Strawberry-Peach Shortcake with Bourbon Whipped Cream

Teaching so many Zoom cooking classes over the past few months has made me realize the importance of having the RIGHT tools before embarking upon a recipe. I mean, I always knew this, but I didn’t know how many people didn’t know this! You’d never start a recipe without having all the right ingredients (lol actually yes, a lot of us would do that too), but it’s so easy to start cooking a recipe and not realize you don’t have all the right tools, because they aren’t listed right at the top!

I’ve now made TWO chocolate desserts on my Zoom classes, gotten to the final steps, both which required blenders, and had tons of students speak up and say they didn’t have blenders! Despite the fact that a blender was on the tool list for the class, heh heh. Hey, I get it, we’re busy people, it’s hard to read all the instructions all the time.

But really – how many times have you gotten halfway through a recipe only to read the next step and realize that you didn’t have the right kind of baking dish, or right size pie dish, or an ovenproof skillet, or WHATEVER to properly finish the recipe? It’s so frustrating!

So from now on, I am going to try to always include a “tools” list right at the top of my recipes along with the ingredients list. I hope that this, and writing the ingredient amounts in bold in the recipes, and listing TONS of subs for every recipe, will help you become a better and more confident cook!

PS I am not quite ready to start writing full grocery lists for each recipe yet – but FYI for this recipe you need 1 pint of heavy cream. We use the entire thing, because I hate waste, and that tiny bit of leftover heavy cream from a recipe always goes to waste!

Strawberry and Peach Shortcake with Bourbon Whipped Cream

Servings 4 to 6 people

Equipment

• 2 large bowls
• Stand mixer or hand mixer or a blender will work! If you don’t own one of these, just buy whipped cream at the store! That’s the only thing we need it for. 
• Baking sheet
• Parchment paper

Ingredients

For the macerated fruit:

• 2 large peaches
• 8 ounces strawberries
• 2 tbsp white sugar

For the shortcake:

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 2 tbsp sugar, plus more for sprinkling
• 2 tsp baking powder
• Pinch of kosher salt
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, cold, cubed
• 1/3 cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing

For the whipped cream:

• 1 2/3 cups heavy whipping cream
• 3 tbsp white sugar
• 1 tbsp bourbon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Substitutes:

• Peaches and strawberries—> use all of one fruit, or use a totally different fruit! I love blackberry shortbread. Blackberries and peaches together would be fantastic.
• Sugar in the fruit—> you can use honey instead! Different vibe but I’ll take it. Agave nectar or coconut sugar would also work. Maple syrup might be a little weird with summer fruit. Brown sugar also a little weird but will do the trick in a pinch.
• Flour—> whole wheat flour, or you can sub in 1/4 cup almond flour but no more than that.
• Sugar in the shortcake—> coconut sugar, brown sugar. We need a granulated sugar here (not a sticky one like honey or maple syrup).
• Baking powder—> you really need baking powder for these guys to properly puff up.
• Unsalted butter—> salted butter would be delish, especially a fancier one like Kerry Gold. I think coconut oil or another cooking oil would work here, but I haven’t tested it!
• Heavy cream in the shortcakes—> whole milk works! Almond milk/alternative milks would work, the shortcakes just won’t be as rich.
• Heavy cream in the whipped cream—> you can use light cream, but that’s the only sub that will work! I also love strawberry shortcake with very soft vanilla ice cream. Let it sit out for at least 5 minutes (but probably closer to 10!) before scooping. It should be melty.
• Sugar in whipped cream—> you can use pretty much any sweetener here. Start with 2 tablespoons since they all have such different sweetness levels, though. Honey would be nice with the bourbon!
• Bourbon—> whiskey, cuz it’s the same thing. Kahlua would be damn good. RUM! Rum would be good. Campari or aperol could be pretty cool.
• Vanilla extract—> 1/2 teaspoon almond extract, or just omit it.

