Strawberry Shortcake

It was Devin's Grandpa's birthday yesterday and I volunteered to make dessert! I don't know what it is about making something sweet, but I love it. I have wanted to make Strawberry Shortcake with scones instead of angel food cake and yesterday was the day!!! I found awesome strawberries at Walmart and made the scones from scratch! I found this recipe on joyofbaking.com. It turned out wonderfully. This recipe was so easy as well. I had my my niece and nephew help me mix and cut the scone dough. We all had fun! 

Strawberry Shortcake

Ingredients

Scones:

2 cups (280 grams) all-purpose flour

1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar

2 teaspoons (10 grams) baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup (76 grams) cold unsalted butter

1 large egg,

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup (120 ml) cream, half and half, or milk

Filling:

2 pounds (900 grams) fresh strawberries

1/4 cup - 1/3 cup (50 - 65 grams) granulated white sugar(or to taste) ***

Topping:

1 cup (240 ml) cold heavy whipping cream (double cream) (35-40% butterfat)

1 - 2 tablespoons (15-30 grams) granulated white sugar (or to taste) ***

Directions:

Scones: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) and place rack in middle of oven.  Line a cookiesheet with parchment paper. 

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two knives. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs.  Whisk together the egg, cream and vanilla extract and add to the flour mixture, mixing just until the dough comes together. Do not over mix the dough.

Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead dough gently four or five times and then pat or roll the dough into a 7 inch (18 cm) round. With a 3 inch (7 cm) round cookie cutter, cut out rounds and place the scones on the baking sheet. Brush the tops of the scones with a little cream. Bake for about 15 -20 minutesor until nicely browned and a toothpick inserted in the center of a scone comes out clean. Transfer to a wirerack.

Filling: Wash, hull, and slice the strawberries. Place about one third of the strawberries in a large bowl and crush them with a potato masher or fork. Add the remaining sliced strawberries, along with the sugar. (The amount of sugar used will depend on how sweet the berries are.) Set aside to macerate at room temperature for about 30 to 60 minutes.

Whipped Cream: Chill the bowl and whisk in the freezer for about 15 - 30 minutes. Place the cream and sugar in the bowl and whip until stiff peaks form. The whipped cream can be covered and stored in the refrigerator for a few hours.

To serve: Cut the scones in half and place the bottom half of the scone (soft side up) on a dessert plate. Top with some of the strawberries and whipped cream. Place the top half of the scone on the strawberries. Top with whipped cream and a few more strawberries. If there is any juice from the strawberries, drizzle a little over the top of the scone. Serve immediately.

Serves about 6-8 people.

***I did make a few changes to the sugar levels. I put in two tablespoons of sugar in the sliced strawberries. I put in a 1/4 cup of sugar into the whipping cream and added a touch of vanilla. But put as much sugar as you think needs to be added. Make it the sweetness you like.