Taste the South
Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake
With strawberry season in full swing, what better way or time to celebrate the abundance of these succulent little fruits than with a shortcake? Simple to prepare, even faster to make, and oh-so-satisfying to boot, this is Melissa’s go-to-dessert-recipe for June.
It’s a great recipe for that impromptu dinner party, for a long evening home on your own, or when a trip to the farmers market or your neighbor’s backyard garden leaves you with overflowing baskets of the fragile red fruits. Store them in the fridge until you’re ready to use them, and be sure not to rinse them until just before using. You can however, prepare the sliced berries a day in advance for this recipe; they will develop a lot of juice.
Shortcake
● 2 cups flour
● ¼ cup sugar
● 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
● 1 tbs baking powder
● ¼ tsp salt
● 4 oz butter
● 1 cup milk
Filling
● 4 to 5 cups fresh strawberries, washed, hulled, and sliced (reserve 5 whole for garnish)
● up to ½ cup sugar to taste
● 2 cups whipping cream, whipped
● Fudge sauce, if desired
Pre-Heat the oven at 400°
Grease two 8-inch round pans. In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. With a pastry blender or fork, cut in the butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the milk with a fork until the mixture just becomes moistened. Spread dough evenly in the pans. If you like a sweeter shortcake, sprinkle sugar over the dough. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans and cool completely.
In a large bowl, combine the sliced strawberries and sugar to taste. To assemble shortcake, place 1 layer, bottom side up, on serving plate. Top with half of the strawberries and half of the whipped cream. Top with remaining layer, top side up. Top with remaining strawberries and whipped cream. Garnish with reserved whole strawberries. Drizzle with fudge sauce.
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