Strawberry Shortcakes: Warm, crumbly, lemon-scented shortcakes, topped with syrupy strawberries and Chantilly cream; a perfect dessert for anytime you’re missing summer!
If you’ve seen those memes of Melbourne weather, of having four seasons in one day, of having blue skies at 11.00am only to have a flash flood roll in by 11.06am, then you know how chaotic springtime in Melbourne truly is.
And as lovely as stormy weather can be (if you’re inside watching it and baking something that makes your whole house smell like a bakery), I’m ready for some sunshine.
So here’s my offering to the universe and to the weather gods; strawberry shortcake.
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What is Strawberry Shortcake?
The term shortcake first appeared in England in the late 16th century, and was mentioned in Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor. But whether Shakespeare was alluding to the dessert or to a person, and who that person actually was, we may never know.
The term ‘short’ was not a new one in baking, even in the 1500s. A short cake or pastry is rich and crumbly from the high proportion of shortening or fat (lard, butter) to flour, and doesn’t rise (think shortcrust pastry). And though the recipe fragments are incomplete, the earliest reference to strawberry shortcake has been found in The Good Huswifes Handmaide for the Kitchin, circa 1590s.
There’s also different types of strawberry shortcakes, though most are variations on main types:
A strawberry shortcake cake – which isn’t so much a traditional cake with cake texture as it is a mix between a scone and an American biscuit. It’s kept whole, presented as a layer cake, and served in slices.
Individual strawberry shortcakes – little ‘cakes’ with the texture somewhere between a scone and shortbread, in Australia and the UK at least; in the US, recipes use a lot more cornmeal and buttermilk. These cakes are then halved, filled with strawberries and cream and served as individual treats.
Japanese strawberry shortcakes – these are a little different. These are whole cakes made with the softest most pillowy sponge, with a layer of strawberries and cream in the middle, and then frosted all over. Also known as Japanese christmas cake.
So, depending on where you are in the world, strawberry shortcakes can look and taste a little different, but all three taste delicious, so keep an open mind!
I love shortbread and I don’t live in the states so of course my shortcakes are a lovely, crumbly, lemon-scented, shortbread-meets-scone texture, quite a pleasing contrast to the sweet strawberries and silky Chantilly cream.
How to Make Strawberry Shortcakes
It may seem like there’s a lot to do here but the timings flow into each other for a relaxed afternoon of baking, and I think the payoff of fresh, warm shortcakes and homemade whipped Chantilly cream is so worth it.
Start by making the macerated strawberries – Mix the chopped strawberries with some sugar and a bunch of finally chiffonade mint. A couple of tablespoons of liqueur are completely optional but a fun way to flavour the strawberry syrup. Cointreau (orange), Midori (melon) and Chambord (raspberry) are all good choices.
Make the shortcakes – Choose your weapon! You can cut the COLD butter into the dried ingredients using your fingers, a pastry cutter or a food processor. All three methods work well, it just depends on how much time you have and if you’re up for washing the extra dishes from the food processor. Then all you need to do is make a well, add the egg, milk and lemon zest, and work it with a fork until a shaggy dough forms. No matter the method you choose, just make sure the butter is COLD.
Shape and bake the shortcakes – We all know that a dough can stick to your bench even on the best of days. But this one is a dream to roll out between two pieces of baking paper. No extra flour needed, no frustration over torn dough, and you can use the same parchment paper to line your baking trays. Don’t roll it out too thin though, the shortcakes you cut out should be close to 3cms, or 1 inch in height. Brush with a little milk and pop them in the oven.
Whip up some Chantilly cream – When the shortcakes are ready, set them aside to cool and get to making some whipped, flavoured cream, known as Chantilly cream. In a bowl combine the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla and whisk, either by hand, hand mixer or stand mixer, until firm peaks form. Don’t overwhip it though, we don’t want to accidentally make butter!
