We Tried 4 Popular Strawberry Shortcake Recipes – Here’s The Best

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There’s a magical time period between spring and summer time, when the chilly days are firmly behind us however the sweltering warmth has but to take over. That season is strawberry shortcake season.

Depending on the place you’re within the United States, strawberry shortcake season can begin as early as April, in the event you stay in a hotter state like California, or as late as June in areas of the northeast. Oftentimes, strawberry shortcakes make their debut at Memorial Day barbecues, serving as a scrumptious reminder that their season is underway.

When I used to be rising up, the one strawberry shortcakes I ate had been the packaged little sponge muffins offered on the grocery retailer. I distinctly keep in mind serving to my dad hull and slice the strawberries, sneaking a number of into my mouth when nobody was trying. As I obtained older, I discovered simply what number of kinds of shortcakes there actually are, starting from cakey, scone-like shortcakes to angel meals muffins to flaky layered biscuits. I additionally discovered {that a} actually good strawberry shortcake is just pretty much as good because the shortcake itself. The higher the vessel to carry the strawberries, the higher the general expertise.

So when given the chance to check out 4 totally different strawberry shortcake recipes, how might I say no? I wanted to know which recipe would fulfill all of my necessities: a young, lofty shortcake, brilliant and juicy macerated berries, and completely mild and fluffy whipped cream. Here’s the way it all went down.

To slim our search down to simply 4 recipes, I eradicated any cake-like shortcakes —  layer muffins, sheet muffins, or pound muffins — and centered as an alternative on biscuit-like shortcakes. From there, I selected 4 that various vastly of their strategy and degree of issue. Would simplicity reign supreme or would fancy methods steal the present?

Bisquick’s recipe was, in fact, the best of the bunch. Their extraordinarily user-friendly recipe requires simply 5 components, and could be very extremely rated.

Christina Tosi’s shortcake was nearly as easy, and is the one one to make use of a uncooked egg within the dough. I used to be additionally intrigued by Tosi’s strategy of rolling the shortcakes in powdered sugar earlier than baking.

James Beard’s recipe makes use of an old-school Northern European approach: incorporating hard-boiled egg yolks into the dough. Would this be the important thing to tender shortcakes?

Claudia Fleming‘s recipe was the most technically challenging of the bunch, calling for tarragon-infused strawberries and whipped cream. Hers was also the only recipe to call for an electric mixer or food processor to mix up the dough (the rest are mixed by hand).

How I Tested the Strawberry Shortcake Recipes

I made and assembled all the strawberry shortcakes on the same day, and I made them all exactly as written. I used the same brand of flour, sugar, eggs, strawberries, etc. across the board to ensure an even playing field. I had my husband and 10-year-old daughter do a blind taste test and report back. I also tasted each shortcake plain as well as with the strawberries and cream.

My husband and I were aligned in our rankings; our daughter had other thoughts. Luckily, even my least favorite shortcakes were tasty enough, so no shortcakes were wasted.

1. The Most Disappointing: Christina Tosi’s Strawberry Shortcakes

Believe me after I say that this consequence was a shock to me. I used to be so positive that the Milk Bar queen would set me up for strawberry shortcake success! Unfortunately, I had a really onerous time with the shortcake dough — I needed to make it 3 times earlier than I had even partial success. The shortcakes barely rose within the oven, and rolling them in powdered sugar didn’t give me the cracked sugar-coated look I used to be anticipating.

With that stated, my 10-year-old love these shortcakes, most likely as a result of they had been the sweetest of the bunch. So whereas I wouldn’t make these once more, she was excited to gobble them up.

2. The Speediest Shortcakes: Bisquick Strawberry Shortcakes

Bisquick takes third with their super-simple, easy-to-assemble drop biscuits. Although I could tell these were boxed mix biscuits after just one bite, the deeply creamy flavors quickly took over and I thoroughly enjoyed them. They were a little crumbly, and the strawberries and whipped cream were nothing special, which is why they didn’t rank higher.

3. The Best for Impressing Your Friends: Claudia Fleming’s Strawberry Shortcakes

This recipe was recommended to me by several of my colleagues, and I had high hopes: Claudia Fleming is a renowned pastry chef and author of the incredibly popular cookbook The Last Course, so I knew I used to be in good palms.

Unsurprisingly, these shortcakes got here dressed to impress! Each biscuit sparkles with sugary crunch, and the tarragon whipped cream is the excellent accent. I might have eaten all the bowl of it myself. Unfortunately, making the tarragon-infused syrup that flavors the cream requires a good quantity of labor and planning, so these undoubtedly aren’t weeknight shortcakes. Plus, the recipe dirties a good quantity of dishes: Unlike the opposite recipes, you’ll want a stand mixer, a saucepan, a blender, and a effective sieve. For these causes, I didn’t crown it the winner.

4. The Creamiest, Dreamiest Shortcakes Around: James Beard’s Strawberry Shortcake

James Beard’s shortcakes were so good, he should be giving himself an award. His uncommon egg yolk technique — which involves adding finely crumbled hard-boiled egg yolks to the dough — made them the richest and creamiest of the bunch, with great texture and flavor. Thanks to their gorgeous flaky layers and lofty rise, I was blown away before I even took my first bite. In fact, the height and texture of the shortcakes surpassed all the others by leaps and bounds, and even the next day this was the shortcake I kept returning to. The strawberries and whipped cream weren’t quite as show-stopping — they’re made using pretty standard methods — but they were still undeniably delicious.

Although this recipe was the clear winner of the showdown, if I could Frankenstein my perfect strawberry shortcake, it would be James Beard’s biscuits topped with turbinado sugar (rather than the granulated he calls for), his macerated berries with a squeeze of lemon juice, and Claudia Fleming’s tarragon whipped cream. That combination would be the only strawberry shortcake I serve for the rest of time.

Do you have a favorite strawberry shortcakes recipe? Let us know in the comments!

Source Link – www.thekitchn.com

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