Why does the summer seem to be flying by, all of a sudden? The kids go back to school in a few weeks (in-person), and I find myself holding on to every minute spent with them – even though we’ve spent practically every minute together for the past five months. I’m somewhere in between the feelings of “I can’t wait to have some quiet, free time” and “This house is too quiet. When is it time to pickup the kids?”. But let’s put mama’s feelings aside for the moment, because we need to talk dessert.

Last night I made Cheryl Day’s peach-strawberry shortcakes. Y’all, they are out of this world good. I bought The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook earlier this summer and want to bake everything in it. With two pints of strawberries in my fridge on the verge of turning bad, I bathed those berries in a boatload of sugar and made shortcakes.

These shortcakes take little time to make, and the best part is that they are made from scratch. I baked the shortcakes and prepped the filling in the early afternoon before dinner. I wanted the peaches and strawberries to have enough time to marinate. The fresh whipped cream was made right before assembling the shortcakes for dessert.

Here are the ingredients and how I timed it. 

Ingredients:

Filling:
Up to 6 ripe peaches
2+ Cups of Strawberries, halved
1/2 cup of sugar

Biscuits:
1 1/2 cups of flour
1/2 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling on top of biscuits
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
8 tbsp (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1/2 cup buttermilk

Whipped Cream:
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup confectioners sugar

Making the shortcakes and prepping the filling.
Time: 30 minutes or less.

1) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper. While the oven is pre-heating, make your biscuits.

2) Combine the flour, sugar, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl and whisk to combine. 

3) Toss your cubes of butter into the flour mixture. Use a pastry blender (or your hands) to cut the butter into pea-sized chunks. 

4) Pour in the buttermilk and use your hands to fold the ingredients together to form your dough. I usually add a few splashes more of buttermilk than what recipes typically call for. I find I need more to get all of those floury bits on the bottom to stick to the rest of the dough.

5) Pat the dough with your hands into the bottom of the bowl, shaping it into a round loaf of bread. Lightly dust flour on top of the dough.

6) Take a round ice cream scooper and scoop 6 balls of dough onto your baking sheet. Keep them a few inches apart. Using your hands, gently press on top of the dough to flatten each ball. Sprinkle the tops with sugar.

The biscuits take about 15 minutes to turn a light, golden brown.

While biscuits are in the oven, make your filling.
Time: 10 minutes

1) Cut your strawberries in half; I sliced most of mine. Slice the peaches. 

2) Toss the fruit and 1/2 cup of sugar together in a bowl; let it sit in the refrigerator for up to 3 hours to release its juices.

Don’t worry so much about the exact amount of peaches or strawberries. Just use what you have and make sure it’s enough, so that the amount of sugar isn’t disproportionate to fruit.

Making the whipped cream.
Time: 5 minutes

I used a handheld mixer. Whip the cream on medium speed for a few minutes, so it starts to thicken. Then add the confectioners’ sugar and beat together until it forms soft peaks. 

To Assemble: 

• Slice the shortcakes in half

• Spoon the fruit on the bottom halves and top with whipped cream. 

• Place the top halves on top. 

• Spoon another layer of fruit on top, followed by another dollop of whipped cream. 

• Dig in!

Today I’m pairing these shortcakes with a side of Etta James. I love listening to music when I’m cooking. The food I eat often makes me think of certain songs - a melody or lyrics that capture my feelings towards a delectable dessert or comforting meal. So I’m going to start sharing a song that compliments the food featured in each post.

For these strawberry and peach shortcakes, none other than Etta James’ “Something’s Got a Hold on Me” can do. These shortcakes were love at first bite with a little sweetness and a lot of soul.