Berry Shortcakes With Whipped Cream Cheese Food

TRIPLE BERRY CREAM CHEESE SHORTCAKE

Steps:

• For the cream cheese swirl: Mix together the cream cheese, sugar and egg white in a small bowl until smooth.
• For the berries and cream: Gently toss the mixed berries with the sugar, lemon juice and orange zest in a large bowl. Let stand, gently stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is juicy (some of the raspberries will break down), about 1 hour. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment.
• Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla and egg. Add the flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the milk and beginning and ending with the flour. Beat until the flour is just incorporated.
• Spoon the batter into the prepared baking dish and smooth with an offset spatula. Add big dollops of the cream cheese mixture all over the surface and use a small spoon to swirl it in slightly, then smooth the top again.
• Bake the cake until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool the cake in the baking dish for 10 minutes, then remove and cool it completely, cream cheese-side-up.
• Cut the cake into squares and serve topped with the berries. Add a dollop of whipped cream. Garnish with the mint.

BERRY SHORTCAKES WITH WHIPPED CREAM CHEESE

Steps:

• Coat 2 parchment-lined baking sheets with cooking spray. Whisk together flour, granulated sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl. Incorporate butter and cold cream cheese into flour mixture with a pastry cutter or your fingers until mixture resembles coarse meal. Transfer to freezer and chill 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Transfer half of flour mixture to another large bowl. Add blueberries to 1 bowl and strawberries to other bowl. Gradually stir 6 tablespoons buttermilk into 1 bowl, gently folding with a rubber spatula until a sticky dough forms. (Do not overmix.) Divide dough into 4 even mounds and place 2 inches apart on 1 baking sheet. Repeat with second mixture, remaining 6 tablespoons buttermilk, and other baking sheet. Bake, rotating halfway through, until shortcakes are golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let cool on baking sheets 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
• Meanwhile, beat together remaining 6 ounces cream cheese and confectioner's sugar with a mixer on medium speed until smooth. Gradually add cream, beating just until mixture becomes smooth and thick, about 1 minute. (Do not overbeat.) Serve alongside shortcakes and berries, with confectioner's sugar for sprinkling.

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.

CHEESECAKE BERRY PARFAITS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Fold in whipped topping., In each of 2 parfait glasses, layer a fourth of the cream cheese mixture and a fourth of the berries. Repeat layers. Top with additional whipped topping if desired. Chill until serving.

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE WITH CHEESECAKE WHIPPED CREAM

Steps:

• Mix 1 1/2 quarts strawberries and white sugar in a large bowl; gently mash strawberries with a potato masher. Cover and refrigerate.
• Beat cream cheese in a bowl until light and fluffy; set aside. Beat heavy cream in another bowl until soft peaks form; add whipped cream cheese and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Lift your beater or whisk straight up: the cream should form a sharp peak that holds its shape. Beat confectioners' sugar and vanilla extract into cream cheese mixture.
• Layer about half the angel food cake in a large bowl or trifle. Spread a third of the cream cheese mixture over the cake and top with a layer of mashed strawberries. Repeat the layers, finishing with a final layer of the cream cheese mixture. Arrange the remaining 1/2 quart strawberry slices decoratively. Chill until ready to serve.

SUMMER BERRY STACKED SHORTCAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Trace an 8-inch circle onto two pieces of parchment paper. Line two baking sheets with the paper, writing-side down.
• Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Whisk together buttermilk, cream and egg in a liquid measuring cup.
• Use a pastry cutter or your fingers to cut the butter into the flour mixture until it is the size of small peas. Make a well in the center and pour in the liquid. Stir the mixture together until just combined, then use your hands to knead it a few times until the dough comes together. It will be the texture of thick cookie dough.
• Divide the dough into two equal pieces, place each onto one of the prepared baking sheets and use lightly damp hands to press it into a circle just inside the traced line. (Do your best to pat the tops flat while keeping the edges perpendicular to the pan.) Chill the dough on the baking sheets in the refrigerator until firm, about 15 minutes (dough can be chilled up to 4 hours). Just before baking, sprinkle each round with 1 teaspoon turbinado sugar.
• Bake the shortcakes until golden and cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the pans from front to back and top to bottom halfway through the baking time. Cool completely.
• While the shortcakes are cooling, macerate the berries and make the cream: Add berries, sugar, lemon and vanilla to a large bowl. Use a fork to gently mash up to 1/4 cup of the berries. (This doesn't have to be exact, but you want to create a little bit of liquid if your berries aren't naturally super juicy.) Stir gently to combine and let sit for about 30 minutes.
• For the cream, add the yogurt, sugar, vanilla and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Mix on medium speed until combined. Add the heavy cream, and whip until very firm peaks form. (You can complete the shortcakes, cream and berries up to 4 hours in advance, refrigerating the cream and berries until ready to serve.)
• To serve, place one of the cooled shortcakes on a serving plate. Top with half of the cream followed by half the berries. (Don't spread the cream quite to the edges, as it will spread when you add the other shortcake.) Repeat with the remaining shortcake, cream and berries. If there is a lot of extra berry juice left in the bowl, serve it alongside the cake.
• Slice the cake with a long serrated knife and serve. The shortcake can be layered up to about 1 hour in advance and stored in the fridge. It will soften as it sits.

PICNIC BERRY SHORTCAKES

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, mix sugar and cornstarch. Stir in water. Add 1 cup strawberries; mash mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened, 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in lime zest. Transfer to a small bowl; refrigerate, covered, until chilled., Cut sponge cakes crosswise in half; trim the cakes to fit in the bottoms of 4 wide-mouth half-pint canning jars. In a small bowl, mix blueberries and remaining strawberries; spoon over cakes. Top with sauce. If desired, serve with 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.

AMAZING STRAWBERRY (OR BLUEBERRY) SHORTCAKE

Steps:

• In small bowl, stir together berries, sugar, and lemon juice.
• Let sit 30 minutes to an hour.
• Near serving time, whip 1/2 cup of the heavy cream until soft peaks form.Mix in 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar.
• In another bowl, stir mascarpone until smooth. Stir in 3 Tablespoons confectioners' sugar, vanilla and remaining 1/4 cup of the cream.
• Fold mascarpone mixture into whipped cream mixture.
• To assemble: Place 2 lady fingers on 8 dessert plates and cover with 2 Tablespoons of strawberries, 2 Tablespoons of mascarpone mixture.
• Repeat with another lady fingers, laying across in the other direction.
• Divide remaining strawberries among plates and top with with remaining mascarpone cheese mixture.