Summer Shortcake
We Also Love
1 of 4
- Comments()
Martha Stewart Living, July Summer 2007
- Yield Serves 12 to 15
Add to Shopping List
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 8 ounces cold cream cheese, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 3/4 cup buttermilk, plus more for brushing
- Raw sugar or fine sanding sugar, for sprinkling
- 2 pints blueberries
- 2 pints strawberries, hulled (small berries left whole, large berries halved lengthwise)
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 cups (1 pint) heavy cream
Directions
- Make the biscuits: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a food processor, pulse flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until combined. Add butter, and pulse until largest pieces are the size of peas. Add cream cheese, and pulse again until largest pieces are the size of peas. Add buttermilk, and pulse until dough comes together. Transfer to a bowl, and gently knead into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rest in the refrigerator at least 1 hour (or overnight).
- Divide dough in half. Working with one portion at a time on a lightly floured work surface, pat into a disk, then roll into a 10-inch round. Transfer to baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
-
Brush biscuits with buttermilk. Generously sprinkle raw or sanding sugar over tops and sides. Brush off sugar from parchment. Bake until dough has risen slightly and is golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes (if bottoms brown too quickly, reduce temperature to 400 degrees). Leave biscuits on sheets. Using a 2 1/2-inch star cutter, cut out (but do not remove) 7 stars from one biscuit while it is still warm. Let cool.
- Using a paring knife, carefully remove star shapes. Reserve for snacking or another use. (Biscuits can be made up to 8 hours ahead; store on wire racks, and cover loosely with plastic wrap.)
- Make the filling: Combine blueberries, strawberries, and 2 tablespoons sugar, and let macerate until juicy, 10 minutes.
- Just before serving, beat cream to medium peaks with remaining tablespoon sugar and the vanilla.
-
Assemble the cake: Place uncut biscuit on a large plate. Spoon half the berries and their juices on top of biscuit, then spread the whipped cream over berries. Top with all but about 1/2 cup berries. (Make sure surface is even; it will support the top biscuit and prevent it from breaking.) Carefully place cutout biscuit on top. Fill star cutouts with reserved berries. Serve immediately, or refrigerate, uncovered, up to 3 hours.
Recipe Reviews
More from Food
New From Our Blogs
-
cocktail o'clock: lemon basil gin and tonic
Everyday Food Blog, May 25, 2012 -
today's recipe: greek chicken cutlets
Everyday Food Blog, May 25, 2012 -
find your memorial day menu on pinterest
Everyday Food Blog, May 25, 2012 -
today's recipe: Spaghetti with Tuna, Lemon, and Breadcrumbs
Everyday Food Blog, May 24, 2012 -
today's recipe: Asian Steak Salad with Cucumber and Napa Cabbage
Everyday Food Blog, May 23, 2012
The directions tell you to pulse flour, sugar, baking powder and soda and salt. There is no salt quantity in the ingredients list. Then in the berry and cream part, the sugar for either the berries or the cream is omitted as is a measurement for the vanilla. Please correct ASAP.
this recepie looked better than it tasted. i didn't notice the omission of salt until i had my dough in a ball already :( resulted in too dry of a biscuit than i care for. Not doing this one again
The use of vanilla and salt mentioned in the recipe's directions (but not the ingredients) is explained in bakespace.com's "summer shortcake" recipe (just google it), which apparently was stolen by martha's site. Guess someone forgot to copy and paste the whole list of ingredients for this featured recipe... I'm disappointed, martha...
i love creamy cake.. martha how to makes simple cake? i mean the ingredient is not to complicated.
There is no salt listed in the ingredients, so how much is added with the flour, soda, baking powder and sugar?
This is such a pretty shortcake! I found that using one cookie cutter in the middle, instead of a lot of little cut outs helps the shortcake stay up a little bit better. Best shortcake I ever had.
This is such a pretty shortcake! I found that using one cookie cutter in the middle, instead of a lot of little cut outs helps the shortcake stay up a little bit better. Best shortcake I ever had.
This cakes looks great and tastes even better! This is a nice, light dessert. The biscuits were a bit of a challenge but definitely manageable. Make sure to use unsalted butter or the biscuits will come out too salty.
Meant to say that TWO pints of strawberries turned out to be 5 cups of sliced; whereas TWO pints of blueberries equaled 4 cups. Mistake in my earlier note. Sorry about that.
The previous online Summer Shortcake recipe left out the salt quantity. I had to do something for a decision: so I opted to cautiously
use only 1/4 tsp. of regular salt, and my shortcake turned out wonderfully. Luscious! Decadent! Tips: One pint of strawberries turned out to be about 5 cups (sliced); one pint of blueberries was 4 cups - useful to know when purchasing berries! Also, if you chill your beaters (handmixer) and bowl, you'll have an easier time whipping the cream. Worthwhile!
This was FABULOUS! I made mine a bit too high......it kept falling over, It just made it more fun to eat!
It sounded complicated at first, but it's actually very easy. My guests were OBSESSED with this dessert. It's definitely a MUST TRY for the summer!
AMAZING! This is one of the best desserts I've ever made. Such a great presentation, and tastes so good on a hot summer day!
This cake is beautiful -- guests are always impressed!