One of my favorite places to get dessert recipes is Southern Living magazine. Those southerners really know desserts. If only I could read and bake at the same time. The shortcakes would have tasted like little airy cakes if I had remembered to mix in the baking powder. Alas, these little pucks are a bit dense but still edible and presentable.
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| TheFoodening Blog - Strawberry Shortcake |
Strawberry Layer Ingredients
a pint of strawberries, de-stemmed and quartered
1 tsp almond extract
up to 1/2 c organic granulated sugar
Shortcake Ingredients
2 3/4 c all purpose flour
4 tsp baking powder
1/4 c organic granulated sugar
3/4 c cold butter, diced
2 eggs
8 oz sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
a batch of whipped cream
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 F
1. Combine strawberries, almond extract, and sugar (depending on sweetness of the berries) in a container. Shake covered until mixed and set aside for at least an hour.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, sour cream, and vanilla extract.
3. In a food processor, pulse flour, baking powder, sugar, and butter together until the mixture resembles crumbs with bits of butter.
4. Gradually stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Dough will be sticky.
5. Use a 1/3 cup measure to form little cakes. Place cakes 2" apart on a baking sheet.
6. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until tops are light golden brown.
7. Remove from oven and let cool on a rack.
8. To make the shortcakes:
Cut the shortcake in half. On the bottom half, spoon 2 tablespoons of the strawberry mixture, followed by a dollop of whipped cream, and cover with the top half of the shortcake.
You can also make these shortcakes more adult by adding a tablespoon of a sweet wine or hard alcohol to the bottom half before you add the strawberries. I used the peach wine that I made earlier in the summer; though other alcohols that would be nice are muscat wine, bourbon, sake, gin, or rum.
