biscuit. then layer with whipped cream. gently cover with the top half of the biscuit. optional: top with additional whipped cream and fresh strawberries. serve immediately

11. enjoy!

notes

• if you don’t have a biscuit/cookie cutter, you can just cut dough into rectangles/squares/triangles, whatever shape you like. there will be no leftover dough!

• if using biscuit/cookie cutter, try to cut biscuits as close to each other as possible. if you have leftover dough, gently combine, roll out, and cut shapes. you can also just shape with your hands and bake

• to hold the shape of the biscuits, i recommend chilling the biscuits in the freezer for about 1 hour in step 7. preheat oven and then take out the biscuits from the freezer. bake for about 15 minutes at 425F

• for an intense strawberry filling, let the tossed strawberries chill in the fridge overnight. this will release the juices from the strawberries and create an intense flavor

video(s)