I love strawberry shortcake so much. As I’ve gotten older, a funny thing has happened where I’ve become less obsessed with chocolate desserts and more in love fruity desserts – especially if those fruits happen to be strawberries. I can enjoy chocolate cake in moderation, but when it comes to strawberries, I want them all.
This recipe comes from my friend Gaby’s gorgeous new cookbook What’s Gaby Cooking: Everyday California Food. You likely already follow her blog – if not, you should! While I was deciding which recipe to share from her book, I was torn between two of them – both made with strawberries. The first was/is a delectable-looking breakfast flatbread with ricotta and strawberry basil jam, and the second – this classic strawberry shortcake. There are few flavor combos that I love more than strawberries and basil, so I did a bit of a mashup where I chose the strawberry shortcake but added basil. Simple, classic, and a celebration of (soon to be) summer.
Gaby makes fun, casual, sunny California-inspired food, which is everything that I love even though I live far from the west coast. The book is not entirely vegetarian, but whether you need a solid recipe for brunch, weeknight dinners, or delectable food for a group, Gaby is your go-to girl. Some other recipes in her book that I have my eye on are Black Rice with Roasted Mushroom Bowl (w/ avocado and salsa verde), Chocolate Coconut Granola (because I sometimes do still crave chocolate!), Poblano Scallion Queso, and of course that Breakfast Flatbread with Ricotta and Strawberry Basil Jam that I’ll be making for brunches all summer long.
Strawberry Basil Shortcakes
Ingredients
for the strawberries
- 1 pound fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
for the biscuits
- 3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1½ tablespoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (1½ sticks) cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 1½ cups heavy cream
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
for the cream:
- 2 cups heavy cream
- ⅔ cup powdered sugar
- seeds of 1 vanilla bean
Instructions
- To make the strawberries: Combine the strawberries and sugar in a large bowl and toss to coat. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight if time allows, until juicy.
- To make the biscuits: In a food processor, combine the flour, lemon zest, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Pulse for 30 seconds, or until the ingredients are evenly combined. Add the butter and pulse for 20 to 30 seconds, until the butter is cut into pea-sized chunks. Add the cream and vanilla to the food processor and process for 30 seconds, or until you have a dough. Remove the dough from the food processor and divide it into 9 equal portions about 3 ounces each. Form each portion of dough into a biscuit about ¾ inch thick. Transfer the biscuits to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and chill for 20 minutes in the fridge.
- While the biscuits chill, preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake until the biscuits are medium golden brown, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack to cool.
- To make the cream: Combine the cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla bean seeds in a large stand mixer and whip until medium stiff peaks form.
- To assemble: Slice the biscuits in half. Top the bottoms of each biscuit with a large spoonful of the strawberries. Place the top half of the biscuit on top of each and finish with a large dollop of the cream. Serve immediately.
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