Strawberry Shortcakes and Sparkling Wine

You know it is summer when Wimbledon is on the television. The thwack of the tennis balls hitting the racquet and the roar of the crowds is ever present in the background. It should be sunny but all too often the rain starts bringing with it a forest of umbrellas. Wimbledon is really the start of strawberry season. Those juicy bright red strawberries are perfect with a little cream.  The strawberries in my garden are behind and at the moment are just in flower. To make up for that I bought some strawberries and used them to make strawberry shortcakes.

Strawberry shortcakes

When I was growing up strawberry shortcake was a doll that seemed to be all the rage. The doll was a rag doll with a dress covered in strawberries and a mop of red hair.  The characters went on to have a TV series and a film. I never understood the appeal. The strawberry shortcakes I made are shortbread biscuits layered with a mixture of strawberries and cream and topped with strawberries to create a taste sensation. They make a perfect summer dessert or a teatime treat.

For a touch of decadence why not serve the strawberry shortcakes outside on a warm day and pair them with a nice cold glass of sparkling wine. i heart Sparkling ♥ makes the perfect accompaniment. It is a crisp and bubbly sparkling wine with is full of juicy fruit flavours and fruit aromas. Served nice and cold from the fridge i heart Sparkling is the perfect treat for a warm day. RRP £5.99

Have you ever noticed how food tastes so much nicer when you eat it outside when it is warm? It could just be because it is so nice to actually sit in the sunshine that you think the food has more flavour. Strawberries are perfect for eating outside. They seem to taste much sweeter when freshly picked off the bush. I hope my strawberries start producing fruit soon. The raspberries are starting to redden and I expect another bumper crop this year. Look out for more raspberry recipes once I pick them. The chicken and raspberry salad I made last year was a great success. If you want something sweeter then raspberry and almond cake has to be tried.

Strawberry shortcake recipe

There is nothing worse than spending a lot of time cooking on a hot day. Strawberry shortcakes are really simple to make. The baking time is only ten minutes which means you don’t need to have your oven on for long. The biscuits are made from a simple dough and do not take long to make. Once baked and cooled the biscuits are topped with a mixture of strawberries and cream and then another biscuit layer. I also sandwiched in some whole strawberries to make them look pretty.

The great thing about strawberry shortcakes is that they look as if you have spent a lot of time making them as well as tasting delicious. My husband and son loved them, next time I will double the quantities and make more.

Strawberry shortcakes

A quick and easy dessert made from shortcake biscuits topped with strawberries and cream

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients

  

• 175 g 6oz plain flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 3 tbsps caster sugar
• 75 g 3oz butter
• 1 egg
• 3 tbsp milk
• 300 ml ½ pint double cream
• 225 g 80z strawberries

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 220C, Gas Mark 7
• Sift the flour baking powder and salt into a bowl and add the sugar
• Rub in 50g (2oz) of the butter
• Beat the egg and milk together and add to the dry ingredients
• Mix with a fork to form a dough.
• Turn onto a floured surface and knead the dough until smooth.
• Roll it out and cut 8 circular shapes using a 10cm cutter.
• Place onto baking sheets covered with baking parchment and cook for 10 minutes, until golden
• Leave to cool but after five minutes spread the bases with the remaining butter. It should melt.
• Purée half the strawberries using a fork.
• Whip the cream until stiff then add the strawberry purée and mix together.
• Place the mixture on the top of four of the biscuits.
• Cut the other biscuits into four wedges and arrange on the top of the filling.
• Cut the remaining strawberries in half and fit them between the biscuits on the top
• A blob of whipped cream can be added to the centre of the biscuits

Have you made strawberry shortcakes before? Do you remember the dolls? Let me know below.