I absolutely love this recipe and have used it many times for different occasions. The first time I made them, I copied the photo in the recipe book and cut out my shortcakes into hearts for a sweet Valentine's treat. I am absolutely positive you will love this recipe too.
Usually when I make these, I just do a typical whipped cream, ommitting the sour cream and using powdered sugar. I also just use a pastry cutter to make the shortcakes since I do not have a food processor. It's very similar to making a pastry crust; make sure the fats stay cold and do not melt or get worked into the gluten. And finally, I use a silpat mat instead of spraying a cookie sheet. No browning!
Strawberry Shortcakes d'Amour
from the "Bride and Groom: First and Forever Cookbook"
serves 2 (I find it serves 4)
shortcakes
- 3 cups cake flour, plus more as needed
- 1/4 cup plus 1 Tablespoon, plus 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1 egg lightly beaten with 1 Tablespoon water
strawberries
- 2 cupes hulled and quartered strawberries
- 1 Tablespoon raspberry preserves (preferrably homemade)
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
whipped cream
- 1/3 cup cold heavy cream
- 1 Tablespoon sour cream
- 1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
powdered sugar for dusting
6 mint sprigs
- Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with vegetable-oil cooking spray.
- To make the shortcakes: Sift together the flour, the 1/4 cup plus 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar, the baking powder, and kosher salt in a medium bowl. Transfer to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add the butter and pulse 3 or 4 times at 2-second intervals until the dough resembles coarse meal. Add the cream and process until the dough begins to com etogether, a few seconds more. It will still be crumbly at this point. Do not overwork or the shortcakes will be tough.
- Transfer the dough to a well-floured work surface. If the dough is sticky, sprinkle it with more flour. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out the dough into a rectangle about 12 inches long. Fold the left end to the middle and the right end up over the left end to form 3 layers. Roll out the dough to 3/4-inch thickness. Using a 3-inch-wide heart-shaped cutter, cut into 3 individual cakes. Gather the scraps, roll out the remaining dough, and cut out 3 more hearts.
- Place the shortcakes at least 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the tops lightly with the beaten egg mixture and sprinkle with the 2 teaspoons granulated sugar. Bake until the shortcakes are light golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the strawberries: Stir together the strawberries, raspberry preserves, granulated sugar, and lemon juice in a medium bowl. Put 1 cup of the mixture in a small bowl and mash with a fork or potato masher. Add to the strawberry mixture and set aside.
- To make the whipped cream: combine the heavy cream, sour cream, granulated sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on high speed until soft peaks form, about 1 minute. The cream should slowly fall over forward when lifted with a whisk. Alternatively, use an electric hand mixer.
- To serve, using a serrated knife, cut 2-shortcakes in half horizontally and place the bottom halves on each of 2 plates. Top with the strawberries, dividing evenly. Add a dollop of whipped cream and top with the remaining shortcake halves. Dust with powdered sugar and garnish with the mint sprigs.
- Do ahead: These shortcakes freeze beautifully. Freeze the uncooked shortcakes on a baking hseet as directed but do not bake. Instead, place the baking sheet in the freezer, then transfer the frozen cakes to a sealable plastic bag. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and bake for 25-30 minutes. To prevent the bottom of the cakes from browning, put hte frozen shortcakes on a bakin sheet stacked atop another sheet, place in the top third of the oven, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes.
- When we entertain, we whip the cream before our guests arrive, refrigerate it, and whisk to the desired consistency just before serving. We also like to warm the shortcakes just before serving.