Week 8 Strawberry Shortcake Cooking and Baking/Advanced

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 an 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 of sugar

For the Whipped Cream

• 1 cup whipping cream
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup of powdered 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 the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
4. Stir in ⅓ cup of milk and form a dough.
5. Flour hands and make a round disk with the dough. The dough should be about ½ inch thick. Using a dough cutter, cut 8-10 rounds.
6. Place the dough balls 3 inches apart on a greased baking sheet or Silpat.
7.  Brush the tops of the dough 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.

For the Strawberries:

1. Once you have cleaned and sliced the berries, take ⅓ of the strawberries and mash them with a potato masher.
2. Add the remaining strawberries and sugar.
3. Set aside for at least 20 minutes.

For the Whipped Cream:

1. Prepare the whipped cream by combining together the whipping cream, vanilla, and sugar.
2. Beat the mixture until stiff peaks form. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

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.