Classic Strawberry Shortcake
A Nova Scotia dessert staple! Enjoy this classic recipe of homemade biscuit, mashed strawberries and freshly whipped cream.
Ingredients
Yields 12 servings
Time: 25 minutes
Biscuits
| 4 cups | All-purpose flour |
| 2 tbsp | Sugar |
| 2 tbsp | Baking powder |
| 2 tsp | Kosher salt |
| 3/4 cup | Cold butter, cubed in small pieces and kept cold until use |
| 1 1/2 cups | Buttermilk |
Strawberries
| 4 – 5 cups (2 pints) | Nova Scotia strawberries, quartered |
| 1/3 cup | Sugar |
Whipped Cream
| 2 tbsp | Sugar |
| 1 cup | Whipping cream |
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 450F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Mix dry biscuit ingredients together.
3. Add the butter to the dry ingredients mixture and incorporate with a pastry cutter, potato masher, or fork, until the butter is in pea size pieces and the mixture resembles a crumble.
4. Pour the buttermilk in. Mix with a wooden spoon until the dry ingredients have just been hydrated–do not overmix.
5. Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface, and bring it together with your hands, pressing in any dry bits. Flatten the dough into a rectangle, and fold both ends inwards, to create 3 layers, then pat it down again, to create a 12 x 16 rectangle.
6. Using a 2 ½ inch round pastry cutter. or glass, cut your biscuits out of the dough by pressing the floured cutter straight through without twisting. You should be able to measure out three biscuits across by 4 biscuits down on your flattened dough. If you don’t have a pastry cutter simply measure, create lines, and cut into 12 even biscuits.
7. Place the biscuits on the lined baking sheet with spacing, and bake for 15 minutes until golden brown. Let cool.
8. In a large bowl mix strawberries and ⅓ cup sugar, lightly mash, cover and refrigerate.
9. With a hand mixer or stand mixer, whip cream until it forms soft peaks. Then add 2 tablespoons of sugar, whip again until it forms stiff peaks. Cover and refrigerate.
10. To assemble the shortcake, split the flaky biscuit into two halves, and spoon whipped cream and strawberries onto one, add the top and add more cream and berries.
11. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Local Source Guide
Strawberries: Masstown Market, Noggins Corner Farm Market, Stirling Fruit Farms, Uprooted Market & Cafe.
Whipping Cream: Skye Glen Creamery, Knoydart Cheese House & Farm.
Credits
Recipe and photography provided by: Jess Emin