Shortcake for Strawberry Shortcake

It's that time of year again for fresh berries and I'm craving them. I ordered raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries from my Brown Box this week and they are delicious.

Then Bruce suggested we have strawberry shortcake this weekend but I didn't want to ruin the delicious berries with those sponge cake-things at the store or even angel food cake so I made my own shortcake. When they first came out of the oven, one did not make it to the wire rack to cool because it ended up in my mouth. Wow! These shortcakes are the best.

Makes 6 shortcakes

2 cups flour, plus more for work surface and biscuit cutter

1/2 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. baking powder

3 Tbsp. granulated sugar

2 Tbsp. granulated sugar for sprinkling

1 stick unsalted butter (8 tablespoons), frozen

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup half-and-half

1 Tbsp. half-and-half

1 egg white, lightly beaten


1. Adjust oven rack to lower middle position; heat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Mix flour, salt, baking powder, and 3 Tbsp. sugar in medium bowl.

3. Using large holes of box grater, grate butter into dry ingredients.

4. Toss butter with flour to coat. Use pastry cutter to finish cutting butter into flour. Or scoop up coated butter with both hands, then quickly rub butter into dry ingredients with fingertips until most of butter pieces are the size of split peas.

5. Add half and half and mix until just combined.

6. Pat dough into rectangle, 3/4 inch thick. Flour biscuit cutter; cut 6 dough rounds.

7. Place 1 inch apart on small baking sheet; brush dough tops with egg white and sprinkle with remaining sugar. (Can be covered and refrigerated up to 2 hours before baking.)

8. Bake until golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes. Place baking sheet on wire rack; cool cakes until warm, about 10 minutes.