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Okanagan Cherry Almond Shortcakes

These Okanagan cherry shortcakes make the dreamiest old-fashioned dessert to serve on a hot summer day.

Course Baking
Cuisine American
Keyword Cherry, shortcakes
Servings 6
Author Fraîche

Ingredients

Biscuits

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup cold butter cut into cubes
  • 1 egg
  • ½-3/4 cup milk
  • ½ teaspoon almond extract or vanilla
  • 2 tablespoons whipping cream 33%
  • 2 tablespoons coarse sugar optional
  • 3 tablespoons sliced almonds
  • 4 cups fresh cherries cut in half, pits removed

Whipped Cream

  • 1 cup cold whipping cream 33%
  • 2 tablespoons sugar or icing sugar sifted
  • ½ teaspoon almond extract or vanilla

Instructions

Make the Biscuits

  1. Preheat the oven to 450F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.
  3. Add the cold butter to the flour mixture and, using your fingers or a pastry blender, break the butter into pea-sized pieces. Work quickly so the butter stays cold.
  4. In a small liquid measuring cup, crack the egg and whisk together with a fork. Add the milk to the ¾ cup mark. Stir in the vanilla or almond extract.
  5. Add the milk to the four mixture and, using a spatula or wooden spoon, gently stir the mixture together to form a rough dough. Add a couple teaspoons of additional milk to the mixture if it is too dry. It should just stick together but still be rough (not smooth). Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and pat together to form a circle, about 1” thick.
  6. Using a biscuit cutter or glass (around 3” in diameter), cut the dough into 6 biscuits. You can press together the scraps to form one last biscuit if desired to avoid waste. Place the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet and brush the top of each biscuit with cream and sprinkle with the almonds and coarse sugar (if using). Bake until golden brown, around 12 minutes.

Make the Whipped Cream

  1. Place the cold whipping cream in a tall mixing bowl and, using an electric mixer on high, beat until the cream starts to thicken. Add the sugar and almond extract or vanilla and continue eating until soft peaks form. Don’t over beat the cream as it will separate and curdle. Refrigerate until ready to use.

To Assemble

  1. To serve the shortcakes, cut each biscuit in half horizontally, layer a dollop of whipped cream and cherries on each bottom half, and top with the remaining top half of the biscuit. Enjoy!