strawberry shortcakes

“But I don’t LIKE strawberry sweets,” said Oliver, a scowl coming over his face. He stomped his feet for emphasis, and the swinging of his arms and whiny pitch to his voice heralded the potential for a tantrum. He had been asking me to make a chocolate cake for the past two weeks. He prefers chocolate.

I prefer chocolate, too, but we had strawberries. Lots and lots of strawberries.

If our family of four were to – hypothetically, of course – stop at the drive through at Steak ‘n Shake for milkshakes, there would be two orders of strawberry shakes and two orders of chocolate shakes. Oliver and I would have the chocolate ones. We would all have whipped cream on our shakes, though. On the issue of whipped cream, we are all four in agreement.

And, if the Easter Bunny were to come at Easter, two of the humans in my home would prefer to receive jelly beans – the husband and the daughter – while Oliver and I would hoard the chocolate, stashing it away in our secret spots to enjoy quietly, sparingly. This year, I’m hoping the Easter Bunny will bring See’s Chocolates, for those are some of my most favorite chocolates. And Oliver’s too, by default. We are chocolate-type people, that’s just how we’re made.

strawberry shortcakes | the merry gourmet

So I understood his reservations about strawberry desserts. But on this occasion, we had strawberries, and a strawberry dessert would be made. I planned to make strawberry shortcakes, an excellent use for several pints of the seventeen pounds of berries we picked. I reassured Oliver that we could pour chocolate syrup on his, if he really insisted. He seemed satisfied with that plan.

My father used to make strawberry shortcakes for us when I was a kid. His were the classic supermarket shortcakes – yellow sponge cakes shaped like hockey pucks, with a circular crater in the top. Dad would peel the individual cakes off their white cardboard backing, nestle each one in a bowl, and fill the cakes with sweetened, macerated strawberries. The shortcakes weren’t complete until a sizeable dollop of Cool Whip was perched on top.

Instead of using prepackaged cakes, I baked the shortcakes from scratch. They were more like tender, sweetened biscuits, rather than cakes, and made with lots of butter and cream. Each biscuit was sliced in half, and one half was placed in a bowl to collect all of the juices from the strawberries and their sugary syrup. I drizzled strawberry balsamic and black pepper sauce over the berries, and topped each with homemade vanilla whipped cream and the other half of the biscuit.

They were divine.

These strawberry shortcakes were like distant cousins to those my father used to make. His were simple and store-bought, but I still love them – or the memory of them. These strawberry shortcakes are decadent, require more work, but the effort is entirely worth it.

Oliver ate every last crumb in his bowl. And he didn’t require a single drop of chocolate sauce on top.

strawberry shortcakes | the merry gourmet

Yield: 8 servings.

Strawberry Shortcakes

If you'd like to make these in advance, I recommend making the shortcakes (biscuits) and the whipped cream early in the day. After baking the biscuits, leave them at room temperature until you're ready to serve them. Store the whipped cream in an airtight container and refrigerate.

The strawberry balsamic and black pepper sauce recipe can be found here.

Ingredients:

Topping:
4 pints fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered
1/3 cup (67 grams) granulated sugar

Biscuits:
2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (50 grams) plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, divided
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 stick (113 grams) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, frozen
1 cup heavy cream, cold
1 egg, beaten (for glaze)

Whipped Cream:
1 cup heavy cream, cold
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup strawberry balsamic & black pepper sauce

Directions:

Prepare topping:

Mix strawberries and 1/4 cup sugar in a medium bowl. Set aside while preparing biscuits (or up to 2 hours).

Prepare Biscuits:

Heat oven to 425 degrees, with rack in center position of oven. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. In a food processor, combine flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt; pulse a few times to blend. Add butter and pulse five or six times, until the butter is in pea-sized pieces. Add cream, and process until moist clumps form. Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface and gather dough into a ball. Flatten dough into an 8 x 4-inch rectangle. Cut lengthwise in half, then crosswise into 4 equal pieces, forming 8 square biscuits. Transfer biscuits to parchment-lined baking sheet and chill for 20 minutes.

Brush tops of biscuits with egg glaze and sprinkle with remaining teaspoon of sugar. Bake until biscuits are golden brown, approximately 15 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool.

Prepare whipped cream:

Using an electric mixer or stand mixer, beat heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla until peaks form.

Assemble the shortcakes:

Cut biscuits horizontally in half. Place bottom half of each biscuit, cut side up, on a plate. Spoon strawberries equally among the biscuits. Place a dollop of whipped cream atop the strawberries, and drizzle a tablespoon of strawberry balsamic and black pepper sauce over the whipped cream. Cover each with a top half of the biscuit.

Adapted from and inspired by this recipe.

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9 Responses to “strawberry shortcakes”

  1. 1
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    Mmmmm… these strawberry shortcakes look divine and I’m loving the sound of that balsamic and black pepper syrup sauce.

  2. 2
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    Jennifer C. — April 9, 2014 @ 10:39 am

    I’m a chocolate milkshake kind of girl too but…when at Steak N Shake…I have to go vanilla…all the way! They really are the best! Nothing better than dipping those hot greasy fries in that cold sweet shake! Great! Now I have to drive an hour to the nearest Steak N Shake to get my fix! Thanks!

  3. 3
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    Paula — April 9, 2014 @ 11:44 am

    If forced to make a choice between strawberries or chocolate, I’m always going to choose the chocolate! Having said that, I would not turn up my nose at your homemade strawberry shortcakes. This is the way to make and serve this dessert!

    • 3.1
      Merry-Jennifer
      Merry-Jennifer — April 9, 2014 @ 5:23 pm

      Hooray – another chocolate fan! I love that we’re alike on this point, Paula.

  4. 4
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    Renee - Kudos Kitchen — April 10, 2014 @ 9:01 am

    That Strawberry balsamic and black pepper sauce really puts these over the top for me! They sound heavenly!

  5. 5
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    lucy — April 16, 2014 @ 11:41 am

    We are a chocolate-loving family as well, something all five of us agree on! But gaining in-laws allows me to see that the rest of the world does like to diversify 🙂 Your strawberry shortcake recipe is similar to mine, but I love the addition of the strawberry balsamic sauce. I am going to try that next time!

  6. 6
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    Mallory — May 1, 2014 @ 1:20 pm

    Growing up – we were a store bought shortcake dessert loving family as well – those sponge cakes are nostalgic at best …these days I tend more towards a shortbread or shortcake..depending on which brother is requesting the dessert. Going to make your strawberry balsamic and black pepper sauce – seems delightful!

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