Brown Sugar Shortcakes with Balsamic Strawberries & Lemon Cream

I can’t stand it. It is not even May yet and the sight of fresh strawberries, lemons, plums and peaches are driving me into a no holds bar, Hubby-you better get ready to eat some fruit type of cooking gear. I just can’t stop! I have a list- a long list- of fresh summer desserts just waiting to grace the pages of this blog like Nutella Whipped Cream Ladyfinger Peach Parfaits or Olive Oil Plum Cake. I am trying however to brace myself and go slow- baby steps to sharing all these fabulous treats with you.

I was just minding my own business the other day in the grocery store (yes, I know I was at the store yet again) when lo and behold there were the most beautiful bright red strawberries just staring me in the face. I thought to myself, are these real? Is this just a hallucination? I mean, it’s only April for goodness sake. Then I realized I live in Texas and strawberry season begins in April with annual strawberry festivals held in just about every small town you can.  I quickly grabbed not one pint but three and happily headed to get the rest of the things I actually came for.

My sweet sweet husband gave me a wonderful new cookbook for Christmas called My Southern Way and I absolutely love it. It has amazing recipes using local ingredients and my favorite part is it motivates me to try using as many local foods in my cooking as I can. With that said their was this to die for recipe using lemon whipped topping with a fresh fruit tart but I wasn’t feeling tarty that day so I decided to use the lemon whipped cream recipe plus a few additions of my own and then make my grandmother’s old fashion shortcakes adding another level of flavor by incorporating brown sugar.

AMAZING! A fresh sweet bite of summer. I know its not summer yet but it will certainly feel like summer after eating this dessert. My secret ingredient was balsamic vinegar! Yep, I like to add a touch of balsamic vinegar whenever I can. I didn’t want to take away from the freshness and simplicity of the dish though so I just marinated the strawberries in a few dashes of the balsamic vinegar and sugar before serving on the plate! A keeper and  A must try!

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Brown Sugar Shortcakes with Balsamic Strawberries &

Lemon Cream

Ingredients:

  • 3 1/2 cups AP flour
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1 1/2 sticks of chilled unsalted butter, cut into cubes
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 pint of fresh strawberries, sliced and combined with a dash of balsamic vinegar and a tsp of sugar

For the Whipped Topping

  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel
  • 2 TBSP of carbonated lemon water ( I use Whole Foods Lemon Italian Sparking Water)
  • 1 cup fresh, washed strawberries and lemons

Directions:

Place the flour, salt, baking powder and sugar in your food processor or a large mixing bowl. Combine the dry ingredients with your fork and then add the butter and cut into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or mix on low with your stand mixer until it resembles coarse meal. Add the vanilla extract, fresh lemon juice and cut into the mixture. Add the heavy cream and milk and mix until just combined. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times. Roll into a large rectangle approx 3/4 inch thick. Using a 2′”  or 3″ biscuit cutter cut as many shapes as you can. Place the rounds on a baking sheet and brush with a little heavy cream. Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes until the tops are slightly golden brown. Brush with a little melted butter once out of the oven and serve with sliced strawberries and lemon whipped cream.

To prepare the whipped cream, combine the whipping cream, sugar, grated lemon peel, lemon water and a dash of salt in a chilled bowl and beat with an electric mixer until soft peaks form.

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41 comments

  1. Lindsay Rudolph

    Beautiful! That looks so good. I want to have it for breakfast this morning. Strawberry Shortcake is my FAVORITE summer dessert and you have taken it to the next level. Can’t wait to give it a try. YUM!

  2. cool gal

    Jessica,

    The image of your dessert looks like it belongs on the cover of a cookbook. Beautiful. I KNOW it tastes just as good as it looks. I love strawberries. I can’t wait to give this a try – might have to hold off until the end of June, though. Can you believe our strawberries aren’t in season until that time? However, I did pick some nice ones up at the grocery store on Monday. Maybe they could work. 🙂

    Another great recipe.

    Thanks for sharing!

  3. Maris (In Good Taste)

    Jessica, this looks incredible Almost looks like a wee mini wedding cake! I love it!

  4. erica@fashionmeetsfood

    Wow not only are these beautiful, but they look absolutely amazing as well!

    xo

  5. flip flops & pearls

    Oh mercy honey-
    your killing me:)

    This looks fabulous.

    I hope your day is blessed!

    Love You!

  6. Kelly

    Ok, I seriously need to know how you find the time to make such delicious food! Now that I’m officially a fellow SAHM I need some tips!! 🙂

  7. anne

    Good job! That looks so light and refreshing,mmmm! anne

  8. Erica

    YES! Our strawberry festival is coming up soon too- I can’t wait. The fresh deliciousness of berries…almost too much to handle. These cakes look just perfect.

