The heart of any great strawberry shortcake is the topping of lightly sugared, juicy, ruby-red strawberries.
Our strawberry topping was perfect here; it had clean, pronounced berry flavor and a thick, chunky texture that didn’t slip off our tender biscuits. For fluffy, not dense, biscuits, we called on our food processor for streamlined, foolproof mixing.
While eggs are not traditional in biscuits, we added a single egg to give our biscuits a lighter, more tender texture. A bit of half-and-half contributed richness, while a modest amount of sugar yielded slightly sweet, dessert-friendly biscuits. A cloud of whipped cream, nestled between the berries and the biscuit, provided the classic finishing touch.
For the best results, chill the mixer bowl and the whisk in the freezer for 20 minutes before whipping the cream. You will need a 2 3/4-inch biscuit cutter for this recipe.
STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKES
Servings: 8
Start to finish: 1 1/2 hours
Shortcakes:
2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons (2 1/4 ounces) sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces and chilled
2/3 cup half-and-half
1 large egg plus 1 large white
Whipped cream:
1 cup heavy cream, chilled
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch salt
Strawberry topping (about 4 1/2 cups):
2 1/2 pounds strawberries, hulled (8 cups)
6 tablespoons sugar
Nutrition information per serving: 448 calories; 232 calories from fat; 26 g fat (16 g saturated; 1 g trans fats); 106 mg cholesterol; 402 mg sodium; 49 g carbohydrate; 2 g fiber; 23 g sugar; 6 g protein.
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