Sliced strawberries. Tender shortcake. Homemade whipped cream. Need we say more? With these 3 things you can hardly go wrong!
We love this recipe for shortcakes because we use the “drop” method with the dough instead of the “stir, roll, fold, roll, fold, cut” method. Saves us a lot of time!
Twin Tips
- Make sure you are very delicate with the dough when mixing! Stirring gently ensures the best texture when baked.
- Don’t worry if the dough is uneven or unattractive when first placed onto the cookie sheet. When baked they will even out more, and any uneven craggly parts will get a delicious crunch, which is ideal!
- Don’t serve the shortcakes hot! Although delicious, a hot shortcake will melt the whipped cream, plus it won’t pair well with the chilled strawberries.
- Take the shortcakes un-assembled to any summer get together and let everyone build their own!
Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
3 Tbs sugar
1 tbs baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup cold butter
1 cup milk
1 tbs white vinegar
1 tsp vanilla
1 quart thinly sliced strawberries
2 cups cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, gently toss the sliced strawberries with 2 tablespoons of sugar. Stir them occasionally while you make the shortcakes. They will get much juicier as they sit, this is what we want!
- In a small bowl or measuring cup, stir together the milk and vinegar. Let stand for 5 minutes to curdle while you whisk together the dry ingredients.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the cold butter using a pastry cutter or a fork until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Add the vanilla to the milk mixture and give it a quick whisk. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and stir just until a soft dough forms. Do not over mix the dough! Stopping when the dough has “just come together” is how we get super tender shortcakes.
- Using a large spoon or scoop, drop the dough into 12 mounds on the prepared baking sheet, leaving a little space between each. They might look a bit ugly or craggly at this point, but that’s ok! All that unevenness will bake up into a slightly crunchy yet pillowy shortcake.
7. Bake for 12 minutes, or until the tops are golden. Allow the shortcakes to cool while we whip the cream!
8. In a mixing bowl, beat the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla until soft peaks form. Don’t stray too far from it while it’s mixing or it might turn into butter while your back is turned!
9. Split each shortcake in half. Spoon strawberries and their juices over the bottom half, top with a generous dollop of whipped cream, then place the other half of the shortcake on top. Finish with more strawberries and whipped cream, if you want! Serve immediately.
