Lemon Meringue Strawberry Shortcakes
Fresh strawberries sandwiched between a layer of lemon curd and vanilla meringue and held together by a tender biscuit.
- Prep time
- 30 min
- Cook time
- 30 min
- Yield
- 10 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour (low protein content is best) (335g)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (50g)
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold (113g)
- 1 cup Lifeway's low-fat kefir or buttermilk (235g)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2 cups fresh strawberries (sliced)
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- Zest of a lemon
- 2 egg whites
- ½ cup sugar (100g)
- Pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Lemon Curd from this recipe
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 425 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- 2
Whisk the dry ingredients together and, using a pastry knife, cut in the butter until you have a mix of black and kidney bean sized bits.
- 3
Pour in the kefir or buttermilk and stir with a rubber spatula until dough comes together in a ball.
- 4
Turn onto a floured surface and pat down with your hands until the dough is 1 inch thick. If you want more layers, roll the dough out as thin as you can and fold it over itself. You can do this twice. Pat the sides so that the
- 5
Use a biscuit cutter to cut out dough. Place them on the baking sheet fairly close together (this helps them rise higher).
- 6
Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the bottoms are just golden.
- 7
About an hour before you plan to assemble and serve the cakes, combine the strawberries with the zest and sugar and let rest.
- 8
Bring a pot filled ⅓ of the way with water to a simmer. It should be sized so that a heatproof bowl will fit on top without touching the water.
- 9
Whisk together the egg whites and sugar in a heatproof bowl and set it over the pot. Keep whisking until you can pinch the mixture and you cannot feel any sugar granules.
- 10
Add the salt and vanilla and whip the mixture (in the same bowl with a hand mixer or transfer to a stand mixer, the latter is quicker and easier) until you have stiff peaks; the meringue holds shape when the whisk is turned upside down.
- 11
Slice the biscuits in half and spoon some meringue into the bottom half; pressing down with the back of the spoon into the center to create a well. Use a kitchen torch to toast it, if desired. Spoon the strawberries into the ‘well’ and spoon some curd on top. Top with the other half.
- 12
Cakes should be served the day of assembly.