Strawberry Shortcake

Strawberry shortcake is not really a recipe so much as an assembly. Good biscuits, good berries, real whipped cream. None of it is hard, and the result is one of those desserts where every bite makes you a little quieter at the table.

Mascerate the berries for at least twenty minutes. That is where the syrup comes from, and the syrup is the whole point.

Ingredients

Instructions

1. Toss the strawberries with the sugar and lemon juice in a bowl. Set aside for at least 20 minutes to release their juices.
2. Heat the oven to 220°C (425°F). Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Rub in the cold butter with your fingertips until pea-sized pieces remain.
3. Pour in the buttermilk and stir with a fork just until a shaggy dough forms.
4. Tip onto a floured surface, pat into a 2.5cm-thick round, and cut six biscuits with a 7cm cutter. Re-pat scraps and cut more.
5. Place on a lined tray, brush the tops with a little extra buttermilk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 13–15 minutes until risen and golden.
6. Whip the cream with the icing sugar and vanilla to soft peaks.
7. Split the warm biscuits, spoon over berries and their syrup, top with cream, and crown with the biscuit lid.

Cooking tips

• Cold butter and cold buttermilk make tall, flaky biscuits. Warm dough gives flat ones.
• Whip the cream just to soft peaks — stiff cream is the enemy of a good shortcake.
• If your strawberries aren't quite ripe, a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar in the mix lifts the flavour.

More like this

If you enjoyed this recipe, you'll find more of my favourite desserts recipes in the archive, or browse the full collection.