Luscious strawberry shortcake recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 1 cup heavy (whipping) cream, plus extra for brushing

• 2 pints ripe strawberries, very gently rinsed and patted dry
• 5 tablespoons sugar
• 1 cup heavy (whipping) cream
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Butter a baking sheet.
Prepare the Biscuits
2. Combine the flour, ¼ cup sugar, the baking powder, and the salt in a bowl. Using a pastry blender or your fingertips, rub the butter into the dry ingredients until you have a crumbly, coarse meal with some pieces of butter still visible. Add the 1 cup cream in a slow, steady stream while continuing to blend (you may not need all the cream). The dough should be moistened but still have a few loose crumbs.
3. On a lightly floured board, press the dough out to form a 1½-inch-thick round. Using a 2½-inch biscuit cutter, cut out 6 rounds and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the tops with cream and sprinkle with sugar. Bake until the biscuits are golden brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer them to a wire rack to cool.
4. Hull the strawberries and cut them into quarters. Place them in a bowl and toss with 4 tablespoons of the sugar. If desired, transfer half of the berries to another bowl and mash them with a fork or a potato masher. Then return the mashed berries to the bowl with the unmashed ones and stir. Set aside.
5. Combine the cream, vanilla, and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in a bowl. Using an electric mixer, whip the cream on low speed until the mixture is foamy, about 3 minutes. Then mix on high speed until soft peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes more.
6. To assemble the shortcake: Split each biscuit in half with a fork, as you would an English muffin. Place the bottoms of the biscuits on dessert plates. Top each biscuit with some of the whipped cream and 2 generous tablespoons of the strawberry mixture (including the juices). Cover with the top half of the biscuit. Dollop generously with the remaining whipped cream, then divide the remaining strawberries among the biscuits. Serve immediately.