I originally planned to post my recipe for strawberry shortcake, but when I went to the Decatur Farmers Market and the first peaches of the season were there. I couldn’t resist making Peach Shortcake instead. My mom went crazy over it, so it is now officially in the summer dessert rotation. The secret to the recipe: perfectly ripe peaches! It also doesn’t hurt that I use BQ’s Buttermilk Biscuits as the base for the shortcake.
ps. Clearly, this recipe works with strawberries, too. See instructions for using strawberries instead.
Skip to shortcuts or detailed instructions with pictures.
Peach Shortcake
Ingredients
- 1 batch BQ's Buttermilk Biscuits
- Peach mixture
- 3 c. peeled, diced peaches (5-7 peaches depending on size)
- 1-2 tsp. sugar
- Whipped cream
- 1 c. heavy whipping cream
- 1 Tbsp. sugar or vanilla sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla
Directions
- Step 1 Make biscuits per recipe or use comparable substitute.
- Step 2 Peel and dice peaches. Sprinkle with 1-2 tsp. sugar depending on sweetness of the peaches. Let sit at least 15 min. until the mixture gets juicy.
- Step 3 Add 1 Tbsp. sugar and 1 tsp. vanilla to cream. Whip until stiff peaks form.
- Step 4 Build shortcakes. Cut biscuits in half. Place bottom half on plate. Top with 2-3 Tbsp peach mixture, then whipped cream. Repeat with biscuit top, then peaches, then whipped cream.
Strawberry Shortcake
For strawberry shortcake, in step 2, replace peaches with strawberries cut in quarters. A 16 oz. package of strawberries should be about 2 cups.
Shortcuts
Let’s face it, we don’t always have time to make a delicious dessert from scratch. If you are short on time, try one or more of these shortcuts.
- Use biscuits or scones from your favorite bakery to save time making biscuits. In a pinch you could use Mary B’s frozen biscuits – these are the kind my mom gets when I’m not there to make biscuits.
- Make strawberry shortcake instead of peach – it takes longer to peel and dice peaches than it does to quarter strawberries.
- Use Reddii-whip or similar canned whipped cream to save time making the whipped cream. Note: It doesn’t take that long to whip cream, so I encourage you at least once to try making whip cream yourself.
Detailed Instructions
Step 0. Wait for the peaches to get perfectly ripe. Let them sit on the counter until they are ready. Don’t stack them on top of each other – they bruise easily. For most varieties they will give slightly when you touch them. When they are ripe they should smell really peachy.
Step 1. Make biscuits and cut to 2.5″ diameter. (See BQ’s Buttermilk Biscuits). Sprinkle a little sugar on top before baking.
Step 2. Peel and dice the peaches. With some varieties of peaches when the peach is really ripe, the skin will just peel right off. If you haven’t mastered this technique, see Southern Living’s advice on how to peel a peach. Sprinkle with 1-2 tsp. sugar (depending on sweetness of the peaches). Let sit at least 15 min. until the mixture gets juicy.
Step 3. Add 1 Tbsp. sugar and 1 tsp. vanilla to cream. Whip until stiff peaks form.
Step 4. Build shortcakes. Cut biscuits in half. Place bottom half on plate. Top with 2-3 Tbsp peach mixture, then whipped cream. Repeat with biscuit top, then peaches, then ending with whipped cream.
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