Strawberry Shortcakes For 2 Americas Test Kitchen Recipes

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKES

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, sour cream, confectioners' sugar and extract. In another bowl, mash 1/2 cup strawberries; stir into yogurt mixture. Cover and refrigerate until serving., Combine the flours, 2 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in buttermilk until a soft dough forms (dough will be sticky). Turn onto a floured surface; gently knead 8-10 times. Pat or roll out to 1/2-in. thickness; cut with a floured 2-1/2-in. biscuit cutter., Place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with remaining sugar. Bake at 400° for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to a wire rack. Split shortcakes horizontally in half. Spread yogurt mixture over cake bottoms; top with remaining strawberries and cake tops.

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

Steps:

• Prepare the strawberries: In a medium bowl, combine the strawberries, sugar and orange liqueur and refrigerate for a few minutes to allow the strawberries to macerate. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Make the shortcake: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and lemon zest. Work in the butter cubes with your fingers until the mixture is crumbly. Then, using a spoon, press the egg yolks through a mesh sieve into the flour mixture and combine with your hands. Add the cream and vanilla and mix until it forms a dough. It should be fairly wet.
• Finish and bake the biscuits: On a lightly floured surface, flatten and shape the dough until it is about 1 1/2 inches thick. The less you work the dough, the more tender your biscuits will be. Use a knife to cut the dough into 2-inch squares. Lightly roll the scraps back into one piece and cut additional squares. To me, thicker, smaller-size cakes are moister after they bake and taste better the next day! Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the center of the oven and bake until lightly brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• To serve: Split the shortcakes like a sandwich to create a top and a bottom piece. Spoon the strawberries and their juices over the bottom half of each shortcake bottom. Place a scoop of raspberry sorbet in the center of the bottom half and cover it with whipped cream and more strawberries for a little hidden surprise. Top with the other biscuit top. Serve immediately.

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE FOR 2

Steps:

• Slice strawberries into bowl.
• Sprinkle 1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar on berries and let stand about 1 hour.
• Heat oven to 425 degrees.
• Mix remaining ingredients with fork to a soft dough.
• Turn dough onto lightly floured cloth-covered board; smooth dough into ball and knead 8 to 10 times.
• Roll 1/2 in ch thick.
• Cut into two 3-inch circles.
• Place on ungrased baking sheet.
• Bake 10 to 12 minutes.
• Split warm shortcakes; spoon strawberries between layers and on top.
• Serve with Cool Whip.
• Variation:.
• Omit strawberries and sugar. Before baking, brush soft butter on circles; sprinkle brown sugar on tops. Fill and top with sweetened sliced peaches.

STRAWBERRY CREAM CAKE - AMERICA'S TEST KITCHEN

Steps:

