The classic summer dessert created with homemade touches makes PopPop’s Strawberry Shortcake even more special.
It’s hard to believe that this recipe was created almost fourteen years ago. Since then I’ve made these strawberries shortcakes numerous times and always think of my father-in-law, PopPop. He’s a wonderful man, who I feel fortunate to have as part of my family.
Dinner for PopPop
Bringing two of the kids to Delaware for a weekend with their grandparents, we decided to celebrate PopPop’s birthday a week early. Instead of purchasing some random golfing accessory, we opted to make his birthday dinner his present. Planning dinner was the easy part- he’s a meat and potatoes sort of guy. Desserts are a little trickier. Spending the day driving from New Hampshire to Delaware would leave little time to bake for dinner that night, and many desserts would not survive that length of drive.
To start my planning I asked my mother-in-law to suggest a few desserts that would be favorites for him. She suggested Boston Cream Pie, lemon meringue pie, and strawberry shortcake. As neither pie can be made quickly or would fare well on a long car ride, strawberry shortcake seemed to be my best option.
And a birthday dessert!
Next I needed to decide how to make this dessert. Typically I make angel food cake, but it seemed that transporting it could be disastrous. My next option was to make actual shortcakes, which I’d never done. In fact, most of the shortcakes I’ve tried are dry and unappealing. So, I started searching online for a solution to my problem.
Reading the first page of results, I had an “I should have thought of that!” moment. The majority of the shortcake recipes were just scone recipes. Although I am not a professional baker, I have been told by almost every person who has sampled my scones that they are delicious. So, all I needed to do was make my scone recipe and omit the typical fillings of chocolate or fruit. In addition, to knowing that they are tasty, I also knew that they would be just as tasty, even when served a day later after an eight hour car drive.
PopPop’s birthday dinner was a success. He thoroughly enjoyed the steak tips, baked potatoes, and strawberry shortcakes. We shared many wonderful stories and laughs. Food and family- what more do you need?
Looking for a more elegant way to serve this dessert? Give Grownup Strawberry Shortcake a try.
PopPop’s Strawberry Shortcake
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 5 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter diced
- 3/4 cup buttermilk*
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 quart strawberries washed and hulled
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- whipped cream
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 400°F.
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Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Add butter.
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Combine ingredients using a pastry blender (or two forks) until butter is reduced to the size of grains of rice.
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Whisk buttermilk, egg yolk, and vanilla in a 2-cup liquid measuring cup or small bowl.
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Add liquids to dry ingredients; mix until dough forms a ball.
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Place dough on a lightly floured surface and press into an 8-inch round.
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Using a biscuit cutter or round glass with 2-inch diameter, cut shortcakes.
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Reform dough, as needed, to make more shortcakes. (Should make 8.)
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Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the shortcakes are crusty on top and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
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Allow to cool completely.
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TO ASSEMBLE
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Slice strawberries, and place in medium-sized bowl. Sprinkle with sugar, toss, and cover.
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Refrigerate for an hour.
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Cut shortcake in half horizontally, and place bottom half on plate.
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Top bottom with a generous portion of strawberries.
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Place top half of shortcake on strawberries, and garnish with whipped cream.
Notes
Looks delicious, wanted to taste it. Thanks for sharing, try to bake for me to taste it.