Summer Peach Shortcakes Recipes

GINGER-PEACH SHORTCAKE

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine peach slices and 1/4 cup sugar; cover and refrigerate. Line a greased 9-in. square baking pan with waxed paper; set aside. For topping, combine flour and brown sugar in a small bowl; cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Stir in ginger if desired; set aside., For shortcake, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl; cut in butter until crumbly. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, milk and vanilla; stir into crumb mixture just until moistened. Spread in prepared pan. Sprinkle with reserved topping., Bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan. Gently peel off waxed paper. Cool crumb side up on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature., Just before serving, beat cream in a small mixing bowl until it begins to thicken. Add confectioners' sugar; beat until soft peaks form. Cut cake into nine squares. Split each square horizontally. Place bottom half on serving plate; top with 1/4 cup peach slices. Top with top of shortcake, peaches and whipped cream.

PEACH SHORTCAKES

Steps:

• For the marinated peaches: Mix together the granulated sugar, orange liqueur, basil and orange zest in a bowl. Add the peaches and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• For the sweet biscuits: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a bowl, mix together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter until it is incorporated. Mix the buttermilk and vanilla together in a small pitcher. Slowly add the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture, stirring the contents of the bowl as you do so, until just combined.
• Form 6 biscuits and place them into a cast-iron skillet. Sprinkle the tops generously with coarse sugar. Bake until golden brown, 24 to 26 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.
• For the whipped cream: Using an electric mixer, whisk together the heavy cream and granulated sugar until soft peaks form.
• To serve, halve the biscuits, then place the bottom halves on serving plates. Top with the whipped cream and marinated peaches. Rest the biscuit tops on the side so the filling is visible. Garnish with torn basil.

BROWN SUGAR GLAZED APPLE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously coat a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.
• Whisk all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, spice blend, baking powder, 3/4 teaspoon salt and baking soda in a medium bowl. Beat eggs and granulated sugar in another medium bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add yogurt and vanilla; beat to combine. Gradually beat in oil and continue beating until well-combined, about 30 seconds. Add the dry ingredients and beat just until combined, scraping down the sides as necessary.
• Grate one apple onto a paper towel and blot to remove excess moisture. Fold the grated apple into the batter. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Halve and thinly slice the remaining apple. Arrange the slices decoratively on top of the batter.
• Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour.
• Just before serving, heat brown sugar and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar melts, 1 to 2 minutes. Add cream and a pinch of salt and bring to a simmer. Immediately remove from heat and let cool, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Drizzle the glaze over the cake.

WHISKEYED PEACH SHORTCAKES

Steps:

• For the shortcakes:
• Heat the oven to 475°F. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, granulated sugar, and salt. Add the butter to the dry ingredients and work the mixture between your thumbs and fingers to stretch the butter into flat pieces. Leave a few larger chunks of cold butter in the flour mixture. Start by adding 3/4 cup half- and-half, and stir it into the flour mixture with a large spoon. If the mixture is too dry, add a little more half-and-half until it holds together. Do not overmix.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and gently knead-just two to three turns-and form into a ball. Pat the dough ball down to create a flat surface. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough out to 1 inch thick. With the tines of a fork dipped in dry flour, pierce the dough about every inch, making sure to pierce through to the bottom of the dough, to create holes for steam to escape. Using a pastry brush, lightly coat the surface of the rolled-out dough with the egg wash, then sprinkle the turbinado sugar across the top evenly. Using a 3-inch biscuit cutter, cut out the shortcakes with a deliberate vertical push and then gently remove from the cutter. Place shortcakes side by side on a parchment-lined baking sheet, with edges touching. Use scraps of dough to fill in any large gaps between shortcakes; this helps the cakes hold their shape.
• Bake until the cakes are golden brown and spring back when lightly touched, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• For the whipped sweetened crème fraîche:
• Whisk the heavy cream and sugar to combine. Add the crème fraîche and whisk rapidly until it tightens up to whipped cream consistency with soft peaks, 1 to 2 minutes. If the mixture gets overwhipped, fold in a little more cream to thin it out.
• For the whipped sweetened crème fraîche:
• Combine the cream and buttermilk in a shallow container that holds the liquid at a depth of 1 to 2 inches. Cover the container with a lid or plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature overnight. Refrigerate when thickened.
• Variation:
• When we made this dessert for the photo shoot, recipe tester Deborah Geering layered the extra shortcake halves, peaches and their juices, and whipped crème fraîche in a casserole dish like a summer pudding.
• Make the whiskeyed peaches:
• In a large skillet over high heat, melt the butter until foamy. Add the peaches, lemon juice, whiskey, sugar, salt, and vanilla and sauté, stirring to prevent burning, until the peaches are tender, 5 to 10 minutes, depending on their initial firmness. Remove from the heat and let cool. (You should have about 3 cups.) Make the sweetened crème fraîche.
• To assemble:
• Split the shortcakes in half and place the bottoms, cut side up, on each plate. Spoon a large dollop of the sweetened crème fraîche onto each half, then layer a scant 1/3 cup peach mixture and some of the syrup onto each half. Layer with more sweetened crème fraîche and then set the other halves on top.

SUMMER PEACH SHORTCAKES

Steps:

• For the peaches: Make a longitudinal slice around the peach where the peach is naturally divided and twist the two halves apart. Slice as you desire. I like a half inch dice, but thin slices would also work. Combine the cut up peaches in a bowl with the sugar, half the lime zest, lime juice, and orange liqueur. Allow the fruit to macerate at room temperature until ready to serve. For the shortcake: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade, place the flour, sugar, the other half of the lime zest, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Pulse five or six times to mix the ingredients. Add the butter and pulse 10 to 15 times until the butter is the size of small peas. Add the buttermilk OR yogurt and process until the dough comes together loosely. Pour the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll or pat the dough out to 3/4 inch thickness. Cut out the shortcakes with a three inch round biscuit cutter (I just use a clean soup can with both top and bottom removed) and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least half an hour. When ready to bake, crack an egg into a small bowl and pour out about half (but not all!) of the egg white. Mix the egg with a fork and then brush the tops of the shortcakes with the egg wash. Drizzle a pinch of both sugar AND salt on top of each shortcake. Bake in the middle of the oven for 10 to 14 minutes until golden brown on top. To serve: Let the shortcakes cool slightly and then cut in half. Place a generous spoonful of peaches with their juices on the bottom half of the shortcake and top with a spoonful of whipped cream. Place some additional peaches with their juices on top of the cream and place the top half of the shortcake on top of that. Serve with additional whipped cream and peaches to pass.