Author Notes
It can't be summer unless there's strawberry shortcake. This recipe combines a dense, just-sweetened biscuit, oozing berries mashed with creme de cassis, and luscious cream. Just one caveat: once the cake is assembled it won't keep; it must be eaten in one sitting. - Margy@hidethecheese —Margy@hidethecheese
Test Kitchen Notes
The cake is nice and biscuity, a little crumbly and not too sweet, which makes it a nice, subtle platform for the berries and cream. It was a little finicky to slice the whole thing in half and remove the top without destroying it, but it was very fun to serve one big shortcake. The sour cream-whipped cream combination was divine! The subtle tang was great against the almost jammy sweetness of the berries. Next time I might actually omit the creme de cassis. It played well with the berries, but when they're perfectly in season it's nice to just have strawberry flavor shining through. - fiveandspice
—The Editors
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Ingredients
- For the Shortcake
-
2
cups unbleached white flour
-
1 tablespoon baking powder
-
1 teaspoon salt
-
2 tablespoons sugar
-
5 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
-
2/3 cup whole milk
- For the Strawberries and Cream
-
6
cups strawberries, rinsed, trimmed, and cut into bite-sized pieces
-
1/4 cup sugar
-
4
tablespoons crème de cassis
-
1 1/2
cups heavy cream
-
1/3 cup
sour cream
-
1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions
-
Preheat oven to 425 degrees and butter and flour an 8-inch round cake pan.
-
To make the shortcake, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Mix in the butter with your fingers, until it ranges in size from small pebbles to large grains of sand. Slowly stir in the milk a bit at a time using just enough to get the mixture to hold together.
-
Turn the dough onto a counter and knead it for about a minute. Press it into the cake pan, pushing it gently to the sides of the pan. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the cake is lightly golden.
-
Let the cake cool in the pan for a few minutes before turning it onto a cooling rack. When it is still warm, but cool enough to handle, split it horizontally with a large knife. Carefully remove the top with the knife and a spatula.
-
About an hour before you are ready to serve the cake, gently mash the strawberries with the sugar and crème de cassis. The strawberries should be mashed enough to release some of their juices, but still maintain their shape. Set the mixture aside until you are ready to assemble the cake.
-
Prepare the cream mixture, by whipping the the heavy cream, sour cream, sugar, and vanilla together until it is the consistency of whipped cream.
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To assemble the cake, place the bottom of the shortcake on a platter. Spoon the strawberry mixture on top, and then layer on the whipped cream. Gently place the cake top on top of the whipped cream. Slice with a sharp knife and serve immediately.
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