Fresh Strawberry Shortcake Week 6

Strawberry Shortcake

Ingredients

For the Shortcake

·            1 cup all-purpose flour

·            2 teaspoons sugar

·            2 teaspoons baking powder

·            ½ teaspoon orange zest

·            4 ounces (1/2 of a 8 oz. package) cream cheese, cut in cubes

·            ⅓ cup milk

·            1 tablespoon milk for brushing the tops

For the Strawberries

·            1½ lbs. of fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced

·            ⅓ cup sugar

For the Whipped Cream

·            1 cup whipping cream

·            ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

·            1 tablespoon sugar

Instructions

For the Shortcake:

1.  Preheat oven to 425.

2.  Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and orange zest in a large bowl.

3.  Add in the cream cheese and mash it with a fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

4.  Stir in ⅓ cup of milk and form a dough.

5.  Flour hands and divide the dough into 8 balls.

6.  Place the dough balls 3 inches apart on a greased baking sheet or silpat.

7.  With a glass flatten the dough balls to ½ inch thickness and brush the tops with milk and sprinkle a bit of sugar on top.

8.  Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.

9.  Take out the biscuits and allow them to cool down to room temperature.

10.  Prepare the strawberries.

For the Strawberries:

1.  Once you have cleaned and sliced them, take ⅓ of the strawberries and mash them with a potato masher.

2.  Add in the rest of the strawberries and pour in the sugar.

3.  Set aside for at least 20 minutes.

For the Whipped Cream:

1.  Meanwhile prepare the whipped cream by combining together the whipping cream, vanilla, and sugar.

2.  Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

3.  When chilled, beat the mixture until stiff peaks form.

For the Shortcakes:

1.  Assemble the shortcakes by cutting the biscuits in half.

2.  Place a tablespoon of the strawberry mixture on the bottom half of the biscuit and top with whipped cream.

3.  Cover with the top half of the biscuit, and top it with whipped cream and a few more strawberries.

4.  Serve immediately or put the cakes in the refrigerator until ready to use.