Strawberry Shortcake

By now Morgan Adams is a familiar face around Comer Hall. A student-worker since August 2022 in the Office of Communications & Marketing for the College of Agriculture, Adams is known for her sharp photography — shown here — and predilection to bring in baked goods.

The Monterey, Virginia, native started cooking as a child. The fourth child of six, her experience in the kitchen began with birthday cakes.

“As soon as we could see over the counter, we could help make our birthday cakes,” she said. “At some point, our dad kept asking for baked goods after teaching us how to make them, and it grew from there.”

Adams is at home in a kitchen. While she likes cooking all kinds of things, she has a special place in her heart for baking. This tried-and-true strawberry shortcake recipe is a favorite of hers, which she baked and photographed on her dad’s worktop in Virginia.

For the strawberry topping

1. Chop the strawberries into the desired-sized pieces and toss with sugar and salt in a bowl. Let it sit for about 30 minutes to draw the strawberry juice out.

2. Heat the jam over medium heat for 3-5 minutes until no longer foamy. Add to the strawberries along with the lemon juice and stir together.

   Note: This topping should be served at room temperature or chilled, so it’s best to do this before you start on the shortcakes.

For the shortcake

1. Combine flour, sugar, salt and baking powder.
2. Cut the butter into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter. Cut until it’s a crumbly mixture with pea sized pieces.
3. Add the buttermilk and egg to the mixture and combine gently until you have a shaggy dough. The flour may not be all mixed in, and that’s okay.
4. Knead by hand until the dough comes together. If it’s too dry to combine, add a tablespoon of extra buttermilk or ice water until it does.
5. Turn the dough onto a flour surface and roll in a 9×13 rectangle. Fold the dough in half, then into quarters, and once again for a total of three turns. If it’s too tall, gently roll until it’s about 1 ¼ inches thick.
6. Using a 2 ½ inch biscuit cutter or a tall glass, dip into flour and cut the dough. Press straight down and do not twist. Re-roll the scraps and repeat.
7. Place into a buttered 9X9 square baking pan. Having a pan with taller sides helps to prevent them from falling over. They should be snug in the pan or about ½ inch apart depending on how many you get.
8. If time allows, freeze for 20 minutes while the oven is preheating at 425 F. This helps to keep flaky layers in the shortcake.
9. Once the oven is preheated, brush the tops with heavy cream and sprinkle with sugar and then bake for 18-22 minutes until golden brown.

For the whipped cream

1. Mix all three ingredients until you get stiff peaks and keep refrigerated until ready to serve.