Mini Strawberry Shortcake

Have you ever heard of 'Strawberry Shortcake'? Yes, I have and maybe a lot of you do too……but the one that I heard very often is the "Strawberry Shortcake" cartoon that my little girl loves to watch in the Disney Channel,  :P  However, I do have a few recipes on Strawberry Shortcake that I have in my collection, that I planned to try out one of these days. Well, my "To Bake" list has increased tremendously over the year, each time the more interesting and more latest ones kept piling on the top and the older ones are all being forgotten and were kept on the bottom of the list already :P

Well, I think I have to stop the collection and start baking off the list as soon as I can, so that the new ones can be added in, hahaha. Anyway, back to Strawberry Shortcake, I get to finally try out this recipe, thanks to my dear nephew, Jason. He called me up on a fine day, asking if I have ever baked Strawberry Shortcake before. I told him that I haven't yet, but I do have a few recipe on this item. So, as I promised to test the recipe first before passing it on to him, I finally get to bake my 'Strawberry Shortcake'.

I went to buy a punnet of strawberries from one of the local supermarket and quickly get to work ……..in the kitchen I mean. I was very excited actually, because this is one type of cake that I am not familiar of, and heard quite a of lot comments about it. In fact, I have always wondered why people called it 'shortcake'?? It's small alright, but not short, hmm…….funny! Sometimes, you just don't know how they got their names. 

Anyway, I have selected the recipe that I have adapted from Smitten Kitchen as it looks so much easier and straightforward. Since my nephew prefers to opt for the easier and not so complicated one, then I would strongly suggest this recipe to him. I followed exactly what the recipe requires, and the only thing that I didn't wanna put into the ingredients was the 'egg yolks'. Don't worry, even I didn't put in the egg yolks, the shortcakes still turned out nice. The only thing would be the colour was not that yellowish or golden as it is supposed to be.

The final verdict for this Strawberry Shortcake would be …….the shortcake has a crumbly crust outside and a cake-like in the inside, overall it was fine for me. Then the filling, as the strawberries I bought was the local ones, so there are a bit sweet and sour, and when mixed with the whipped cream, it blends in really well, not too sweet. I like the final outlook of it as for a picture…..it really looks nice. Sadly, I have to say that I might not be making this again as it was not something that I would fancy or crave to eat in the near future……..maybe upon request, I will be baking it again, ^-^

Interested to see and taste how a Strawberry Shortcake is like? Check it out……..

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE 
adapted from Smitten Kitchen (Serves 6) 
Ingredients

224 gms all-purpose flour
50 gms sugar
1 tablespoon plus ½ teaspoon baking powder
2 hard-boiled egg yolks
1/8 teaspoon salt
84 gms cold unsalted butter, cut into ½ inch cubes
2 teaspoons lemon or orange zest (optional)
2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream 


Shortcake assembly
1/2 pound strawberries, washed, hulled and quartered
2 tablespoons (25 grams) sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup whipping cream, beaten to soft peaks

Method:

1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, egg yolks, and salt. Pulse to combine. Add the butter and zest, if using, and pulse until the flour resembles coarse meal. Add 2/3 cup of cream and pulse until the dough comes together.
   
2. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and gather into a shaggy mass. Knead a couple times to make it into a cohesive mass and then pat it into a rough circle about 6 to 7 inches in diameter, and 3/4 to 1-inch thick.
   
3. Using a sharp knife, cut the circle into 6 wedges and arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Alternately, you can use a cookie cutter to make shapes of your choice. Chill for 20 minutes (and up to 2 hours).
   
4. Preheat oven to 350°F. Brush the tops of the shortcakes very lightly with heavy cream and sprinkle lightly with the coarse sugar. Bake until risen and golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Turn the pan around halfway through to ensure even cooking.
   
5. While the shortcakes are baking, toss the strawberries, sugar and lemon juice together in a bowl. Let stand several minutes. (If the strawberries are extremely firm, do this 30 minutes in advance.)
   
6. Split the shortcakes in half horizontally and set the tops aside. Place the bottoms on dessert plates and heap strawberries over them. Spoon whipped cream generously over the strawberries and replace the shortcake tops. Serve immediately with any remaining whipped cream on the side.
   

 

Happy Strawberry Shortcake baking!! It's as sweet as the cartoon….LOL