2 hours ago
10
A giant American-style shortcake is one of summer’s great celebrations: tender, buttery shortcake, softly whipped cream and an extravagant tumble of fruit. Rather than prescribing a single combination, I like to let the market decide. Choose whatever looks and smells best: strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, greengages, apricots, cherries, nectarines or peaches all work beautifully. Aim for a mix of juicy stone fruit and berries – it will bring different colours, textures and levels of sweetness to every bite. This is a dessert that embraces the glorious abundance of the season – a proper summer bonanza.
Giant shortcake with summer fruits and vanilla cream
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Prep 15 min
Chill 1 hr+
Cook 1 hr 20 min, plus cooling
Serves 8-10
For the shortcake
380g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
70g caster sugar, plus 1 tbsp
3 tsp baking powder
½ tsp fine sea salt
150g cold unsalted butter
250ml cold double cream, plus 1 tbsp extra for brushing
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp fennel seeds, lightly toasted and crushed
A few small mint leaves, to garnish
For the fruit
350g stone fruit of choice, stoned and cut into 5-7mm wedges
350g berries of choice, halve or quarter strawberries, depending on size
40g caster sugar, plus extra depending on the sweetness of the fruit
2 tsp lemon juice
A pinch of fine sea salt
For the cream
350ml double cream
20g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
A pinch of fine sea salt
Cut a sheet of baking paper to fit a large baking tray, then, using a 20cm cake tin or dinner plate as a guide, draw a 20cm circle on it.
Whisk the flour, caster sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl to combine.
Put the cold butter between two sheets of baking paper and give it a few firm whacks with a rolling pin, until it forms a rough sheet about 5mm thick. Tear the butter into irregular pieces and add to the flour mix, tossing to coat. Rub the butter lightly between your fingertips to flatten into smaller flakes of about 1-2cm across – some pieces will still be visible throughout the flour.
Combine the cream and vanilla, then pour into the flour mix. Stir gently with a fork until the mix forms a shaggy dough, then use a flexible spatula to fold it over a few times, until there are no obvious dry patches. The dough will still look rough and that’s exactly what you want.
Turn the dough out on to a lightly floured work surface, then flour your hands and gently pat and press the dough into a rough disc. Transfer to the baking paper, placing it on the side without the circle. Using the drawn circle as a guide, gently press the dough into an even 20cm round, about 2cm thick. Wrap the dough in the baking paper and chill for at least an hour, or up to three hours.
To bake, heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Unwrap the dough, put it (still on the baking paper) on to a large baking tray and brush the surface with the remaining tablespoon of cream. Mix the crushed fennel seeds with the extra tablespoon of caster sugar and sprinkle evenly over the top.
Bake for 30 minutes, then reduce the oven to 190C (170C fan)/375F/gas 5 and bake for a further 15 minutes, until deeply golden brown and cooked through. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
About 30 minutes before serving, combine the fruits, sugar, lemon juice and salt in a bowl. Toss gently and leave to macerate until the fruit has released some of its juices.
Meanwhile, whip the cream with the icing sugar, vanilla and salt until it holds soft peaks.
Put the shortcake on a serving plate. Using a serrated knife, slice horizontally to lift off the central crusty-domed cap (about 1cm in thickness). Don’t worry if it cracks into a few pieces – reserve on a plate for serving. Spoon the whipped cream over the shortcake and pile most of the fruit on top, along with a little of the syrupy juices. Finish with a few small mint leaves.
To serve, cut the shortcake into wedges and transfer to plates. Spoon over the extra fruit and juices, then tuck pieces of the crisp fennel-sugar top alongside each serving.
