Latest news with #shortcakes
The Guardian
20-06-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Helen Goh's recipe for oat shortcakes with honey-roasted apricots and almond cream
These buttery oat shortcakes are crisp on the outside, tender within and just rustic enough to feel inviting. Filled with honey-roasted apricots and a fragrant almond cream, they make a fabulous pudding; berries macerated with sugar and a splash of orange juice or Cointreau would also be delicious. Prep 15 minChill 30 min Cook 1 hr 10 min, plus cooling Makes 6 For the shortcakes100g rolled oats 225g plain flour, plus extra for stamping out the dough70g caster sugar 2 tsp baking powder ½ tsp baking soda/bicarbonate of soda ½ tsp fine sea salt Finely grated zest of 1 orange (save the juice for the apricots)120g cold unsalted butter, cut into 3-4cm cubes120ml plain unsweetened kefir drink, plus extra for brushing1 tsp vanilla extract For the apricots500g ripe apricots, halved and pitted60ml orange juice 60ml water ¼ tsp ground cardamom seeds (from about 8 pods), optionalA pinch of salt 60g runny honey For the cream300ml double cram1 tbsp icing sugar, sifted, plus a little extra for dusting1 tsp vanilla extract¼ tsp almond extract Line a 20cm x 30cm baking tray with greaseproof paper. Pulse the oats in a food processor until finely ground but not powdery, then add the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda/bicarb, salt and orange zest, and pulse a few times to combine and aerate. Add the butter, pulse until the mix looks crumbly, then tip it into a large bowl. Add the kefir and vanilla, stir with a fork until it just comes together in a shaggy dough, then out on to a lightly floured worktop and pat out into a roughly 2½cm-thick disc. Dip a 6-7cm biscuit cutter into flour, then stamp out as many rounds as possible. Arrange the shortcakes a few centimetres apart on the lined tray, then gather the offcuts, press together lightly, then pat out and cut out a few more rounds – you should end up with six altogether. Transfer to the fridge for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, roast the apricots. Heat the oven to 215C (195C fan)/gas 6½ and take a baking dish large enough to accommodate the apricots in one layer and line it with baking paper. Arrange the fruit cut side up in the baking dish, then pour the orange juice and water over and around it. Sprinkle over the cardamom and salt, then drizzle with the honey. Bake for 20-25 minutes, basting and gently shaking the dish occasionally, until the apricots are tender, collapsed and slightly caramelised. Remove from the oven (leave the oven on) and leave to cool in the dish for a few minutes, then tip the apricots and their juices into a bowl. Turn down the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Remove the shortcakes from the fridge and brush the tops of the shortcakes with a little kefir, then bake for about 20 minutes, until golden brown on top and the sides feel firm when gently pressed. Leave to cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. Meanwhile, put all the ingredients for the almond cream in the bowl of an electric mixer and whisk on medium-high until the cream thickens to soft waves. To serve, split the shortcakes in half and place the bases on a platter. Spoon over some of the roast apricots and their juices, top with cream, then place the remaining shortcake halves on top. Dust lightly with icing sugar and serve.
