Summer Berry Shortcakes With Tangy Lemon Cream Recipes

SUMMER BERRY STACKED SHORTCAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Trace an 8-inch circle onto two pieces of parchment paper. Line two baking sheets with the paper, writing-side down.
• Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Whisk together buttermilk, cream and egg in a liquid measuring cup.
• Use a pastry cutter or your fingers to cut the butter into the flour mixture until it is the size of small peas. Make a well in the center and pour in the liquid. Stir the mixture together until just combined, then use your hands to knead it a few times until the dough comes together. It will be the texture of thick cookie dough.
• Divide the dough into two equal pieces, place each onto one of the prepared baking sheets and use lightly damp hands to press it into a circle just inside the traced line. (Do your best to pat the tops flat while keeping the edges perpendicular to the pan.) Chill the dough on the baking sheets in the refrigerator until firm, about 15 minutes (dough can be chilled up to 4 hours). Just before baking, sprinkle each round with 1 teaspoon turbinado sugar.
• Bake the shortcakes until golden and cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the pans from front to back and top to bottom halfway through the baking time. Cool completely.
• While the shortcakes are cooling, macerate the berries and make the cream: Add berries, sugar, lemon and vanilla to a large bowl. Use a fork to gently mash up to 1/4 cup of the berries. (This doesn't have to be exact, but you want to create a little bit of liquid if your berries aren't naturally super juicy.) Stir gently to combine and let sit for about 30 minutes.
• For the cream, add the yogurt, sugar, vanilla and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Mix on medium speed until combined. Add the heavy cream, and whip until very firm peaks form. (You can complete the shortcakes, cream and berries up to 4 hours in advance, refrigerating the cream and berries until ready to serve.)
• To serve, place one of the cooled shortcakes on a serving plate. Top with half of the cream followed by half the berries. (Don't spread the cream quite to the edges, as it will spread when you add the other shortcake.) Repeat with the remaining shortcake, cream and berries. If there is a lot of extra berry juice left in the bowl, serve it alongside the cake.
• Slice the cake with a long serrated knife and serve. The shortcake can be layered up to about 1 hour in advance and stored in the fridge. It will soften as it sits.

SUMMER BERRY SHORTCAKES WITH TANGY LEMON CREAM

Steps:

• For berries:
• Combine berries in a bowl. Add sugar, mint and lemon juice; toss well and chill, tossing occasionally, 4 hours or overnight. For lemon cream: Combine sour cream, sugar and lemon zest in a bowl; mix well. Chill at least 1 hour.
• For shortcakes:
• Heat oven to 400°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or coat with cooking spray. Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg in a bowl until well blended. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut butter pieces into flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. With a rubber spatula, stir in 1 cup plus 1 tbsp buttermilk until just moistened and dough begins to form (it will be sticky at this point). With lightly floured hands, gently knead dough 3 or 4 times until it holds together. On a lightly floured surface, gently roll dough with a rolling pin into an 8 1/2-inch circle about 1/2 inch thick. With a floured 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter, cut out 8 circles from dough and transfer to baking sheet. Discard dough scraps. Brush top of each shortcake with remaining 1 tbsp buttermilk. Bake until shortcakes rise and turn lightly golden, 16 to 18 minutes.
• To serve:
• Cut each shortcake in half crosswise. Place the bottom on a plate and top with 3/4 cup berry mixture and 2 tbsp lemon cream. Cover with top half of shortcake. Serve immediately.

SUMMER BERRY CREAM CAKE

Steps:

• To prepare cake, first heat oven to 350 degrees. Oil or spray a 10-inch springform pan, and line bottom with parchment paper.
• Using an electric mixer at high speed, whisk eggs and sugar together until they triple in volume, becoming thick and airy. Add vanilla and lemon zest, and whisk to combine. Reduce speed to medium-low, and gradually add flour. Remove bowl from mixer, give a final fold with a spatula and pour into prepared cake pan. Bake until risen and light golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool pan on wire rack 10 minutes, and remove sides from pan.
• When cake is cool use a long, thin knife to split it into 2 thin disks. Place bottom half cut side up on a serving platter; place other half cut side up on a large piece of foil. In a blender, combine 2 cups strawberries, confectioners' sugar and lemon juice. Purée until smooth. Set aside 1/4 cup purée, and divide remaining purée between two cake layers, pouring over cut sides and spreading with a rubber spatula.
• In a large bowl, combine reserved 1/4 cup purée with 1/2 cup blueberries, 1/2 cup blackberries, 1/2 cup red raspberries and currants or golden raspberries. Fold gently to mix.
• Whisk heavy cream with vanilla until thick but still soft. Spread half over cake sitting on serving dish. Top with fruit mixture, and place remaining cake half on top, cut side down. Spread remaining cream on top. Cut strawberries into halves or quarters, and place in a bowl. Add remaining 1/4 cup each of blueberries, blackberries and raspberries, and toss to mix. Arrange berry mixture on top of cake, and dust with confectioners' sugar.

LEMON-BERRY SHORTCAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour a 9-in. round baking pan., In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, whisk egg, buttermilk, melted butter, lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients; stir just until moistened. Fold in 1 cup strawberries. Transfer to prepared pan., Bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely., For topping, toss berries with lemon juice and sugar. To serve, spread whipped topping over cake. Top with berries.