I wanted a new and distinct dessert for the long Fourth of July weekend and had a large bag of fresh Bing cherries. This variation on the classic shortcake delicacy, which incorporates special spices, is delicious.
| Prep Time: | 20 mins |
| Cook Time: | 15 mins |
| Additional Time: | 2 hrs 30 mins |
| Total Time: | 3 hrs 5 mins |
| Servings: | 6 |
| Yield: | 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 6 cups Bing cherries, pitted and halved
- 6 tablespoons white sugar
- 2 lemons, zested
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup frozen butter
- 1 egg, beaten
- ½ cup cold half-and-half, or more as needed
- 1 egg white (Optional)
- 1 teaspoon white sugar, or to taste
- 1 cup whipped cream
- 1 cup chopped almonds
- 6 cherries with stems
Instructions
- Combine 6 cups cherries, 6 tablespoons sugar, and lemon zest in a bowl. Allow cherries to rest for 2 to 3 hours.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix flour, 1/4 cup sugar, cream of tartar, baking soda, cinnamon, cardamom, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in butter with a knife or pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Whisk egg and half-and-half in a small bowl; stir into the flour mixture with a fork until dough is moistened with large clumps. Add a teaspoon more half-and-half to the bowl if dough won’t come together.
- Roll tennis ball size scoops of dough and place on prepared baking sheet. Press each ball down lightly to form 1/2-inch discs. Brush dough with egg white and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sugar.
- Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.
- Slice each cake in half horizontally. Layer a generous portion of halved cherries, almonds, and whipped cream between cake halves. Top with another dollop of whipped cream, almonds, and a whole cherry.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 643 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 85 g |
| Cholesterol | 87 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 7 g |
| Protein | 12 g |
| Saturated Fat | 14 g |
| Sodium | 556 mg |
| Sugars | 45 g |
| Fat | 31 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
I used a combo of Rainier and Bing cherries and used the food processor for making the shortcake dough. This makes BIG shortcakes, and in the future I will make them smaller (personal preference). I must say that the shortcake was very different from any that I’ve ever had, primarily due to the addition of the cinnamon and cardamon, but particularly the cardamom, a spice I like. The lemon zest gives a nice tang to the cherries, so don’t omit it. The shortcakes are a bit dense, and I would have liked more cherry juice to saturate the cakes better; they were a little on the dry side. In the future, I will add more sugar and a bit of water to the cherries while they’re mascerating, producing more juice for the shortcakes. Very nice change from traditional strawberry shortcake, we liked it, and this was dessert for the 4th of July!