Lemon shortcakes with strawberries and elderflower cream

We sometimes eat dessert as a snack on Christmas day, rather than just after the meal. These shortcakes are a new favourite, though they’re really nice in a bowl full of strawberries and cream, too. I like to use duck eggs, but you don’t need to.

Credit: Alan Benson

• serves

  24

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 110 g (½ cup) caster sugar, plus extra, to dust
• 100 g unsalted butter, softened
• 2 eggs
• ½ tsp vanilla essence
• 1 large lemon, zested
• 200 g (1⅓ cups) plain flour
• ⅛ tsp baking powder
• 150 ml pouring cream
• 2 tsp elderflower cordial (see Note)
• 2 tsp pure icing sugar
• 500 g strawberries, hulled, quartered

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease 2 x 12-hole gem scone pans or similar and dust with sugar. Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar for 5 minutes or until pale and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then add vanilla, lemon zest and a pinch of salt and mix to combine.

Fold in flour and baking powder and mix until just combined. Spoon mixture into gem scone pans, leaving a little room for the mixture to expand. It’s neater if you flatten the top, but I don’t bother.

Bake in the centre of the oven for 10 minutes or until starting to brown and a skewer inserted into the centre of the cakes comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes in pans, then transfer to a wire rack.

Meanwhile, whip cream with elderflower cordial and icing sugar to soft peaks. Top each shortcake with a spoonful of cream and a piece of strawberry to serve.

Note
• Elderflower cordial is available from supermarkets.

 

Photography Alan Benson. Food preparation Sadie Chrestman. Styling Michelle Crawford.

As seen in Feast magazine, Dec/Jan 2014, Issue 38.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.