Instructions

To make the macerated fruit:

• Dice 2 large peaches and 8 ounces strawberries and add to a large bowl along with 2 tablespoons sugar. Enjoy after 30 minutes, or refrigerate until ready to eat, up to 12 hours. 

To make the shortcakes: 

• In a large bowl, use a fork to whisk together 1 cup flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and a pinch of kosher salt. Add 4 tablespoons cubed butter and use your fingers to pinch the butter into the flour until the butter crumbles are the size of small peas. Use the fork to stir in ⅓ cup heavy cream.
• Transfer the dough to the parchment-lined baking sheet, wet your hands (so that they won’t stick to the wet dough) and pat the dough into a 3/4-inch thick, 5×5-inch wide square. Cut into 4 or 6 shortcakes, depending on how many people you’re serving, but do not pull them apart. We want to bake them while touching each other. 
• Brush with heavy cream and sprinkle generously sugar.
• Bake for 15 minutes, until golden brown on the bottom edges. Cut shortcakes apart down the cut lines you already created, spread them apart, and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes.

To make the whipped cream:

• While the shortcakes are cooling, make your whipped cream by adding 1 2/3 cups whipping cream (if you bought a pint, this is the remainder of the pint), 3 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon bourbon, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract to a large bowl or stand mixer and using a hand mixer or the whisk attachment of a stand mixer to beat on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, 2 ½ to 3 minutes. 
• Alternatively, if you have a high-powered blender, add all ingredients and blend on medium-high for 12 seconds for soft peaks. It’s not perfect, but it’ll get the job done! 
• Cut the shortcakes in half like a biscuit, and layer with whipped cream and fruit. Enjoy immediately!

For the macerated fruit:

• 2 large peaches
• 8 ounces strawberries
• 2 tbsp white sugar

For the shortcake:

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 2 tbsp sugar, plus more for sprinkling
• 2 tsp baking powder
• Pinch of kosher salt
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, cold, cubed
• 1/3 cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing

For the whipped cream:

• 1 2/3 cups heavy whipping cream
• 3 tbsp white sugar
• 1 tbsp bourbon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Substitutes:

• Peaches and strawberries—> use all of one fruit, or use a totally different fruit! I love blackberry shortbread. Blackberries and peaches together would be fantastic.
• Sugar in the fruit—> you can use honey instead! Different vibe but I’ll take it. Agave nectar or coconut sugar would also work. Maple syrup might be a little weird with summer fruit. Brown sugar also a little weird but will do the trick in a pinch.
• Flour—> whole wheat flour, or you can sub in 1/4 cup almond flour but no more than that.
• Sugar in the shortcake—> coconut sugar, brown sugar. We need a granulated sugar here (not a sticky one like honey or maple syrup).
• Baking powder—> you really need baking powder for these guys to properly puff up.
• Unsalted butter—> salted butter would be delish, especially a fancier one like Kerry Gold. I think coconut oil or another cooking oil would work here, but I haven’t tested it!
• Heavy cream in the shortcakes—> whole milk works! Almond milk/alternative milks would work, the shortcakes just won’t be as rich.
• Heavy cream in the whipped cream—> you can use light cream, but that’s the only sub that will work! I also love strawberry shortcake with very soft vanilla ice cream. Let it sit out for at least 5 minutes (but probably closer to 10!) before scooping. It should be melty.
• Sugar in whipped cream—> you can use pretty much any sweetener here. Start with 2 tablespoons since they all have such different sweetness levels, though. Honey would be nice with the bourbon!
• Bourbon—> whiskey, cuz it’s the same thing. Kahlua would be damn good. RUM! Rum would be good. Campari or aperol could be pretty cool.
• Vanilla extract—> 1/2 teaspoon almond extract, or just omit it.

Notes

• Yes, the shortcakes can be baked ahead! They do not need to be eaten warm, they’re great at room temp as long as they’re fresh (baked within 24 hours). The macerated fruit will be good for up to 48 hours.

Author: Caroline Chambers