Raspberry & Peach Shortcake
This shortcake is kind of a cousin to a biscuit and a scone. The “short” is in reference to the flatness, or shortness in height, and that it is crispier than a biscuit and not as crumbly as a scone due to all the gorgeous butter and cream! Once you taste them, you are going to want to make them a part of your family. They come together quickly in one bowl, then are cut into circles. I top them with Swedish pearl sugar before baking. It makes them look very elegant and like you have sprinkled them with magic snow. The magic is that the sugar doesn’t melt in the oven, but instead leaves a beautiful coating on top. This sugar is available at www.kingarthur.com. We then fill the cakes with raspberries and peaches that have been soaked in Amaretto liqueur, finished with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream, sending it over the moon. It’s an absolutely fabulous way to end your summer meal.
Ingredients
Pastry
- 2½ cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1/3 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 T Baking Powder
- ¼ tsp. Salt
- 1 tsp. Zest of Orange
- 4 oz. Butter chilled and cut into pieces
- 1 cup Heavy Cream
- 1 Egg beaten
- Sugar to sprinkle on top
Topping
- 2 cups Raspberries washed
- 2 cups Peaches peeled and sliced
- 3 T Granulated Sugar
- ½ cup Amaretto Liquor
- 2 cups Heavy Cream
- ¼ cup Confectioner’s Sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° F.
- Pastry: In a large bowl add the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and orange zest mix, until combined.
- With a pastry blender, a fork or your fingers work the butter into the dry ingredients until it is small pieces
- Add the heavy cream and stir just until the mixture come together, don’t over mix.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface; roll dough out ½ inch thick. Cut with a 3-inch biscuit cutter and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Brush with the beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar.
- Bake at 400° F for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
- Topping: In a small bowl, toss the berries and peaches with the sugar and Amaretto and allow to sit an hour.
- In a mixing bowl, beat the heavy cream, confectioner’s sugar, and vanilla until soft peaks form.
- Assemble: Spilt the short cake biscuits in half, place the bottom on plate or platter, top with boozy fruit, whipped cream and then the top with biscuit top.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Tips and Tricks
– Shortcake is best made the day you will eat it.
– I like to stir in the heavy cream with a spoon, but finish incorporating it with hands which seems to work better for me.
– Rolling out the dough to a ½ inch thick will yield 10 cakes, then gather the remaining dough bits and shape into 2 additional cakes. If you wish thicker short cakes, just roll out the dough not as thin.
– I topped the short cakes, with Swedish pearl sugar, which doesn’t melt in the oven. It adds a nice crunch and looks pretty. You can purchase it at: www.kingarthurflour.com You can also top the cakes with turbinado, demerara, or even plain granulated sugar. It will give you a little sweetness to the top of the cake but will melt away and not add the pretty white crystal.
– The fruit is best tossed with the liqueur and sugar 1-2 hours before serving, any longer and the fruit will macerate into small pieces, which tastes good but isn’t really attractive, any left over fruit/sauce is great on yogurt or ice cream.
– Substitute any summer fruit for this recipe. Berries and stone fruit are wonderful.
– You can also use frozen fruit. Defrost on a baking sheet, this way the fruit keeps its shape.
– You can substitute different liqueurs too. Cointreau, Cassis, or rum are delicious.