Strawberry shortcake has always been a favorite dessert of mine — it reminds me of the carefree days of summer at my grandparent’s house, where we’d buy strawberries by the pound and eat them in just about everything.
Our family always preferred the biscuit-shortcake to the spongecake variety, which was too sweet and ruined the strawberries, according to my grandma. I think she was right — a light fluffy biscuit with just a touch of sweetness and enough heft to handle seriously juicy berries is the ticket to perfect shortcake.
Since we eat shortcake all summer, I’ve created a recipe that includes a little extra fiber and protein by subbing out half the white flour with whole wheat flour (whole wheat pastry flour is particularly great for baked goods if you happen to have some). But with the husk and germ of the wheat comes a slighter darker, nuttier color, which isn’t quite what children may be craving for dessert. My easy solution: embrace the beautiful brown color and enhance it with a little cinnamon.
Suddenly, wheaty biscuits are transformed into cinnamon shortbread in the eyes of my kiddos. And the flaky texture comes from just a little bit of butter, while low-fat plain Greek yogurt subs in for the traditional heavy cream and buttermilk. The berries are made perfectly tangy and sweet with some balsamic vinegar and brown sugar, an homage to my grandma who used apple cider vinegar in just about everything, including her berries for shortcake. Balsamic is a little sweeter and more balanced than apple cider vinegar, so it’s a nice upgrade.
The final touches of mint and orange zest add nuanced flavor, so the berries shine through without a ton of extra sugar. And instead of whipped cream, I mix up a luscious vanilla cream from part-skim ricotta and Greek yogurt. We’ll be eating this recipe straight through to fall.
CINNAMON BISCUIT BERRY SHORTCAKES
Start to Finish: 45 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
For the berries:
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 cups raspberries, blueberries, and sliced strawberries
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
2 teaspoons chopped fresh mint
For the shortcake biscuits:
1 1/4 cup flour – half whole wheat, half all-purpose
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 Tablespoons cold butter, cut into small cubes
1/2 cup low-fat plain Greek yogurt
1 egg, lightly beaten, divided in half
For the creamy filling:
1/3 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
3 tablespoons low-fat plain Greek yogurt
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon brown sugar
Nutrition information per serving: 255 calories; 80 calories from fat; 9 g fat (5 g saturated; X g trans fats); 58 mg cholesterol; 422 mg sodium; 36 g carbohydrate; 4 g fiber; 13 g sugar; 9 g protein.
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