Strawberry, or any berry, shortcakes are the perfect dessert to make for those in your life who are not cake people. I'm married to a "not cake" person, so I would know. For me, the contrast between the salty, slightly warm shortcake (which is more like a biscuit), whipped cream and macerated fresh fruit is perfection, and hits enough of the sweet spots still to feel like a dessert without actually being cakey. But, first, the cardenal, a truly elegant, light-as-a-feather cake that's made with alternating rings of genoise sponge and meringue all sandwiched with whipped cream. Though the building blocks are simple – meringue, sponge and cream – when combined, they turn into something really special.
Strawberry Shortcakes
Here, strawberries are macerated with tart-sweet pomegranate molasses and aromatic black peppercorns to balance the rich sweetness of the sweetened whipped cream and buttery biscuits.
Prep 10 min | Macerate 30 min | Cook 50 min, plus cooling | Makes 8
For the shortcakes
- 280g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- 40g granulated sugar
- 2½ tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
- 115g cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
- 165ml cold double cream
- Demerara sugar, for sprinkling
For the macerated strawberries
- 300g fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
- ¼ tbsp salt, plus extra as needed
- Freshly cracked black pepper
For the whipped cream
- 480ml double cream
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Heat the oven to 220C (200C fan)/425F/gas 7 and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
- Sift the flour into a large bowl, then whisk in the granulated sugar, baking powder, salt and cardamom. Add the butter and rub into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs (or use a pastry cutter or food processor). Add 120ml of the cold cream and quickly stir to form a soft dough.
- Turn out the dough on to a floured surface and knead briefly – 20-30 seconds – until it just comes together. Roll out the dough until it is about 2½cm thick, then use a 6½cm cookie cutter to stamp out eight biscuits.
- Place the biscuits 7½cm apart on the prepared tray, brush the tops with the remaining 45ml cream and sprinkle with demerara sugar. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until golden brown and well risen.
- Remove and leave the biscuits to cool on the tray for 10 minutes, then transfer to a rack and cool until just slightly warm.
- In a medium bowl, gently crush a quarter of the strawberries with the sugar and pomegranate molasses, then fold in the remaining strawberries and season to taste. Leave to macerate for 30 minutes.
- For the whipped cream, combine the cream, sugar and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and beat on low until it just begins to thicken. Increase the speed to medium and whisk to soft peaks.
- Slice each shortcake in half and put the bottom halves on serving plates. Place a spoonful of macerated strawberries and a dollop of whipped cream on each, then top with the remaining shortcake halves. Serve immediately.
Cardenales with Apricot Compote and Marsala Whipped Cream
Cardenales are an interesting bit of European pastry history. These delicious pastries originated in Vienna as "cardinal slices", but then somehow made their way to a town at the foot of the Tramuntana mountains in Mallorca, where they are known and loved as cardenales de Lloseta, the "cardinals of Lloseta".
Prep 10 min | Cook 1 hr 50 min | Chill 3 hr+ | Makes 6
For the compote
- 450g apricots, halved and pitted
- 2 tbsp light brown sugar
- 1 tsp tamarind paste
- Salt
For the meringue
- 5 egg whites
- 100g granulated sugar
For the sponge
- 3 eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- 80g granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 80g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- Icing sugar, for dusting
For the marsala whipped cream
- 480ml double cream
- 50g granulated sugar
- 60ml marsala
- Put half the apricots, the brown sugar, tamarind and two tablespoons of water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer on a low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15-20 minutes, until the fruit softens and begins to release its juices. Add the remaining apricots, cook for 10-15 minutes more, until tender and softened but the fruit still holds its shape, then season with salt to taste. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate.
- Put the egg whites in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on medium speed until frothy. Gradually add the sugar, whisking well between each addition, for about 10 minutes, until glossy and it forms just-stiff peaks, then spoon the meringue into a piping bag fitted with a size 10 or 12 nozzle.
- Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan)/325F/gas 4 and line two baking trays with greaseproof paper. Put the eggs, egg yolks, sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and beat for seven to 10 minutes, to a thick, pale egg foam. When you lift the beater, the batter should fall off in thick ribbons that slowly disappear back into the mixture. Sift in half the flour, then fold it into the eggs, scraping the bottom of the bowl to prevent lumps of flour in the batter. When the flour has been incorporated, sift in and very gently fold in the remaining flour to keep as much air in the batter as possible. Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a size 10 or 12 nozzle.
- Dust an 8cm cookie cutter with flour and use it to mark out six flour circles on each of the lined baking trays. Pipe a 1⅓cm dot of cake batter in the centre of each flour ring, then pipe a circle of meringue around it, followed by a circle of cake batter. Repeat until you have 12 filled circles. Drop the trays on to a counter top from a 25cm height to prevent the sponges from collapsing when baking, then dust generously with icing sugar. Bake in the middle of the oven for 30-35 minutes, until golden brown, then transfer to a rack and leave to cool to room temperature.
- Put the cream, sugar and marsala in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and whisk on low until the cream begins to thicken. Increase the speed to medium and whisk to medium peaks. Transfer the whipped cream to a piping bag fitted with a 2½cm round nozzle.
- Put half the cakes on a tray, spread a layer of apricot compote on top of each one and spoon whipped cream on top. Top with another round of cake, cover loosely with clingfilm and refrigerate for three to four hours. Dust with icing sugar just before serving.
These recipes are edited extracts from More Than Sweet: Desserts with Flavour, by Marie Frank, published by Hardie Grant US at £28.