You don't need a food processor, pastry cutter, rolling pin or cookie cutter to make these sweet biscuits. This shortcake recipe I've developed yields a simple, foolproof biscuit that's crisp yet delicate.
Ingredients
- all-purpose bleached flour: 2 cups
- salt: 0.5 tsp
- baking powder: 1 Tbsp
- sugar: 5 Tbsp (divided)
- butter, frozen: 0.5 cup
- egg: 1 piece (beaten)
- egg white: 1 piece (optional)
- half-and-half: 0.5 cup (cold)
- unsweetened frozen raspberries, blackberries, blueberries or strawberries, thawed and: 1 pack (16 ounce pack, crushed)
- ounces fresh raspberries, blackberries or blueberries (rinsed and patted dry), or strawberries (hulled and sliced): 12 piece
- sugar: 7 Tbsp (divided)
- chilled heavy cream: 1 cup
- vanilla extract: 1 tsp
Metric Conversion
Stages of cooking
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Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat to 425 degrees. Mix flour, salt, baking powder and 3 Tbs. sugar in a medium bowl. Grate 2 Tbs. of the butter on the coarse holes of a box grater into dry ingredients; toss to coat. Repeat grating and tossing with remaining butter. Combine egg and half-and-half; pour into flour mixture. Toss with a fork to form large clumps. Lightly press clumps into a ball; add a teaspoon more half-and-half to the bowl if dough won't come together.
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Turn dough onto work surface; press into an 8-by-4- to 5-inch rectangle. Cut into 6 squares, placing them 1 inch apart on a small baking sheet. (Can be refrigerated up to 2 hours before baking.) Before baking, brush tops with optional egg white for a particularly attractive sheen. Sprinkle with remaining 2 Tbs. sugar. Bake until golden brown, about 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool until warm, 5 to 10 minutes.
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Mix thawed and fresh berries with sugar in a bowl; let stand until sugar dissolves. With a hand mixer, beat cream to soft peaks, gradually adding 1 Tb. sugar, then vanilla.
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Split each cake crosswise; spoon a portion of berries over each cake bottom, then a dollop of whipped cream over berries. Cap with cake top and serve immediately.
