Strawberry Shortcake is a nostalgia dessert – no matter the fancy way pastry chefs can create it – it’s always the best when prepared the way mom made. I realize not everyone enjoyed homemade Strawberry Shortcake as a child. But I was lucky enough to…but only in June, when the berries on our large strawberry patch were ripe. And only after I sweated away with my sisters picking the berries. Actually I hated picking strawberries. It was a hot, backbreaking job that always left me with rashes up and down my arms and legs from an allergic reaction to the strawberry plant leaves. I remember one time when Grandpa came to visit and came out to help my sisters and I pick; we were complaining and he said, “You kids should enjoy this job! When I was a kid, we didn’t get to pick big, fresh, sweet berries like you do.” As you can imagine, this did not suddenly increase my enjoyment of the task. But it must have made an impression on me, because I remember it to this day – especially on occasions when I shell out $5 per person for my three kids and I to pick at a U-pick berry farm – just so my kids can hurl the same complaints at me that I used to whine about as a child.
But this weekend, my dear mother-in-law brought four beautiful quarts of berries from her garden in Michigan. When I saw her pull them out of her car, I immediately ran into my kitchen to start mixing up my recipe for Shortcake. Like my mother’s it’s basically a drop biscuit recipe with fresh lemon zest and a little sugar added; I’ve also replaced some of the white flour with whole wheat flour and cut a little of the fat. The lemon peel is a delicious aromatic complement to the sweet berries. Oh, and another tiny change I’ve made: When macerating ther berries (adding sugar to them and slightly mashing with the same pastry blender you used to make the biscuits) add a splash of vodka to the berries to draw out the juices and heighten their flavor. (Ok, maybe that’s sort-of a fancy chef trick, but now it will become part of my kids’ nostalgia!)
PrintStrawberry Shortcake
- Yield: 12 shortbreads 1x
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- Grated lemon peel from 1/2 – 1 whole lemon
- 1/4 cup + 1 teaspoon shortening or cold butter
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon cornmeal
- 1 quart cleaned, hulled strawberries
- 1–2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon vodka (optional)
- Freshly whipped sweetened cream
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, salt, sugar and lemon peel. Using a pastry blender, cut in shortening till mixture resembles course crumbs. Make a well in the center of the dry mixture. Add milk and stir with a fork just until moistened.
- Sprinkle baking sheet with cornmeal.
- Using a medium cookie scoop (or tablespoon) drop about 2 tablespoons dough onto baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 430 degree oven (my oven smokes at 450 degrees, so I bake at 430 degrees!) for 10-12 minutes or til golden. Remove from baking sheet and serve warm. Reheat any leftovers in a toaster oven.
- Meanwhile, while shortcakes are baking, mash berries just a few times with pastry blender; sprinkle with sugar and vodka. Mix and chill for 30 minutes to a 3-4 hours – until serving time. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream
Clara
Monday 2nd of July 2012
I made the short cake and loved the lemon in the recipe--enjoyed it with raspsberries. (") Thanks
April S
Sunday 24th of June 2012
I just made the strawberry shortcake and it was yummy. My 5 year old called it "crazy good". The vodka in the strawberries was a great trick and not something that I had tried before. I love the lemon in the shortcakes and I liked the healthy changes with the whole wheat flour. Thanks!
ea-the spicy rd
Tuesday 12th of June 2012
Love this shortcake recipe, especially with the hint of lemon. I, too, grumbled about picking berries {boysenberries that grew on the hillside in our backyard} when I was a kid, but never complained about eating them! Last summer when we were white water rafting in Idaho, we had lunch on a "beach" that had a hillside full of delicious blackberries-picking {and eating} those berries was a delight! Oh, how things change... :-) Thanks for the reminder to make some strawberry shortcake!
Serena
Thursday 14th of June 2012
EA, I'm so impressed you picked wild blackberries! I've gotten bloody hands from picking those (delcious!) beasts with all the prickers! Thanks for the story!