It’s the way it should be– a simple picnic cake, holding several types of fruit that only summer can bring forth. And it’s right around the corner, Independence Day. (Sorry– no watermelons, here…)
Summertime Fruit shortcake ~
~ Skirt in the Kitchen ~
Sift 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour along with 2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/4 heaping cup of granulated sugar.
With a butter knife, into small even pieces cut up a stick of unsalted butter; work it in with your fingers…
Works better than this, so use your fingertips, having some large pieces left that remain in chunks.
Whisk 1 egg
and 1/3 cup whole milk
or half ‘n half.
Weigh and mix fruit of raspberry, blueberry and strawberry, equaling 1 1/2 pounds, then into 1/2 cup sugar; stir gently but keep stirring to produce liquid from the fruit juices.
Put the dough in a buttered round cake pan; level batter as much as possible. Bake at 450 degrees F for approximately 12 minutes or when a toothpick comes out clean in the center. It will not long to bake…
Cut into small pieces, apricots, weighing after having been cut– 1/2 pound. Briefly set aside.
Have chilled in the freezer the work bowl of a mixer and whisk attachment, for 30 minutes prior to use… Then blend on high speed 2 cups heavy whipping cream and 1/4 cup powdered sugar. Reach a whipped cream consistency that holds form.
With a serrated knife, slice cooled shortcake into halves.
Take half of the whipped cream that you just made, mix that one half of it with the apricot pieces, adding freshly grated nutmeg. The apricots and nutmeg work wonderfully with the raspberries in this dessert, so use accordingly as in the recipe– do not substitute.
Cover the inside portion of one of the cake halves with mixed apricot-cream.
Then put one half of the berry mixture in the center, just over the apricot-cream, making sure that you drain with a slotted spoon when doing so, just so the center is not soaking up liquid. Put the remaining half of the shortcake over what you just made, completing the cake.
Finish the very top of the cake with whipped cream, the other half that you did not mix in with apricots, then the rest of the berries, preserving some liquid for around the shortcake into individual portions when served.
Leave a Reply