Strawberry shortcake is a summertime classic and it will always be one of my favorite desserts to make when I have fresh strawberries on hand. Most of the time, strawberry shortcakes just call for piling slices of strawberries on top of whipped cream and some type of cake or biscuit. To mix things up a little bit, I used roasted strawberries to make this Roasted Strawberry Shortcake.
The biscuit part of the shortcake is a buttery, scone-like cake that has a hint of vanilla to it. It is sturdy and slightly sweet, which makes it a great base to hold up to all the whipped cream and strawberries that are piled into it before serving. The strawberries are roasted in the oven before being added to the dessert. Roasting them intensifies their flavor and it also releases some extremely flavorful juice from the berries. I am just as generous with that juice as I am with the berries when it comes to plating these desserts, since it soaks into the biscuit base and ties everything together.
Strawberry shortcake is one dessert where I don’t like to skimp on the whipped cream. The cool, vanilla cream goes extremely well with the bright red berries – both in color and in contrasting flavors – and I like to make sure that I have some in every bite of my shortcake. To mix things up, you could transform this shortcake into a cool version of the dessert by using vanilla ice cream instead of the whipped cream, though I recommend making extra berries so that you have even more sauce available for plating that option!
Roasted Strawberry Shortcake
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, cold and cut into small pieces
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2-2/3 cup whole milk or half and half
coarse sugar, for topping
3 cups roasted strawberries
1 – 1 1/2 cups whipping cream
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 375F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Rub in the butter with your fingertips until mixture is coarse and sandy, with no pieces larger than a big pea remaining.
Combine the vanilla and milk in a measuring cup and pour 1/2 cup of the milk into the flour mixture. Stir with a fork until the dough starts to come together into a very slightly sticky ball. Add more milk if necessary to bring the dough together.
Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and pat it into a smooth, round disc about 1-inch thick. Using a sharp knife, cut the disc into 6 equal triangles. Arrange on prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with coarse sugar, if desired.
Bake for 18-22 minutes, until biscuits are a light golden brown. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
Assembly
Pour whipping cream into a large bowl and beat to soft peaks with an electric mixer. Beat in the confectioners’ sugar, adding more to taste if desired, and vanilla.
Split the cooled biscuits in half and top each with about 1/2 cup roasted strawberries and 1/2 cup whipped cream.
Serves 6.