Strawberry Shortcake
Lemon is the key to achieving brightness and balance in this version, where slightly sweetened shortcake is laced with fragrant lemon zest and fresh strawberries are slicked with a generous splash of lemon juice along with the usual sugar. The addition of poppyseeds provides an extra dimension of flavor and texture, but the end result is equally alluring without them.
Servings 8 servings
Ingredients
Shortcakes
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ⅓ cup baker's sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 to 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon poppyseeds (optional)
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and mostly cooled
Strawberry Topping
- 2 pounds fresh strawberries hulled and sliced
- 2 tablespoons baker's sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Whipped Cream
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Prepare the Shortcakes
- Heat the oven to 400°F.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, lemon zest, and poppyseeds (if using).
- In a medium bowl, whisk the buttermilk and melted butter to blend.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir just until the mixture forms a moist dough.
- Using a ⅓ measuring cup, roughly form the dough into 8 mounds and arrange them evenly on a baking sheet.
- Bake for about 15 minutes or until the shortcakes begin to get golden brown around the edges.
Prepare the Strawberries and Whipped Cream & Assemble the Strawberry Shortcake
- While the shortcakes are baking, place the sliced strawberries in a large bowl. Add the sugar and lemon juice. Stir to combine and then set the strawberries aside to macerate while you prepare the whipped cream.
- Place the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract in a medium bowl. Whip until soft peaks form. (Although whipping the cream by hand takes longer, you won't ever end up with over-whipped cream that way.)
- To assemble, cut the shortcake in half horizontally. Place the bottom half on a plate and generously spoon over the strawberries and whipped cream. Then place the other half on top. Finally, spoon over a bit more strawberry topping and whipped cream to finish.