Cocoa Berry Shortcakes Recipes

TRIPLE BERRY SHORTCAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add 1 egg at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition., Transfer batter to a greased 13x9-in. pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 25-30 minutes. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack., For topping, in a large bowl, combine berries; add sugar and toss gently to coat. Serve with cake; top with whipped cream if desired.

MIXED BERRY SHORTCAKE

Steps:

• For the biscuits: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Add the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt to the bowl of a food processor (or a large bowl). Add the butter pieces and pulse until the butter is completely cut into the flour mixture (or use a pastry cutter if using a bowl). Combine the buttermilk and vanilla in a measuring cup and while pulsing (or stirring) the dough, drizzle in the buttermilk mixture until the dough just comes together and is no longer crumbly.
• Drop the mixture in 8 clumps between 2 baking sheets, then bake until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Set aside and allow to cool completely.
• For the berries: Wash the berries, slice the strawberries and transfer to a bowl. Sprinkle on the granulated sugar, then add the orange zest and juice. Stir gently, then set aside for 15 to 20 minutes to allow a syrup to develop.
• For the sweet yogurt cream: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the cream, yogurt, granulated sugar and brown sugar on high until stiff. (Note: It won't get quite as stiff as regular whipped cream.)
• To serve, lay one biscuit on a plate, top with syrupy fruit, then top with a good spoonful of cream.

MIXED BERRY SHORTCAKE

Steps:

• In a heavy saucepan, combine 1/2 cup sugar and cornstarch. Stir in milk until blended. Bring to a boil over medium-low heat; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat. Stir a small amount into egg yolks; return all to the pan, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla. transfer to a bowl; press a piece of plastic wrap on top of custard. Refrigerate., In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and remaining sugar. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in buttermilk until a soft dough forms. Pat gently into a 9-in. square baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack., Cut shortcake into 3/4-in. cubes. In parfait glasses, alternate layers of shortcake, custard, sliced strawberries and blueberries. Garnish with halved strawberries and a dollop of whipped topping.

PERFECT BERRY SHORTCAKES

Steps:

• Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat to 425 degrees. Mix flour, salt, baking powder and 3 Tbs. sugar in a medium bowl. Grate 2 Tbs. of the butter on the coarse holes of a box grater into dry ingredients; toss to coat. Repeat grating and tossing with remaining butter. Combine egg and half-and-half; pour into flour mixture. Toss with a fork to form large clumps. Lightly press clumps into a ball; add a teaspoon more half-and-half to the bowl if dough won't come together.
• Turn dough onto work surface; press into an 8-by-4- to 5-inch rectangle. Cut into 6 squares, placing them 1 inch apart on a small baking sheet. (Can be refrigerated up to 2 hours before baking.) Before baking, brush tops with optional egg white for a particularly attractive sheen. Sprinkle with remaining 2 Tbs. sugar. Bake until golden brown, about 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool until warm, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Mix thawed and fresh berries with sugar in a bowl; let stand until sugar dissolves. With a hand mixer, beat cream to soft peaks, gradually adding 1 Tb. sugar, then vanilla.
• Split each cake crosswise; spoon a portion of berries over each cake bottom, then a dollop of whipped cream over berries. Cap with cake top and serve immediately.

COCOA SHORTBREAD DIAMONDS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Pulse flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt in a food processor to combine. Add butter and vanilla, and process until mixture comes together. Shape the dough into a ball.
• Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/4 inch thick; cut out shapes with a 3 1/2-by-2 1/2-inch diamond-shape cookie cutter. Space 1 1/2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake cookies until firm to the touch, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cookies cool completely on wire racks.
• Melt white chocolate, stirring, in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Drizzle chocolate over tops of cookies. Let set before serving, about 30 minutes.

CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY SHORTCAKES

Steps:

• To prepare shortcakes, heat oven to 400 degrees. Oil bottom of each cup in a 12-cup muffin pan. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and sugar. Using a pastry blender or an electric mixer, or working by hand, cut in the butter until mixture resembles damp sand. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg, sour cream, vanilla and honey. Add to flour mixture, and stir until thoroughly blended.
• Put a scant 1/4 cup dough into each muffin cup. (Do not use muffin papers.) Bake until risen and firm on top, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat, and allow to cool. Then remove from pan, and cool completely. Place 6 shortcakes in an airtight freezer bag, and freeze for another use.
• To prepare filling for 6 shortcakes, whip heavy cream with 2 teaspoons confectioners' sugar until thick but still soft. Add 1/2 cup raspberries to cream, mashing them roughly with a fork.
• Split each shortcake in half horizontally, and place a dollop of raspberry cream onto bottom half. Add a portion of whole raspberries, and put the top back on at an angle. Sprinkle a dusting of the remaining 1 teaspoon confectioners' sugar over shortcakes, and serve.

CHOCOLATE LOVER'S STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a shallow bowl, mix confectioners' sugar and cocoa until blended. Dip biscuits in cocoa mixture to coat; shake off excess., Place 2 in. apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake 12-14 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from pan to a wire rack to cool slightly., In a small bowl, toss strawberries with sugar. In another bowl, beat cream and cocoa until cream begins to thicken. Add confectioners' sugar; beat until soft peaks form., To serve, split shortcakes in half. Fill with strawberries and half of the whipped cream. Serve with fudge topping and remaining whipped cream.

