I have always added sugar to my go-to biscuit recipe instead of making actual shortcakes. Oh man, if I had only known what I was missing. These things are amazing! We have had an abundance of strawberries from our garden this year and had yet to make Strawberry Shortcake. I remembered seeing a recipe for shortcakes in the June issue of Better Homes and Gardens magazine and thought I would try something new. Here is the recipe which I have adapted:
1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1/4 cups cold shortening, cut into cubes
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp. whipping cream (I bought a small container of whipping cream and used the rest to make the whipped cream for the Strawberry Shortcake)
1 egg-replacer equivalent
1 tsp vanilla extract
In a small bowl stir together butter and shortening. Cover; freeze 15 minutes. In a large bowl stir together the flours, 1/2 cup of the sugar, baking powder and salt. Once the butter is chilled, rub the butter into the flour mixture with your fingers leaving large pebble size pieces.
In a medium bowl whisk together the 1/2 cup cream, egg-replacer, and vanilla. Add this to the flour mixture. Stir with a fork until combined. Gently knead until smooth, about 1 minute (dough should hold its shape without falling apart. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Roll until 1 inch thick. Using a 2 1/2-inch cutter, cut 6 rounds, re-rolling scraps as necessary. Transfer the cakes to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze for 15 minutes. While the cakes are freezing, preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Measure the 1 Tbsp. of cream into a small bowl. Brush the tops of the cakes with the cream and sprinkle them with sugar.
Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted near centers come out clean.
Remove and cool completely before serving.
Here are the Strawberry Shortcakes we had over the weekend:
