Shortcakes like these hold a special place in my heart.
I think a lot of the time when people in North America think of “Shortcake” they imagine a vanilla sponge cake layered with berries and whipped cream.
But growing up in our house shortcakes meant something different. Shortcakes in my moms kitchen meant sweet, flaky, buttery, almost scone-like bundles of pastry joy, that were loaded with jam or fresh berry compote and borderline excessive amounts of freshly whipped cream…
In the summertime we would enjoy shortcakes like this for breakfast and dessert on repeat with all the fresh summer until they disappeared. Subsequently they have become one of my all time favourite indulgences. Honestly, just thinking about the word “Shortcake” gets my mouth watering, so I hope that you and your family will enjoy them as much as we always did.
Happy baking
KP xoxo
Vanilla Bean Shortcakes with Quick Blueberry Sauce
Things you need…
Shortcakes
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
Pinch of cinnamon
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2/3 cup cold butter, cubed
1 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
1 tsp lemon zest
1 egg
Blueberry Sauce
2 cups blueberries
1 tbsp Lemon juice (about the juice of 1/2 lemon)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp Cornstarch
pinch of cinnamon
Whipped Cream, for serving
How to make…
Preheat oven to 375F degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a small mixing bowl, combine buttermilk, heavy cream, egg, vanilla, and lemon zest. Set in the fridge until ready to use.
Next, in a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt until evenly combined.
Add in your cubes of cold butter and lightly toss to coat each of the butter cubes with the flour mixture. Begin working the butter into the dry ingredients with your fingers or with a pastry cutter until most of the butter chunks are the size of peas, with a few larger almond sized chunks.
Drizzle the chilled wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and use a fork or spatula to gently fold the wet into the dry ingredients until a ragged dough forms.
Turn the ragged dough out onto a cool lightly flour work surface and dust with flour. Gently shape the dough into a rough rectangle and fold the right half of the dough over onto the left half; repeat this process 4 more times.
Dust the top of your dough with a bit more flour and gently roll it out into 1 1/2 inch thickness. Use a biscuit cutter or the rim of a glass to cut out your shortcakes.
Place the shortcakes onto your prepared baking sheets; Brush the tops of the shortcakes with melted butter and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
Place one tray at a time into the center rack of your oven and bake for 18-23 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and the tops spring back to your touch. Set the tray on a cooling rack to cool for about 5-10 minutes.
Blueberry Sauce:
While your scones are baking; make your blueberry sauce.
In a saucepan combine blueberries, sugar, lemon juice and cornstarch. Toss to coat everything and set over medium heat.
Bring to a simmer and allow to cook until the sauce starts to thicken, but some of the blueberries are still holding their shape. Remove from heat and stir in cinnamon; set aside until ready to serve.
Assembly:
Once your shortcakes have cooled slightly, use a sharp serrated knife to slice them in half. Dollop on half with a generous scoop of whipped cream and pour a couple spoon fulls of the blueberry sauce over the whipped cream. Place the top of the shortcake on top and enjoy!
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