Strawberry Shortcake
JR Ryall
![](https://www.cuisine.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Cuisine-Magazine-Ballymaloe-Desserts-JR-Ryall-Strawberry-shortcake..-754x1024.jpg)
Serves
10 - 12Ingredients
FOR THE SHORTBREAD | |
170g/6 oz (generous 1 cup) plain (all-purpose) flour | |
50g/2 oz (¼ cup) caster (superfine) sugar | |
110g/4 oz (½ cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1-cm/½-inch cubes | |
TO ASSEMBLE | |
1 tablespoon icing (confectioners’) sugar, plus extra for sprinkling | |
500ml/16 fl oz (2 cups) whipped cream | |
225g/8 oz strawberries, hulled and sliced, plus extra to decorate | |
12 sprigs mint or sweet cicely leaves |
Only attempt to make this dessert with fragrant, flavourful strawberries, as there really isn’t any point otherwise. Dull strawberries result in a dull shortcake, though when the berries are good this shortcake will shine. To go one step further, fold elderflower cordial through the whipped cream, to taste.
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Instructions
1. | TO MAKE THE SHORTBREAD |
2. | Preheat the oven to 180°C. |
3. | Place the flour and sugar in a bowl and rub in the butter by hand until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. |
4. | Gather the mixture together and knead lightly until it forms a smooth dough. |
5. | Alternatively, this can also be done using an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on low speed. |
6. | Divide the dough in half and roll each piece directly on a sheet of baking paper into a thin circle 18cm/7 inches in diameter. |
7. | Trim each circle so the edge is smooth and neat. |
8. | Slide each piece of paper onto a baking sheet and place in the centre of the oven. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes. |
9. | Remove from the oven, and while still warm, cut one of the disks into twelve equal segments. Allow to cool completely. |
10. | TO ASSEMBLE |
11. | Place the un-cut circle of shortbread onto a round, flat serving plate. |
12. | In a bowl, fold the icing (confectioners’) sugar into the whipped cream. |
13. | Fill a canvas piping (pastry) bag fitted with a wide star-shaped tip with the mixture. |
14. | Pipe two thirds of the cream onto the shortbread, keeping the edges neat and pretty. |
15. | Lay the cut strawberries over the cream. |
16. | To create a fan pattern on top of the shortcake, arrange each segment from the second circle of the shortbread, one at a time, on top of the strawberries. |
17. | Pipe the remaining cream under each segment as you position them in place, so each tilts and slopes down towards the next segment of shortbread. |
18. | Sprinkle icing sugar over the top and decorate with sprigs of mint or sweet cicely leaves, and extra sliced strawberries. |
Recipes and images
extracted from Ballymaloe
Desserts: Iconic Recipes
and Stories from Ireland by
JR Ryall. Photography by
Cliodhna Prendergast.
Published by Phaidon, $95.
phaidon.com