Strawberry Lemon Shortcakes with Vanilla Yoghurt
by Anna Jones
These shortcakes differ from scones in that they are a little lighter and less sweet, thanks to some yoghurt in the mixture. There is vanilla and lemon zest in the batter, and once stamped out into squat little dough rounds, they are topped with sugar for a crunchy top.
I have made them with roasted strawberries this time, but they are just as good with some chopped fresh. I’ve given you a method for both. My rule is if the strawberry tastes good, use them fresh, if they are squishy or over/under ripe - roast them.
I use some fennel seeds with the strawberries as they bring something unexpected and the sweet backnote of the seeds works brilliantly with the strawberries, somehow making them taste even more intensely of themselves.
In a break from tradition for both scones and shortcakes I use yoghurt here instead of cream. Yoghurt is my preferred dairy for almost all sweet things. It adds creaminess but also acidity. When it's hot outside and with other sweet elements on your plate, yoghurt works brilliantly.
Makes 10 shortcakes
Ingredients
For the shortcakes -
320g plain flour
1 pinch fine sea salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
50g golden caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
125g unsalted butter, frozen for 30 mins
2 large free-range or organic eggs
120g yoghurt
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
Zest of 1 lemon
For the filling -
Optional: 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
200g thick Greek yoghurt
1 teaspoon of vanilla paste or honey
400g roast strawberries (recipe here) or 400g fresh strawberries
Method
Freeze the butter
Heat the oven to 210C fan. If you haven’t already, put 125g butter in the freezer – it will need to chill for about 30 mins. Do not freeze it solid otherwise it will be impossible to grate.
Mix the dry ingredients
For the shortcakes, mix the 320g flour, pinch of salt, 1 teaspoon baking powder and 50g sugar in a bowl. Grate in the butter and lightly bring together with your fingers until it resembles breadcrumbs.
Mix the dough
Whisk one egg into 120g yoghurt, add 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste and zest of 1 lemon. Pour into the flour mixture bit by bit using a fork. Bring the mixture together to a dough, but don’t overmix. If the mixture is too dry you can add a little more yoghurt or milk.
Cut out the shortcakes
Tip the dough onto a lightly floured work surface, roll out to about 3cm thick, then, using a 6cm round cutter, stamp out as many as you can and then re-roll and stamp out again until you get about 10 discs.
Chill the dough
Line a large baking tray with greaseproof paper and arrange the shortcakes about 2-3cm apart, because they will spread slightly as they cook. Whisk the second egg in a bowl, then brush the cake tops with the beaten mixture and sprinkle with a little extra caster sugar. Put in the fridge for 10 minutes to chill.
Toast the fennel seeds
In a small frying pan, lightly toast 1/4 teaspoons fennel seeds for a minute, until lightly golden, then transfer to a pestle & mortar and bash until lightly crushed.
Bake the shortcakes
Remove the shortcakes from the fridge and bake for 10-15 minutes, until golden brown, then let them cool for 10-15 minutes on a wire rack. Whilst the shortcakes are cooling you would prefer fresh strawberries to roasted, whilst the short
Macerate the strawberries (optional)
If you prefer using fresh strawberries instead of roasted, hull and halve 400g strawberries into a bowl with the juice of 1/2 lemon and a pinch of sugar if needed. Leave these to macerate whilst you wait for the shortcakes to cool.
Build the shortcakes
Halve each shortcake as you would a scone. Mix 200g Greek yoghurt with 1 teaspoon of vanilla paste or honey and dollop over each shortcake. Follow with the roasted or macerated strawberries and a little pinch of fennel seeds to each.
Make ahead / storage
These are best eaten fresh and warm but these can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container for 2-3 days or frozen for up to 1 month. You can also freeze the uncooked shortcakes once cut with the cutter. Freeze them flat then transfer to a bag or container once frozen. Defrost in the fridge. The fruit and yoghurt is best made freshly each time you eat one.
Recipe from The Anna Jones Newsletter on Substack - a weekly newsletter of brand new recipes and stories. You can also visit www.annajones.co.uk
Imagery - Rachael Pilston for Anna Jones.
