As with all shortcake recipes, this strawberry variation is best the same day as they’re baked. Light and fluffy on the inside with surprise chunks of strawberry and crystallised ginger and golden crusty on the outside.
Ingredients
(Makes 18)
320 g plain flour, plus extra for the work surface
50 g caster sugar
2 tsp baking power
40 g poppy seed
1 tsp lemon zest
170 g cold unsalted butter
125 g crystallised ginger, chopped
150 g strawberries, chopped
250 g sour cream
1 egg
1 tbsp milk
1 tbsp demerara or raw sugar
Method
- Preheat oven to 200˚C and line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Place the flour, caster sugar, baking powder, poppy seed and lemon zest in a medium-sized bowl. Coarsely grate the butter into the dry ingredients and then using your fingertips gently rub the butter through. Don’t over mix. You still need to see separate small pieces of butter through the dry mixture.
- Add the ginger and strawberries and again, using your fingertips toss through the mixture.
- Using a spatula, stir through the sour cream until the mixture starts to stick together. Tip out onto a work surface and gently work the mixture together into a mass.
- Using a little extra flour, roll the dough out until 2 ½ – 3 cm thick and then cut out individual shortcakes using a 4 cm round cutter.
- Place on the baking tray allowing a little space in between. Make an egg wash using the egg and tablespoon of milk and then brush over the tops. Sprinkle with demerara sugar.
- Bake for 10 minutes before reducing the temperature to 180˚C and baking a further 10 – 15 minutes until the tops are golden.
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
