Ultimate Strawberry Shortcake
I recently made this Ultimate Strawberry Shortcake in a live online event. I cannot tell you how much fun I had preparing Chicken and Dumplings and then preparing the “shortcake” part of the strawberry shortcake with the same dumpling dough. My online friends were cooking along with me! It was crazy fun.
The overall consensus from that event is that this really is the Ultimate Strawberry Shortcake.
You really can use the same kind of dough for dumplings and shortcake. I love to serve strawberry shortcake or any berry shortcake for dessert when I make chicken and dumplings because I already have the dough prepared.
You can make it with the exact same dough or, as I usually do, you can make a second batch of dough for the strawberry shortcake and add 1/2 cup of sugar to make it a little sweeter.
The rest of the preparation of this recipe is a cinch. I cut the berries, make the whipped cream, and mix a little cinnamon and sugar in a bowl for dipping the fried dough. Once the dough is fried, you assemble, which takes only minutes, and that’s it–you are ready to serve!
Make-Ahead Strawberry Shortcake Tips
- Cut the fruit and add about 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
- Keep a mason jar with the sugar cinnamon mixture in the pantry at all times. I create holes in a lid to use when I sprinkle the mixture, but I place a lid without holes on top of that one while I am storing it between uses.
- Making the whipped cream is easy enough. I think it is best made right when you are ready to use it. If in a pinch, you can go ahead and make it ahead. If it falls, just get the mixer out and mix until fluffy.
- Store fried dough in airtight containers for up to 2 days.
Strawberry Shortcake Stacy Lyn's Way
Ingredients
- 1 quart berries (mixture of fresh strawberries, blackberries,and blueberries)
- 4 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup ground cinnamon
For the dough:
- 3 cups self-rising flour
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/2 cup buttermilk plus more if dough is too dry
- 1/2 cup sugar
Instructions
- Slice the strawberries lengthwise and leavethe blackberries and blueberries whole. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add heavy whippingcream, powdered sugar, and a teaspoon of vanilla. Use a mixer on high speeduntil medium peaks. Add whipping cream to a piping bag with a medium-sizedattachment or a zip-top bag cut on the end. Set aside.
- In a shallow bowl, mix together sugar andcinnamon. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flour andsalt. Cut shortening into flour until fully incorporated. Add buttermilk slowlyinto the flour a little at the time. When the dough is easily formed into aball, knead the dough on a lightly flour-dusted surface.
- Roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/16of an inch or even thinner. Use varying sizes of round cookie cutters. First, cutout 8 large discs (4 inch). With the remaining dough cut different sized discsto layer and decorate the top of your shortcake.
- In a small dutch oven or cast-iron pot,bring about 4 inches of oil to 375 degrees. Place one large disc into the oiland allow to fry about 2 minutes. With tongs turn the disc over and fry foranother 2 minutes, or until the disc is golden brown. Immediately dip the discinto the cinnamon sugar mixture, coating both sides of the disc. Place on acookie sheet lined with a cooling rack. Repeat with remaining large discs. Asyou decrease in disc size, you can cook more than one disc at the time. Be sureto bring oil back to 375 degrees between frying.
- Squeeze a dollop of whipped cream (it actslike glue) to the plate to ensure the shortcake stays in place. Gently placeone of the large discs on top of the whipped cream. Cover the disc with thewhipped cream (about 2 tablespoons) and a few berries arranged beautifullywhere they peek out from the cream and in between the layers. Place anotherlarge disc on top of the berries, and cover with whipped cream and moreberries. Begin using the smaller discs and repeat steps adding whipped cream tothe top (about 1 tablespoon) and decorating the top with a few berries.