• FOR THE CAKE: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour round 9 by 2-inch cake pan or 9-inch springform pan and line with parchment paper. Whisk flour, baking powder, salt, and all but 3 tablespoons sugar in mixing bowl. Whisk in 2 whole eggs and 3 yolks (reserving whites), butter, water, and vanilla; whisk until smooth.
• In clean bowl of standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat remaining 3 egg whites at medium-low speed until frothy, 1 to 2 minutes. With machine running, gradually add remaining 3 tablespoons sugar, increase speed to medium-high, and beat until soft peaks form, 60 to 90 seconds. Stir one-third of whites into batter to lighten; add remaining whites and gently fold into batter until no white streaks remain. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until toothpick or wooden skewer inserted into center of cake comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then invert cake onto greased wire rack; peel off and discard parchment. Invert cake again; cool completely, about 2 hours.
• FOR THE STRAWBERRY FILLING: Halve 24 of best-looking berries and reserve. Quarter remaining berries; toss with 4 to 6 tablespoons sugar (depending on sweetness of berries) in medium bowl and let sit 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Strain juices from berries and reserve (you should have about 1/2 cup). In workbowl of food processor fitted with metal blade, give macerated berries five 1-second pulses (you should have about 1 1/2 cups). In small saucepan over medium-high heat, simmer reserved juices and Kirsch until syrupy and reduced to about 3 tablespoons, 3 to 5 minutes. Pour reduced syrup over macerated berries, add pinch of salt, and toss to combine. Set aside until cake is cooled.
• FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM: When cake has cooled, place cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and salt in bowl of standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Whisk at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down bowl with rubber spatula as needed. Reduce speed to low and add heavy cream in slow, steady stream; when almost fully combined, increase speed to medium-high and beat until mixture holds stiff peaks, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes more, scraping bowl as needed (you should have about 4 1/2 cups).
• TO ASSEMBLE THE CAKE: Using large serrated knife, slice cake into three even layers. Place bottom layer on cardboard round or cake plate and arrange ring of 20 strawberry halves, cut sides down and stem ends facing out, around perimeter of cake layer. Pour one half of pureed berry mixture (about 3/4 cup) in center, then spread to cover any exposed cake. Gently spread about one-third of whipped cream (about 1 1/2 cups) over berry layer, leaving 1/2-inch border from edge. Place middle cake layer on top and press down gently (whipped cream layer should become flush with cake edge). Repeat with 20 additional strawberry halves, remaining berry mixture, and half of remaining whipped cream; gently press last cake layer on top. Spread remaining whipped cream over top; decorate with remaining cut strawberries. Serve, or chill for up to 4 hours.

AMERICAN STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

Steps:

• Sift Flour and icing sugar into a medium bowl, cut the butter into small pieces and add to the bowl.
• mix and kneed well until mixture is quite smooth,.
• Add the egg yoke and two tablespoons of the cream - blend well.
• cover the dough with waxed paper and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
• Pre heat oven to 190c (375f). divide the dough into two equal parts and roll out each piece to about a 9 inch circle .
• A hint here is to roll it out between two pieces of greaseproof paper, no sticking and when its ready peel off the paper and turn upside down on baking tray and peel of the other paper.
• Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are slightly golden brown,.
• transfer one round, carefully to a cooling rack - and the other you cut immediately its out of the oven into slices - 10-10 slices and transfer the slices on another rack to completely cool.
• Hull and cut the strawberries in halves or thirds. beat the cream until its thick enough to stand on its own but still able to stir it.
• Fold the strawberries into the cream. Spoon mixture onto the centre of the shortbread - forming a pyramid, and place the slices around the piled up cream -- Simply serve.
• This can be prepared the day before and covered in cling film and kept at room temperature.

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKES FOR 2 (AMERICA'S TEST KITCHEN)

Steps:

• For the shortcakes, use first 8 ingredients: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees with the rack in the middle position. Line a rimmed cookie sheet with parchment paper.
• In a food processor, mix the flour, 5 teaspoons of sugar, the baking powder, and salt until combined (about 3 pulses) then add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal (about 15 pulses).
• Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl. Whisk the half-and-half and the whole egg together then mix into the flour mixture with a rubber spatula until large clumps form. The recipe indicates that using regular milk is ok but not as rich as the half-and-half and that using heavy cream makes the cakes too dense.
• Turn the mixture onto a floured board and shape the dough into two circles about 2-1/2 inches in diameter and about 1 inch thick.
• Brush the tops with the egg white. Then sprinkle the tops with the remaining 1 teaspoon of sugar.
• Place on prepared cookie sheet and bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes, turning the pan halfway through cooking.
• Cool on wire wrack.
• For the fruit use the next 2 ingredients: Crush 3/4 cup (about 3.75 ounces) of the strawberries with a potato masher in a medium bowl. Slice the remaining strawberries and fold them into the crushed berries, along with the sugar. Let the mixture sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes.
• For the whipped cream use the last 3 ingredients:.
• Whip the cream, sugar and vanilla together in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium spead until frothy -- about 1 minute. Then turn to high and whip to soft peaks, 1-3 minutes. Of course, store bought whipped cream will work, too.
• To serve: Slice the shortcake horizontally. Place some of the strawberries on the bottom half, put a dollop or two of whipped cream on the strawberries and top with the other half of the short cake.