Description

Buttery scratch-made shortcakes filled with fresh blueberries and a sweet mascarpone cream. The perfect spring or summer dessert!

Ingredients

Scale

For the shortcakes:

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons lemon zest
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

For the blueberries:

2 pints fresh blueberries (about 1 1/2 lbs)
1/4 cup granulated sugar

For the mascarpone cream:

1/2 cup mascarpone
1 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla

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Instructions

Heat the oven to 425°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour, lemon zest, 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, baking powder and salt until well combined.
Use a pastry blender, two knives or your fingers to cut the cold butter into the flour mixture until the butter is the size of small peas.
Stir 1 1/2 cups heavy cream and 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla into the flour mixture just until a dough forms.
Divide the dough into 9 equal pieces. Gently shape each piece of dough into a biscuit-shaped round about 3/4-inch thick. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet, spaced about 1 inch apart.
Chill the biscuits on the baking sheet in the refrigerator 20 minutes.
Once chilled, transfer the biscuits on the baking sheet to the oven. Bake 18-20 minutes until golden brown. Transfer the baked biscuits to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl, stir the blueberries and 1/4 cup granulated sugar until well mixed. Let the mixture stand at room temperature 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Use immediately, or store the berries, covered, in the refrigerator up to 8 hours/overnight. The berries will continue to break down as they sit.
Just before serving, make the mascarpone cream: In a large mixing bowl, beat the mascarpone and 1 cup heavy cream with an electric hand mixer on high speed just until stiff peaks form. Beat in 2 teaspoons vanilla.
Use a serrated knife to gently cut the shortcakes in half. Top each bottom half with a generous spoonful or two of blueberries. Top with a generous dollop of mascarpone cream, and more berries if desired. Top with the top half of the shortcake. Serve immediately.

Notes

Swap the blueberries for sliced fresh strawberries or raspberries, or a combination!

If you can’t find or don’t want to buy mascarpone, you can use an equal amount of neufchatel/low-fat cream cheese at room temperature (results may vary).