STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE WITH FRESH LEMON ZEST

Try varying the recipe with mango, pineapple, and kiwi or another type of berry instead of the strawberries. The sweet, fluffy, thick biscuits are also incredibly delicious on their own, split and served with preserves.

SERVES: 8

INGREDIENTS:

FOR THE BISCUITS:

• About 3 cups all-purpose flour, divided
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 7 tablespoons vegan butter (very cold)
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons plain unsweetened cashew milk (very cold), divided
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

FOR THE FILLING:

• 2 pounds strawberries, hulled and sliced (about 8 cups)
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest (about 2 large lemons)

FOR ASSEMBLY:

• 1 1/2 cups Whipped Coconut Cream or 8 scoops (1 recipe) Five-Ingredient Vegan Vanilla Ice Cream

INSTRUCTIONS:

FOR THE BISCUITS:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F and place a rack in the upper third of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a medium-large bowl, whisk together 2 1/2 cups of the flour with the sugar, baking powder, and salt until well blended. Cut the butter into small cubes, and add to the flour mixture. Use your fingers to crumble the butter into the dry mixture, until the dough attains the texture of coarse meal (you still want there to be lots of butter bits, for flakiness).
3. In a small-medium bowl, whisk together 1 cup of the cashew milk plus the vanilla. Pour it into the dry mix, and gently knead just until a smooth dough forms (if it’s still very sticky, begin adding the remaining flour 2 tablespoons at a time, up to a total of 3 cups maximum, but avoid overworking the dough).
4. Pour the dough onto a cold clean surface, and pat down into a roughly 4 x 4-inch rectangle 1 inch thick. With a sharp biscuit cutter (ideally with a 2-inch diameter), cut into about 8 rounds. Transfer to the lined baking sheet, spacing them at least 1 inch from each other.
5. Brush the remaining 2 tablespoons cashew milk on top of the biscuits. Immediately transfer to the oven, and bake until slightly golden brown on the bottom and cooked through, about 12 minutes. Split each one in half (if saving for another use, keep whole).

FOR THE FILLING:

1. While the biscuits bake, stir together the strawberries, sugar, and lemon zest in a large bowl, until well combined. (This can be done up to 1 hour in advance.)

TO ASSEMBLE:

1. On each of 8 serving plates, place a warm split biscuit. Spoon berry mixture and then whipped cream or ice cream on top. Serve.