Shortcake with Cream and Strawberries

This recipe is from the archive of a previous blog. I hope you enjoy!

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A classic English dessert that brings together my favourite flavours: a biscuit base, cream and fruit. It is called shortcake and usually comes with the recommendation that it should be eaten in summer, perhaps because it is traditionally decorated with fresh strawberries. However, I dare to disagree, as a buttery dessert with cream is hardly the lightest cake you could imagine on hot summer days. That is why I grabbed a punnet of strawberries that looked as little “plastic” as possible and made this recipe in winter! In my opinion, it turned into a wonderful dessert for Christmas Day – one that will grace the table and harmonise beautifully with the festive decorations at home.

All the necessary ingredients can be found easily, and if you cannot get hold of strawberries, using a red fruit jam sounds like a perfectly acceptable alternative to me.

Shortcake

Shortcake

Ingredients

• 175 g butter

• 150 g plain white flour

• 115 g ground almonds

• 50 g icing sugar

• 25 g flaked almonds

• 100 ml double cream (for whipping)

• 50 g cream cheese

• 1 tbsp icing sugar (if the cream is not already sweetened)

How to make the biscuit shortcake

1. Sift the plain flour and icing sugar into a bowl. Add the butter, cut into cubes, and rub it in thoroughly with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the ground almonds and knead into a dough – it will come together into an easy-to-handle ball, which you should divide into two.

2. Roll each half out into a circle with a diameter of 20 cm. If you have a silicone mat with measurements marked on it, it will be very helpful. If not, you can cut a circle of the right size out of baking paper, or simply do it by eye.

3. Place the two bases on a flat baking tray (if it is large enough, both can fit), prick the surfaces with a fork and sprinkle with the flaked almonds.

4. Bake the buttery bases for 20 minutes at 160°C, until the edges just begin to colour. Leave them to cool on a wire rack, but as they are very fragile while warm, transfer them together with the baking paper. If they start to break, you can leave them in the tray, as long as they are not overbaked. While they are still warm, lightly score one of the bases with a knife so that it will be easier to divide it into eight triangular pieces (loosely speaking) once it has cooled.

5. Whip the cream, then add the cream cheese and icing sugar, and transfer the mixture to a piping bag.

6. Place the unmarked base on a large flat serving plate. Using the piping bag, pipe nine rosettes of cream – eight around the outer edge and one in the centre. The idea is to break the second base into eight equal pieces and place each one on a rosette of cream, slightly tilted to one side. Once you have done this, decorate the tops of the biscuit pieces with more cream, adding extra in the centre and elsewhere if you have any left.

7. Decorate with fresh strawberries or strawberry jam.

Anyone who loves buttery biscuits will fall in love with the rich, buttery sweetness of this dessert! I am sure of it!

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NIB & Ember