Shortcake Recipes

strawberry festival | shortcake recipes

Shortcake (Traditional)

1. Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Have ready a large ungreased baking sheet.

2. Measure the 2/3 cup cream into a measuring cup and add the egg and vanilla. Stir the mixture until the egg breaks up and combines with the cream. Set aside. Sift the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder into the large bowl of an electric mixer. Add the butter pieces and mix on low speed until they are approximately the size of small lima beans, about 30 seconds. Slowly add the cream mixture and mix until a soft dough forms. Stop the mixer and touch the dough; it should feel sticky and soft. Add up to 1 more tablespoons of cream to obtain a soft dough. Gather the dough into a soft ball. (Alternatively: Sift flour, sugar, salt and baking powder into bowl of food processor. Pulse to combine. Add butter pieces. Pulse 10-12 times until butter is size of lima beans. Add cream mixture and mix very briefly, just till ingredients are combined).

3. Turn the ball of dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead the dough about 10 strokes until it looks smooth and feels soft. Knead the dough by pressing down on it with the heel of your hand and folding it over on itself. Give the dough a quarter turn as you knead. Lightly flour the rolling surface and a rolling pin. Roll the dough into a ½-inch thick circle and use a 2¾-inch biscuit cutter to cut it into circles. Gather the scraps together, roll them out ½ inch thick, and cut the remaining shortcakes. Place the shortcakes on the baking sheet. Bake about 12 minutes, until tops are golden brown. Cool the shortcakes on the baking sheet.

4. TO MAKE AHEAD: Follow stops up to cutting out shortcakes. Place shortcakes on a baking sheet and freeze till hard. At this point they can be removed from the baking sheet and kept in bags in the freezer until ready to bake. Bake, without defrosting, as directed above, allowing an extra 2-3 minutes.

5. TO DOUBLE RECIPE: Use ¾ teaspoon salt and 2 tablespoons baking powder. Double the remaining ingredients. Divide dough into two portions before rolling it.

Source: Bake and Freeze Desserts, by Elinor Klivans

Buttermilk Almond Shortcakes

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Butter a baking sheet. Place the flour, ½ cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a food processor and pulse briefly to combine the ingredients. Add the butter and pulse briefly until the mixture is crumbly. Place 2/3 cup of the buttermilk in a measuring cup; stir in the egg yolk and vanilla and almond extracts. With the processor running, add the buttermilk mixture and turn off the machine. Add enough extra buttermilk, pulsing briefly after each addition, to form slightly sticky but manageable dough. Transfer the dough to a floured sheet of wax paper; do not over handle.

2. Sprinkle the dough with flour. With your fingertips, gently pat out the dough to an even thickness of about ¾ inch. Use a 3 or 3¼-inch fluted round biscuit cutter to cut out biscuits and transfer them gently to the buttered baking sheet. Gather the scraps of dough, pat out again and cut out the remaining biscuits. With your fingers or a pastry brush, coat the tops of the biscuit with a light film of milk or cream. Scatter the almonds over the tops; sprinkle the biscuits with the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar. (At this point, biscuits can be placed on baking sheet and frozen. Bake as directed below, without defrosting, allowing a few extra minutes baking time.)

3. Bake the biscuits until pale golden, 11 to 14 minutes (watch carefully, as timing can vary; do not over bake). Transfer the biscuits to wire rack and cool.

Source: Classic Home Desserts, by Richard Sax

Chocolate Shortcake

Combine flour, baking powder, cocoa, salt, sugar and baking soda in food processor fitted with medium blade or in medium-size bowl with pastry blender or fingertips until well blended. Add butter and pulse until mixture is consistency of coarse meal. Add chocolate chips and buttermilk and mix just until dry ingredients are moistened and dough begins to hold together. Do not process into a ball. Turn out on well-floured board; dough will be sticky. Knead about 10 times and pat into 7-inch circle, ¾ inch thick. Dough should feel moist.

Cut out 8 biscuits with floured 2-inch round biscuit cutter. Place biscuits on ungreased baking sheet. Lightly flour board. Combine leftover pieces of dough and pat them back into a 3/4-inch thick circle. Cut out 4 more biscuits and transfer them to the baking sheet. (At this point, biscuits can be frozen until ready to bake. Bake, without defrosting, as directed below, allowing a few more minutes baking time).

Bake in a preheated 450 degree oven for 12 minutes only. They should have risen and look slightly dry on top.

Source: The Dessert Lover's Cookbook, by Marlene Sorosky

Shortbread Shortcakes

(This makes a shortcake that is more like shortbread. It is very simple and easy, requiring no rolling out and shaping. It is best baked, cooled and cut into pieces and then frozen if making ahead.)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line an 8x8x2-inch pan with heavy aluminum foil, letting the foil extend over two ends of the pan.

Sift flour, cornstarch, and salt into the large bowl of an electric mixer. Add ½ cup of the super fine sugar and mix on low speed just to blend the ingredients. Add the butter pieces and mix until fine crumbs form, about 1 minute. Add the vanilla. Continue mixing until large crumbs form, ¼ to ½ inch in size, about 45 seconds. Alternatively, measure dry ingredients into bowl of food processor fitted with metal blade. Pulse to combine. Add butter pieces and pulse 10-12 times, until crumbs form.

Gently press the dough evenly into the prepared pan. Do not pack. Bake for about 1 hour and ten minutes (Note: I have found that reducing the baking time to 1 hour produces the best results-VS), just until the edges and top turn golden. Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons super fine sugar. Cut into 12 pieces. Allow to cool thoroughly. Then lift the aluminum foil and shortbread from the pan. Serve immediately or freeze for up to three months.

Source: Elinor Klivans in The Washington Post

Shortcake Recipes

strawberry festival | shortcake recipes