Strawberry Not-So-Shortcake
Photo by Jennifer May
MAKES
One 9 inch / 23 cm cake (three layers)
TAKES
Prep time: 3 hours 20 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Total: 4 hours 30 minutes
✻ ABOUT THIS RECIPE
This is the grandest and most eye-popping way to make strawberry shortcake for a crowd, and you’re not really baking a cake at all—you’re making three giant drop biscuits and piling on whipped cream and strawberries in imprecise amounts. This recipe comes from my first book, The Fearless Baker (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 2017)
INGREDIENTS
Biscuit Layers:
602 g / 5 cups all-purpose flour
159 g / ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
24 g / 2 tablespoons baking powder
6 g / 1 teaspoon baking soda
3 g / ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
454 g / 2 cups (1 pound) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½ inch / 1 cm cubes
302 g / 1 ¼ cups cold buttermilk
113 g / 2 large eggs
22 g / 1 large egg yolk
10 g / 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
turbinado or coarse sugar, for sprinkling (optional)
Strawberries
454 g / 2 quarts ripe strawberries, hulled and sliced
25 g / 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, or more as needed
zest of 1 medium lemon
15 g / 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Cheater’s Whipped Cream:
226 g / 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
76 g / ⅔ cup powdered sugar
530 g / 2 ¼ cups heavy cream
5 g / 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
More Layer Cake Tips:
METHOD
1. Heat the oven to 350° F / 175° C with a rack in the middle. Grease three 9 inch / 23 cm round cake pans (if you don’t have 3 cake pans, never fear! See note below in step 9.)
2. Make the biscuit layers: (Note: If your food processor is smaller than 14 cups in volume, it may be easiest to do this in 2 batches.) In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the butter and pulse until the bits of butter are about the size of peas. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.
3. In a container with a spout (such as a liquid measure) or in a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the buttermilk mixture. Use a rubber spatula or your hands to mix enough to begin moistening the flour mixture, then knead gently just until the mixture forms a homogeneous dough. Take care not to overwork the dough.
4. Divide the dough evenly among the prepared pans (about 525 g per pan). Press into an even layer—if the dough is sticky and hard to handle, lightly moisten your hands with water. Sprinkle each layer evenly with about a tablespoon of turbinado sugar. If the dough has warmed up by this point and is getting sticky or melty, pop it back in the fridge until it’s firm and cold, about 20 minutes or so.
5. Bake until the biscuits are golden brown on the surface and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 28 to 32 minutes, rotating the pans midway if they look like they’re baking unevenly. Cool the biscuits in the pans for 20 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.
6. Prepare the strawberries: In a large bowl, gently toss together the strawberries, granulated sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Let macerate at room temperature for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
7. Meanwhile, make the whipped cream: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or a large bowl, using a hand mixer), whip the cream cheese and powdered sugar until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. With the mixer running on low speed, add the cream in a slow, steady stream, then whip on medium speed until medium peaks form. Add the vanilla and mix on low speed to combine.
8. Assemble the cake: Place one biscuit layer on a cake stand or platter. Top it with 1 ½ cups / 355 mL of the whipped cream, spreading it evenly, followed by one third of the strawberries. Repeat with the remaining biscuit layers, cream, and strawberries. Drizzle the juices from the strawberry bowl over the finished cake, or drizzle a little on each wedge when serving.
9. Pro tip: If you don’t have three cake pans, just divide your dough into 3 pieces and press into roughly 9 inch / 23 cm disks. Chill the dough until firm to minimize spreading, about 15 minutes in the freezer or 20 to 30 in the refrigerator. The dough can be refrigerated until you’re ready to bake (up to 6 hours), so you can bake the layers in batches if needed.
NOTES
The components of this recipe can all be made ahead and stored for up to 1 day.
Wrap the biscuit layers tightly in plastic wrap.
Store the strawberries and cream refrigerated in separate airtight containers.
Once assembled, the cake should be kept refrigerated and served within 1 day.
✻ HAVE YOU BAKED IT?
Tag @emcdowell on Instagram or use #happybaking. I’d love to see your bakes!
