Baking with Dorie--Tender Shortcakes

Oh, shortcakes! How I love you! The recipe for this week's Baking with Dorie Challenge was Tender Shortcakes. Dorie described them as "quintessential shortcakes." By the end of the testing, I was calling them either, "Rockefeller Shortcakes" or "Fat Belly Shortcakes." As you might have guessed, these shortcake are super rich!



How rich? Well, the recipe calls for 1 1/2 sticks of butter and 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream! In fact, the finished shortcakes reminded me a bit  of a cross between a croissant (without the flakiness) and a biscuit (with LOTS more richness).

For my taste, these shortcakes were decedent enough. Topping them with whipped cream or pastry cream would have been too much for me. A dab of sour cherry jam was all they needed. In fact, I really just enjoyed eating these shortcakes plain. The sweet, rich goodness was a delight. I also think some fresh macerated strawberries would have been ideal! (I like to combine sliced strawberries with a bit of sugar and a splash of vanilla or balsamic vinegar.)

As for the gluten-free recipe conversion, you will notice that I've used a lot more starches than I usually do. The reason for this is that I wanted the shortcakes to be tender. When I used more flour, they were good but they didn't melt in your mouth. My final recipe, complete with potato, tapioca and corn starch, melts in your mouth--just as a rich shortcake should!

So, whether you call these Tender Shortcakes, Rockefeller Shortcakes or, my favorite, Fat Belly Shortcakes, enjoy them. They are simply delicious!

To see the other recipes prepared for this challenge, visit here. 

Tender Shortcakes

adapted from a recipe by Dorie Greenspan
Printable Recipe

Dry Ingredients

1 1/4 cups white rice flour
1 cup potato starch
1 cup tapioca starch
3/4 cup cornstarch
6 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum

Wet Ingredients
1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) cold butter, cut into small pieces
1 1/2 cups plus two tablespoons cold heavy cream

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. 
2. In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. 
3. Using your fingers or a pasty cutter, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until no large pieces remain. 
4. Add the heavy cream. Stir until a dough forms. Do will be a little dry. If it is too dry add a splash more heavy cream. 
5. Scoop the dough, about 1/4-1/3 cup each, onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. 
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. 
7. Cool on a wire rack.
8. Repeat with remaining dough.

Makes 12-14 shortcakes.