LEMON-BERRY SHORTCAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour a 9-in. round baking pan., In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, whisk egg, buttermilk, melted butter, lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients; stir just until moistened. Fold in 1 cup strawberries. Transfer to prepared pan., Bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely., For topping, toss berries with lemon juice and sugar. To serve, spread whipped topping over cake. Top with berries.

CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY SHORTCAKES

Steps:

• Make the shortcakes:
• Into a bowl sift together the cocoa powder, the flour, the sugar, the baking powder, the baking soda, and the salt, add the butter, and blend the mixture until it resembles coarse meal. Add the cream and stir the mixture with a fork until it forms a dough. Divide the dough in half, arrange each half in a mound on a lightly greased baking sheet, and bake the shortcakes in the middle of a preheated 425°F. oven for 12 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the centers comes out with crumbs clinging to it. Transfer the shortcakes to a rack and let them cool.
• In a bowl mash 3/4 cup of the raspberries with a fork, stir in 1 tablespoon of the granulated sugar and the framboise, stirring until the sugar is dissolved, and stir in the remaining 3/4 cup raspberries. In a small bowl with an electric mixer beat the cream until it holds soft peaks, add the remaining 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, and beat the cream until it holds stiff peaks. Carefully cut the shortcakes in half horizontally with a serrated knife and with a metal spatula transfer the bottom half of each to an individual plate. (The shortcakes are delicate and crumble easily.) Top each bottom half with half the raspberry mixture, divide the whipped cream between the 2 shortcakes, and with the spatula carefully top each serving with the top half of a shortcake. Sprinkle the shortcakes with the confectioners' sugar and garnish the plates with the mint sprigs.

SPIKED SUMMER BERRY SHORTCAKES

Steps:

• Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat it to 400 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
• For the biscuits: Place the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt and lemon zest in the food processor. Pulse until well combined, about 5 times. Scatter the butter around the flour mixture and pulse until the butter pieces are about the size of peas, about 10 times. It's okay if there are a few larger chunks.
• Drizzle in the heavy cream while pulsing the machine a few times until the dough appears dry and crumbly with a few large pieces of butter.
• Transfer the dough to a work surface. Work the dough with your hands until it just comes together and no longer appears dry. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to an 8-by-6-inch rectangle. Using a bench scraper or spatula, fold the rectangle into thirds, like a letter, then roll out the dough again to an 8-by-6-inch rectangle. Cut out 6 biscuits with a 2 1/2-inch round cutter. Using the bench scraper or spatula if needed, transfer them to the prepared baking sheet, spacing them 2 inches apart. You can gather the scraps and repeat the process with the dough to cut 3 or 4 "ugly biscuits" (I call them that because they're usually not as uniform as the first batch). Transfer them to the baking sheet if there's room, otherwise bake them after the first batch.
• In a small bowl, beat the egg with 1 tablespoon water. Brush onto each biscuit then bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown.
• Meanwhile, for the berry sauce: Place the 1/2 cup raspberries, 1/2 cup strawberries, sugar, and 2 tablespoons water in a small saucepan and cook, stirring occasionally, over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves. Remove the saucepan from the heat and add 1/4 cup of the orange liqueur. Simmer over medium to medium-low heat until the berries start to break down, about 5 minutes. Pour into a blender (see Disclaimer), add the remaining 1 tablespoon orange liqueur and blend on high until smooth. Strain the sauce through a sieve into another small bowl set in an ice bath to cool.
• When the sauce is cooled, add the mixed berries and stir, then set aside for plating.
• Meanwhile, for the whipped cream topping: Whip the cream, confectioners' sugar, and orange liqueur with a handheld electric mixer in a large bowl.
• To assemble the shortcakes: Open each biscuit and spoon a few tablespoons of berries and sauce onto the biscuit bottom. Add a dollop of whipped cream and cover with the biscuit top. Add a touch more of the berries, sauce, and whipped cream on top. Serve and enjoy.

COCOA-BERRY SHORTCAKES

Steps:

• In a large bowl stir together flour, cocoa powder, sugar and baking powder.
• Cut in margarine till mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
• Make a well in the center; add skim milk all at once.
• Stir just till dough clings together.
• Drop in equal portions onto a lightly greased baking sheet.
• Bake in a 450 degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes.
• Cool slightly on a wire rack.
• Meanwhile, for banana cream, in a medium bowl mash banana with a fork until smooth. (You should have about 1/2 cup).
• Add whipped topping, yogurt, honey and nutmeg; stir till smooth.
• Reserve 6 berries for garnish; slice remaining berries.
• To assemble, split cocoa biscuits in half crosswise.
• Set tops aside.
• Arrange strawberry slices on bottoms.
• Dollop about 2 tablespoons of the banana cream mixture over sliced berries on each biscuit.
• Top with the biscuit tops.
• Dollop 1 tablespoons of the remaining banana cream on top of each of the assembled shortcakes.
• Garnish with the reserved whole strawberries.