  9. sonia

    The shortcakes are looking gorgeous…. ! Loved the cream stuffing and strawberries, making it more sumptuous. A perfect dessert to take away all the stresses of life with just one sweet bite….yummmmm !!!!!

  10. andie

    yum. I think I may have to make this asap!

  11. Sweet Southern Prep

    Thanks so much for the sweet comments lately. I hope you’re doing well, also! Love the new header. And those strawberry shortcakes are divine. I need to make these asap!! 🙂

  12. Tessa

    I know what you mean about all the fruit! I have a HUGE flat of strawberries hanging in my fridge =) These shortcakes look great!

  13. Megan

    yummmm those look delicious!! bookmarking now.

  14. sara@domesticallychallenged

    Thank you!!! Yay! My mother in law and mom LOVE strawberry shortcake with homemade shortcake. I am going to make this for Mother’s Day. Maybe even Easter!

  15. Sharlene

    These look so so good. The combination of flavors sounds delicious and who can ever dislike strawberry shortcake to begin with?

  16. C.E. Hart

    Oh my! This looks so tasty. Balsamic vinegar? Who would have known? lol

    Mmmm I can’t wait until strawberry season arrives here in Georgia. There is a strawberry farm near my home. 🙂 Yay

  17. Jacqueline

    Hi, I followed you over from my sister’s blog, Red Couch Recipes. Your shortcakes look wonderful. They are so tall and luscious! I am going to have to try them. We have been entranced by the strawberries lately too. This is on my must try list. Hop on over. I am having a giveaway!

  18. Shea

    Okay, let me wipe the drool off my face! I LOVE strawberries, so I adore strawberry shortcakes! The biscuit variety is the best too, I’m not as big of a fan of the sponge cake kind. (It’s just not “real” shortcake!)

  19. Nic

    These sound delish but I will wait to make them until our strawberries are closer to just plain good (not even great, I am just asking for good strawberries!). Yummy! Look forward to making them! 🙂

  20. pigpigscorner

    OH MY, that’s gorgeous! love the touch of balsamic here, YUM!

  21. Rachel @ The Avid Appetite

    These look absolutely beautiful! The lemon cream sounds divine. I love strawberries marinated in balsamic…just a scoop of them served with whipped cream or sweet ricotta cream is pure heaven!

  22. Kate (What Kate is Cooking)

    These look delicious! The presentation is so beautiful!

  23. Shannon

    This looks like something you’d see on Top Chef! Yum!

  24. Maria @ Scandifoodie

    Such a gorgeous treat! I love it!

  25. Joanne

    I’ve heard that strawberry season started early this year because of all this crazy weather we’ve been having. Honestly, I’ll take it! These shortcakes look SO good. Love that lemony whipped cream!

  26. Alli

    Gorgeous! Looks like spring on a plate. I just received strawberries in my csa basket this week. I may have to try these!

  27. Rachel

    I need that cookbook!

  28. Betty @ scrambled hen fruit

    Those look so good! I found some gorgeous strawberries today in the grocery store. Not local yet, but I can’t wait! I love balsamic vinegar with strawberries, and this lemon cream sounds divine! 🙂

  29. Candace

    Yum! This would be perfect for Easter!

  30. Ruth

    I will take an order of those. Thanks!
    those look so yummy!!!

  31. Sara

    Hey, I always love your recipes. Did you bake the shortcakes on a baking sheet like in the recipe or in a muffin tin like in the picture? Mine came out flat so I’m thinking I over-mixed.

  32. Roz

    Thank you for sharing these beautiful shortcakes last week on Fresh Clean and Pure Friday/Seasonal Saturday. I selected it as one of the featured blogs today and hope you can stop by and share another wonderful post! Now following you and so glad that you stopped by so that I could find your blog!

  33. Nicole-Lynn

    Yum! Looks great, and great presentation! 🙂

  34. Bernideen's Tea Time Blog

    Looking wonderful here -we are so ready for spring! I am printing out this wonderful recipe!

  35. Sherry Greek

    This looks truly heavenly! I love all of the components. I’m drooling!

  36. Alyssa

    Great job on the linky party last week! It was very hard to choose from everyone. Come by again and link up to this week’s theme: Chocolate! Hope to see you there.
    http://cupcakeapothecary.blogspot.com/2011/05/themed-bakers-sunday-3.html
    Alyssa

  37. Krystal D

    okay these look amazing! I’m going to make them for the baby dedication.

  38. Wilda

    I didn’t know if he had it in him, quite frankly. I didn’t know if he was going to quit or if we were going to have to kick him off the team. Sometimes there was a lack of effort, and his attitude wasn’t the best, but he’s come a long way since then and I’m proud of him.

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