Note to self: This was inspired by Sania, she had posted about making strawberry shortcakes and told me about the amazing Bon Appetit recipe on their website. I gave it a shot and boy oh boy…this was PHENOMENAL! I adapted the recipe ever so slightly and the shortcakes were so soft and buttery and delicious. I would definitely give it a shot. I’ve never had strawberry shortcakes before and having these as my first were so worth it.
Ingredients:
Shortcakes:
- 2 hard-boiled egg yolks, cooled
- 1⅓ cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons semolina flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons chilled salted butter, cut into pieces (I use blue bonnet)
- ⅔ cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream (plus more for brushing the tops)
- Mix of sugar in the raw and granulated (for sprinkling)
Strawberries:
- 1½ pounds strawberries (about 1 quart), hulled, halved, quartered if large
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
- ¼ Tsp Kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, divided
Whip cream:
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
Directions:
Shortcakes:
- In a bowl add flour, sugar, egg yolks, semolina flour, and baking powder and mix well. Using a pastry cutter blend everything together.
- Add butter and cut butter into the flour using the pastry cutter until pea sized pieces form.
- Drizzle in ⅔ cup cream + 2 tbsp of heavy cream and mix until it barely forms. Don’t over mix !
- Transfer dough to a work surface and gently fold on top of itself several times just to bring it together and work in any dry spots. You don’t want to knead it or else you’ll get a tough biscuit.
- Using ¼ cup measuring cup or an I cream scoop, make 6-8 balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Do not flatten. Cover and chill until cold, 20–25 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350°. Brush tops of shortcakes with some heavy cream and sprinkle with sugar in the raw.
- Bake until golden and sides are firm to the touch, 25 minutes. Let cool before cutting with a serrated knife.
- Do Ahead: Shortcakes can be baked 1 day ahead. Store airtight at room temperature. Reheat before serving.
Strawberries:
- Toss strawberries with granulated sugar, lemon zest, 1 tsp lemon juice and salt in a medium bowl to combine.
- Transfer half of strawberries to a small saucepan and add 1 Tbsp water.
- Leave the remaining strawberries in the bowl on the countertop while you bring strawberries in saucepan to a gentle simmer over medium-low.
- Cook, stirring occasionally and reduce the heat low simmer, until strawberries are starting to break down and become jammy and liquid is syrupy, ~15 minutes.
- In the meantime, chill an empty bowl in the fridge so it’s extra cold when we whip our whip cream.
- Let the strawberries cool, and stir remaining 1 tsp. lemon juice into the jammy strawberries.
Whip cream:
- Combine heavy cream, powdered sugar, vanilla extract and a pinch of salt in the chilled medium bowl.
- Whip cream until soft peaks form. (I used a hand mixer, but you can do this by hand or a stand mixer.
Assembly:
- Split shortcakes in half.
- Divide strawberry compote, macerated strawberries and juice, and whipped cream among bottoms. Close with shortcake tops. Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from: https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/bas-best-strawberry-shortcake/amp