Assemble the strawberry shortcakes – Once the shortcakes have cooled a little and are firm, slice them in half horizontally and layer them with spoonfuls of strawberries, dollops of Chantilly cream and a few fresh mint leaves. Gently sandwich the top half back on and enjoy! Forks are optional.
Looking for other Fruity Recipes? Try These:
- Afternoon Tea: Blood Orange French Yogurt Cake
- Dinner: Salmon with Kiwi Berry Salsa
- Dessert: Flambéed Crêpes Suzette
- Another Dessert: Peach Galette with Sour Cream Pastry
- Canning: Feijoa and Kiwi Fruit Jelly
Strawberry Shortcakes
Ingredients
For the Macerated Strawberries
- 500 g strawberries
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons mint, chiffonade or finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons liqueur, such as Cointreau, Midori or Chambord – optional
For the Shortcakes
- 300 g flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder, aluminium free
- 60 g caster sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 100 g unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
- 1 egg
- 3-4 tablespoons milk, plus extra for brushing
- Zest of 1 lemon
For the Chantilly Cream
- 200 ml heavy cream
- 20 g caster sugar, more to taste – optional
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
- Fresh strawberries, to serve – optional
- Fresh mint, to serve – optional
Instructions
- To make the macerated strawberries, hull and quarter the strawberries, directly into a bowl so you don’t lose any juices. Add in the granulated sugar*, mint, and liqueur of choice, if using. Stir to combine and set aside for at least 30 minutes, but do give them a stir every now and then.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- To make the shortcakes, place the flour, baking powder, caster sugar and salt into a food processor bowl.* Add the chilled, cubed butter and pulse until combined and small butter clumps have formed. Empty out into a large mixing bowl.
- In a separate, small bowl, whisk together the egg, 3 tablespoons of milk and the lemon zest. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the egg mixture. Using a fork, mix until a shaggy dough forms. If it’s a little dry, add in the remaining tablespoon of milk and mix until the dough comes together.
- Turn the dough out onto a sheet of baking paper and pat it together gently into a flat circle. Add another piece of baking paper over the top and roll out the dough to about 3cms (1 inch) thick. Using a 7cm, circle cookie cutter, press straight down to cut individual shortcakes out of the dough. Transfer the shortcakes to baking paper lined baking trays. Push the dough scraps together and cut out more shortcakes until all the dough’s been used up. Brush the tops with a little milk and pop them in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. Set aside to cool a little and firm up enough to be sliced in half.
- When ready to serve, make the Chantilly cream.* Combine the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla in a bowl and whisk – using a hand whisk, hand mixer or stand mixer – until soft firm peaks form (don’t accidentally make butter!). Taste and add more sugar to your liking, if needed, and whisk again briefly. Set aside.
- To assemble the strawberry shortcakes, slice the cooled shortcakes in half horizontally using a serrated knife. Slather some Chantilly cream onto the bottom half, top with spoonfuls of the macerated strawberries (don’t forget some syrup!) and sandwich together with the top half of the shortcake. Serve as is, or, for a truly decadent strawberry shortcake, dollop on a bit more cream and garnish with a fresh strawberry and mint leaves. Enjoy immediately!
Cook along with me
Notes
- Don’t skip the sugar in the macerated strawberries, that’s the magic ingredient that helps the strawberries make a yummy syrup. Also, don’t refrigerate the strawberries while they’re macerating as they’ll make less syrup if they’ve been chilled.
- For the dough, you can use your fingers, a pastry cutter or a food processor to cut the butter into the flour mixture. While I used a food processor in this instance, mainly for speed, feel free to use whichever method you prefer or have access to.
- The Chantilly cream can be made around an hour in advance and stored in the fridge until needed, though it really is best when made fresh. And if you’re using a hand or stand mixer, it takes no time to whip up just before you’re ready to serve. It’ll also sit quite nicely out of the way on the bench for a good half hour before its needed without losing any of its fluff and structure.
- Don’t have strawberries? You can make blueberry shortcakes or peach shortcakes. I bet kiwi fruit shortcakes would be delicious too!
