by Donovan Eniram
This week’s recipe is all about strawberry shortcake- and no, I’m not talking about the classic 1980s character! Instead, I’m referring to the American dessert, also a classic.This recipe produces a sweet cake or biscuit that is sliced and layered with fresh juicy strawberries and soft, fluffy whipped cream. To prepare this dessert is fairly simple. You can, of course, use store bought ingredients, but nothing beats homemade strawberry shortcake. That being said, there are still shortcuts you can take to speed up the process. For example, you can choose to grate the butter instead of cubing it, making it much easier to mix, but this can also make the cake less flaky. Now this, for all intents and purposes, is not meant to be a fancy dessert. It will be messy, but that's what makes this dessert so delicious and fun to eat.
Strawberry Shortcake
Prep Time: 30 min
Cook Time: 15 min
Total Time: 1 hour
Serves: 10-12
Ingredients:
Strawberries:
6–7 cups quartered strawberries
1/4 cup granulated sugar
Whipped Cream:
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream
Biscuits:
3 cups all-purpose flour (plus extra for hands and work surface)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
1 cup cold buttermilk
2 tbsp heavy cream
Coarse sugar (for sprinkling)
Directions:
Strawberries:
Stir the strawberries and granulated sugar together in a large bowl. Cover and set in the refrigerator until ready to use. This time allows the sugar to break down and release some of the strawberry juices.
Whipped cream:
Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the heavy cream, granulated sugar, and vanilla on medium-high speed until soft,medium-sized peaks form, about 3 minutes.
Biscuits:
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Prepare a 10-inch cast iron skillet,a parchment paper, or silicone baking mat lined baking sheet (baker’s choice).
Mix the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Add the cubed butter and cut into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter. Mix till it forms coarse crumbs.
Pour buttermilk over the top. Fold everything together with a large spoon or rubber spatula until it begins to come together. Do not overwork the dough. The dough will be shaggy and crumbly with some wet spots. Pour the dough and any dough crumbles onto a floured work surface and gently bring together with generously floured hands. Flatten dough into a 1/2 inch thick rectangle as best you can. Cut into 2.75 or 3-inch circles with a biscuit cutter. Re-roll any scraps until you have 10-12 biscuits.
Arrange in a cast iron skillet or close together on a parchment paper or silicone baking mat lined baking sheet, depending on which you choose. Make sure the biscuits are touching.
Brush the tops with heavy cream and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
Bake for 15-18 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown on top. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
Assembly:
Slice the biscuits in halves. Take a spoonful of the strawberries and pour it over one half of the biscuit. Then place a dollop of whipped cream over the strawberries and then sandwich it all together with the other half of the biscuit. Layer as much as you like.