The Guardian
21-05-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Pistachio tiramisu and mango shortcakes: Nicola Lamb's recipes for spring desserts
When mango season is upon us, I love nothing more than thinking of as many waysas possible to eat them. It's hard to beat the joy of messily eating one over a sink, but these flaky, American-style shortcakes, which you may recognise as similar to scones, are a brilliant mango delivery method. Meanwhile, there are few things that pistachio doesn't improve, and here pistachio cream, which is conveniently fortified with sugar and fat, and emulsified to a smooth, spoonable paste, is paired with coffee in the form of an airy tiramisu to feed a crowd. Using cold grated butter and performing a few roll, stack and folds will give you towering shortcakes with tender middles and crisp tops. Prep 10 min Cook 1 hr Makes 6 For the flaky scones120g very cold butter 250g plain flour, plus extra for dusting 10g baking powder ½ tsp flaky salt 30g caster sugar 130g buttermilk, plus extra for brushing2 tsp granulated sugar For the whipped cream 150g greek yoghurt 30g caster sugar 150g double cream To finish3-4 small ripe Indian mangoes (I like alphonso), peeled and cut into thin horizontal strips1 lime Grate the cold butter on to a plate. In a large bowl, whisk the dry ingredients for the scones, then add the grated butter in four instalments, tossing well between each addition. If the mix clumps, keep tossing and squishing it between your fingertips until any large clumps have dispersed. Add the buttermilk in two instalments, stirring and tossing the mixture with a spatula to hydrate it – it will be sticky in some places and dry in others – then tip the dough on to a clean work surface and squish into a roughly 20cm x 12cm rectangle. Using a rolling pin, roll out to 30cm x 15cm, then, with a knife or dough scraper, cut it into thirds and stack them on top of each other. Turn 90 degrees, then repeat the rolling and cutting twice more, dusting with flour if the dough sticks to the pin or work surface. For the final stack, put the smoothest third on top. Press down to adhere the layers – it should be around 20cm x 14cm by this stage. Trim the outside of the dough to create clean edges, then cut the dough into six equal 6cm x 6cm squares, each weighing (75-85g. (Save and bake any offcuts as snacks.) Transfer the squares to a tray lined with baking paper, leaving 5cm space between each shortcake, then put in the freezer while you heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. (Alternatively, rest the shortcakes in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 24 hours.) Brush the tops with buttermilk, scatter over the granulated sugar, then bake for 20-22 minutes, until crisp and golden. Remove and leave to cool slightly on the tray. To finish, whip the yoghurt, sugar and cream to stiff peaks. Split each shortcake in half, spoon about 30g of the yoghurt cream on top, followed by four or five slices of mango and a grating of lime zest (if the mango is a bit underpowered, toss it with lime juice first). Top with the shortcake lid, add another spoonful of cream, a few slices of mango and a final grating of zest, and serve immediately. Splashing out on superbly green Iranian or Sicilian pistachios will give you the most dramatic, golf-club green finish, though any will taste just as good. You will need a 20cm x 20cm tin. Prep 10 min Cook 45 min Chill 4 hr+ Serves 8 250g mascarpone 200ml double cream 180g pistachio cream – I use Black Milk4 egg whites (about 120g) ¼ tsp flaky salt 70g caster sugarAbout 30 ladyfingers, AKA sponge fingers or savoiardi 400ml strong brewed coffee, cooled to room temperatureCocoa powder, for dusting75g pistachios In a large bowl, whip the mascarpone and double cream to stiff peaks. Add the pistachio cream and whip again until well combined. In a second bowl, beat the egg whites until frothy, then add the flaky salt and sugar, and whip again to voluminous stiff peaks that look like shiny shaving foam. Loosen the cream and pistachio mixture with four or five tablespoons of the meringue – mix it in and beat enthusiastically: the mixture should relax a little, making it easier to fold in the rest of the meringue and retain as much air as possible. In three instalments, gently fold in the remaining meringue with a flat spatula or whisk, leaving you with a strong-looking but airy mixture. Dip each ladyfinger one by one into the coffee for just two or three seconds, then use these to line the base of a 20cm x 20cm tin. Dust lightly with cocoa powder. Pile half the tiramisu cream (about 400g) on top and smooth with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Repeat with the sponge-dunking and layering, dust with more cocoa powder, then pile the remaining cream on top. Smooth the top, cover and chill for at least four hours, and ideally overnight or up to two days. Blitz the pistachios to a fine crumb in a food processor, then scatter all over the top of the tiramisu before serving. Nicola Lamb is a pastry chef and author of the weekly Kitchen Projects newsletter and Sift, published by Ebury Press at £30. To order a copy for £27, go to
