Strawberry Shortcakes

What could be more classic and more summer than Strawberry Shortcakes!  I found a wonderfully easy recipe in a great cookbook that I have been wanting to share with all of you so now is the perfect time!

A friend of mine knows the author, a Seattle Restaurateur, and knows how much I love food so she gave me the beautiful cookbook, A Boat, a Whale and a Walrus by Renee Erickson.

 

The beauty of this recipe is the cream cake.  They are easy to make and so buttery and flaky.  I ate the first one hot out of the oven with no strawberries or whipped cream!

I will admit that I made this recipe even easier by using canned whipped cream (I know, I know!) but I have included the fresh whipped cream recipe as well.

 

 

 

Strawberry Shortcakes

from A Boat, A Whale and a Walrus

makes 6 cakes

 

The Cakes

2 c. all-purpose flour

1 T. baking powder

1/4 t. baking soda

1 t. salt

3/4 c. cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks

1/2 c. heavy cream

1 T. heavy cream for brushing on the cakes

1 T. turbinado sugar

 

The Strawberries

1 quart strawberries, cleaned and sliced

2 T. sugar

 

The Cream

2 c. heavy cream

2 T. sugar

 

Combine the first four cake ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer.  Add the cut butter and blend into the flour mixture with the paddle attachment.  Once the mixture is sandy in texture, slowly add in the cream.  Scrape the dough out onto a floured board and form into a small rectangle.

Roll the dough out and cut into thirds.  Stack the thirds and fold them in on themselves.  Roll out slightly, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit while the dough chills.  Roll the cold dough out into a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick and cut the dough into 6 circles with a biscuit cutter.  Alternatively you can make your shortcakes square by cutting them with a knife.

 

Brush the cakes with heavy cream and sprinkle with turbinado sugar and bake for about 15 minutes.  Let the cakes cool on a cooling rack.  While they cool, prep the strawberries and whip the cream (or pull the can out of the refrigerator).

Cut the strawberries and toss with the sugar.  Set aside.  Whip the heavy cream for about a minute, add the sugar and whip until soft peaks form.

Slice the cooled cakes horizontally.  Distribute the strawberries over the bottom slice of each cake and top generously with whipped cream.  Top with the remaining cake halves and enjoy!!

 

 

Posted on July 24, 2016
This entry was posted in baking, brunch, desserts, quick and easy and tagged Renee Erickson, Shortcakes, strawberries.