It’s summer. It’s hot. And the cookin’ should be easy. Thus with raspberries at their prime in July and August, it’s the perfect time for a simple but delightful dessert—buttermilk raspberry-chocolate shortcakes.
What passes for shortcake these days in America is truly an abomination. Shortcakes are in essence nothing but sweetened baking-powder biscuits. They are not sponge cakes or for that matter anything that’s a traditional cake. The traditional fruit for shortcake is strawberries, but I prefer the more assertive raspberry, especially when paired with chocolate shortcakes. If your preference is for strawberries, they will also work perfectly well in this recipe.
Any berry used for shortcake should be macerated for an hour or two. Sweetened with sugar, the fruit develops its full flavor and exudes its precious juices. Because these chocolate shortcakes are somewhat on the bitter side, you want your fruit and whipped cream to be sweet enough to counter that.
Whisk together all the dry ingredients—flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt—in a large bowl until thoroughly mixed.
Mixing the dry ingredients.
Cut in the cold butter with a pastry blender until it resembles coarse crumbs. Then add just enough buttermilk to bring the mixture into a mass. Use a wooden spoon, making as few swift strokes as possible.
Stirring in the buttermilk.
On a lightly floured surface, press the mixture to a thickness of about 1/2 inch. Cut out the shortcakes with a biscuit cutter.
Cutting out the shortcakes.
Place the shortcakes on a baking sheet, and bake at 450° for 10-12 minutes. The tops will crack.
Baked shortcakes.
To assemble, cut the shortcakes in half horizontally. Place the bottom half in a serving bowl. Cover with the raspberries and an generous dollop of whipped cream. Place the upper half of the biscuit on top.
The finished shortcake.
To print or download the recipe, click here.
