Strawberry Shortcake

This was a demand from a very good friend. I hadn’t even eaten shortcake before myself. But ever since she’d asked for it, I was curious to bake this. Turns out it’s really easy to bake and what’s even better is that it tastes so good! Light and airy, yet so decadent (well that depends on what you serve it with). You can simply bake the shortcake and serve it with anything. I chose strawberries and cream (had to stick to the demand you see). You could try other berries or even mango or caramelized bananas even. This one’s for you Ree!

Ingredients for shortcake:
2 cups flour
¼ cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
1/3 cup cold unsalted butter
1 large egg slightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla
½ cup fresh cream
Egg wash:
1 egg beaten
2 tbsp cream
Filling:
1 cup chopped strawberries
¼ cup sugar (this will depend on the tartness of the berries)
½ cup cream (whipped)
Method:
In a large bowl mix together the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder. Cut the butter into small pieces and mix with the flour till it looks like coarse bread crumbs. Now add the egg, cream and vanilla. Mix till it all comes together and then knead it for a few minutes till it forms a smooth dough. Now roll out the dough on a clean, floured surface to 1 inch thickness. Cut out round shapes of dough and place on butter paper lined baking tray. Brush with egg wash and bake for 15 minutes in your pre-heated oven in 200C, or until the top is golden brown and the centre is cooked.
In the meantime, mix the strawberries with the sugar and let it sit in room temperature for about an hour. Cut the shortcake horizontally. Top the bottom half with the strawberries and its syrup (which is amazing by itself) and top that with some whipped cream. Cover with the top half of the shortcake and serve. Consume immediately otherwise it might disappear from your plate. That is if you aren’t alone. Otherwise it’s simply spooky!