Strawberry Shortcakes

Makes 6 shortcake biscuit desserts

Ingredients

Strawberry Topping

• 1-1/2 lbs. fresh strawberries (*this is the weight before removing the stems), washed and quartered
• 38 g sugar
• 2 Tbl. fresh lemon juice

Shortcakes

• 240 g a/p flour
• 100 g sugar
• 10 g baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. lemon zest
• 113 g (1 stick) very cold butter, cut into small cubes
• 1 large egg, cold
• 117 g (120ml) heavy cream, cold – plus more for brushing the tops of the cakes
• sprinkling sugar for the tops of the cakes

Whipped Cream

• 352 g (approx. 1-1/2 cups) heavy or whipping cream, cold
• 60 g (approx. 1/2 cup) powdered/icing sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. almond extract

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit with the oven rack in the center position. Line a sheet pan with parchment or silicone baking mat.
2. Wash the strawberries, remove stems and cut into slices or quarters, depending on how big they are (quartered if small)
3. Cut the butter into small cubes and put it back in the refrigerator to keep it cold.
4. Zest the lemon, set aside.
5. In a mixing bowl, combine the strawberry pieces with sugar and lemon juice. Stir until strawberries are completely coated in the sugar. Refrigerate for at least 30 mins to up to 3 hours.
6. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest.
7. Add pieces of cold butter to mixing bowl and cut it into the flour mixture until the pieces of butter are about the size of peas.
8. In a separate bowl, lightly whisk together the egg and heavy cream. Pour these wet ingredients into the flour/butter mixture and mix until the liquid is absorbed. The dough will look incohesive but it will come together in the next step.
9. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and flour the top of the dough also. Use a bit of pressure to press the dough together into one mass. Knead the dough a few more times to bring it together and create more structure.
10. Pat the dough out to about a 7-inch circle, about 1.5-inches thick. Using a 2.5-inch biscuit cutter (or a floured glass), cut out about 5 circles/biscuits. Collect the scraps and press together to make a 6th biscuit.
11. Transfer the biscuits to the prepared sheet pan in step 1. Brush lightly with reserved cream, then sprinkle each biscuit with sprinkling sugar.
12. Place the sheet pan in the freezer for 10 min. before baking. This will ensure that your shortcakes will not spread too much while baking.
13. Bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 14-18 minutes until golden brown and firm when pressed on. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool for at least 10 minutes before assembling the shortcakes.
14. Next, make the whipped cream topping by placing the cold heavy cream in a bowl rather too large for the amount of cream that’s in it. (about double the size). Begin whipping on medium speed until the cream thickens but before peaks start to form.
15. Add the powdered/icing sugar and extracts and mix until soft and floppy peaks form. Place in refrigerator if not using right away. NOTE: The whipping cream will go flat in a few hours so it’s best to use it within an hour or so. If it goes flat, you can re-whip it.

To Assemble:

1. Slice shortcake biscuits in half horizontally, place the bottom half on the serving plate, setting the top half aside for a moment.
2. Spoon a generous scoop of prepared strawberries atop of the bottom biscuit half. Follow that with a large dollop of prepared whipped cream.
3. Top with top half of biscuit and serve immediately.