Strawberry Shortcake

Strawberries have been around for more than two thousand years. There are records of strawberries eaten as food as early as ancient Roman times as they probably grew wild in Europe.

Shortcake on the other hand, was a European invention. The ‘short’ in shortcake does not refer to stature or scope. Rather it derived from a 15th century British usage of ‘short’, similar to crumbly.

The true shortcake is neither bread, nor cake, nor pastry, though bearing what might be called a ‘differing likeness’ to each. It’s greatness lies in the contrasts of textures and flavors of simple cake, fruit and cream … hard & soft, moist & dry, sweet & tart, acid & cake. Shortcake proves the ideal base, as it is firm enough to stand up to the juicy berries and damp cream but absorbing only some of them without losing its identity or becoming a mushy mess.

The first strawberry shortcakes were made of heavy pastry that were somewhat similar to pie crust but a little thicker. The crust was baked, then split apart and filled with strawberries that had been mashed and sweetened and the whole thing covered with a sugared frosting. At some point the icing was replaced with whipped cream. Today, the shortcake ‘biscuits’ are sometimes replaced with sponge cake, angel food or even puff pastry.

July seems like the perfect time to indulge in some fresh strawberries!

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Strawberry Shortcake

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Course

dessert

Cuisine

American, European

Keyword

strawberry shortcake

Servings

SERVINGS MetricUS Imperial

Ingredients

Shortcakes

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 Tbsp cold butter
• 1 lemon, zested
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup PLUS 1 Tbsp low-fat buttermilk
• 1 Tbsp almonds, sliced

Filling

• 4 cups strawberries, hulled & sliced
• 2-3 Tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp grated orange zest PLUS 1 Tbsp orange juice
• 1 cup Greek yogurt OR whipped cream for serving

Course dessert Cuisine American, European Keyword strawberry shortcake Servings SERVINGS MetricUS Imperial Ingredients Shortcakes 1 1/2 cups flour 3 Tbsp sugar 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 3 Tbsp cold butter 1 lemon, zested 1 large egg 1/2 cup PLUS 1 Tbsp low-fat buttermilk 1 Tbsp almonds, sliced Filling 4 cups strawberries, hulled & sliced 2-3 Tbsp sugar 2 tsp grated orange zest PLUS 1 Tbsp orange juice 1 cup Greek yogurt OR whipped cream for serving

Votes: 1 Rating: 5 You: Rate this recipe!

Instructions

Shortcakes

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
2. In a bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder & salt. Add butter & work it into flour mixture with your fingers until it resembles coarse meal.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon zest, egg & 1/2 cup buttermilk. Add to the flour mixture & lightly mix until dough just comes together. Do not OVERMIX.
4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. With lightly floured hands, gently pat the dough into a 7-inch round about 1/2-inch thick. Cut into 8 equal wedges.
5. Space the shortcakes evenly on the prepared baking sheet. Brush tops with remaining 1 Tbsp buttermilk & sprinkle with the almonds. Bake until golden brown, 12-15 minutes.

Filling

1. In a large bowl, combine the strawberries, sugar & orange zest & juice. Allow to stand until sugar is dissolved & the mixture is syrupy, about 15 minutes.

Serving

1. Split the shortcakes. Place the bottom halves of the shortcakes on serving plates & top evenly with the strawberry mixture & yogurt. Cover with shortcake tops. Serve.

Recipe Notes

• Instead of cutting your shortcakes into wedges, you could bake them in tart molds for a fancier look.