Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 5 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
- ½ cup very cold, unsalted butter
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup heavy cream, plus extra for brushing
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment and set aside.
- Place flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar into a food processor and pulse quickly to distribute. (If making shortcake by hand, place ingredients into a bowl and whisk quickly.)
- Slice the butter into small pieces and place in the processor bowl with the dry ingredients. Pulse for a few seconds, repeating until the butter is broken into small pebbles and the mixture resembles coarse sand. (Alternatively, the butter can be cut in by hand, using a pastry cutter or two knives.)
- Mix the vanilla with the cream and pour into the bowl. Pulse or stir until just combined into a loose dough. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Knead briefly, creating a firm dough.
- Shape the dough into a 6 by 4 inch rectangle, approximately one-inch high. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into 6 or 8 equally sized squares. Place shortcakes onto the prepared baking sheet. Brush tops of the shortcakes with cream and sprinkle generously with sugar. Place baking pan in the refrigerator while you clean up, or for at least 15 minutes.
- Bake shortcakes on middle rack in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove shortcakes from oven and allow to cool. Slice cooled shortcakes in half. Serve with sugared fruit and whipped cream.