Best 6 Summer Berry Stacked Shortcake Recipes

FRESH BERRY CREAM CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease three 8-inch or 9-inch cake pans, line with parchment paper rounds (see #6 in Cake Baking Tips), then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pans. I recommend using nonstick spray for greasing. I also recommend 8 inch cake pans as the 9 inch cakes will be pretty thin.
• Whisk the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
• Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the butter on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the sugar and beat on high speed for 2 minutes until creamed together. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the egg whites. Beat on high speed until combined, about 2 minutes. Then beat in the sour cream and vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients until just incorporated. With the mixer still running on low, slowly pour in the milk until combined. Do not overmix. You may need to whisk it all by hand to make sure there are no lumps at the bottom of the bowl. The batter will be slightly thick.
• Pour batter evenly into cake pans. Bake for around 22-24 minutes or until the cakes are baked through. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, it is done. Allow cakes to cool completely in the pans set on a wire rack. The cakes must be completely cool before assembling.
• Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract, and almond extract on medium-high speed until medium peaks form, about 3-4 minutes. Medium peaks are between soft/loose peaks and stiff peaks and are the perfect consistency for decorating cakes. Use immediately or cover tightly and chill in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Yields about 4 cups.
• If cooled cakes are domed on top, use a large serrated knife to slice a thin layer off the tops to create a flat surface. This is called "leveling" the cakes. (Discard thin layer or crumble over ice cream.) Place 1 cake layer on your cake stand or serving plate. Evenly spread 1 heaping cup of whipped cream on top. I always use an icing spatula to spread. Arrange a single layer of mixed berries on top. Top with 2nd cake layer. Spread another 1 heaping cup of whipped cream on top, then a single layer of berries. Top with 3rd cake layer. Spread remaining whipped cream on top and garnish with fresh berries. Add a dusting of confectioners' sugar on the berries, if desired, and/or garnish with fresh florals.
• Chill the assembled cake, uncovered, for at least 2 hours and up to 1 day before slicing and serving. This time in the refrigerator helps the whipped cream thicken and makes cutting neater and easier. If chilling for longer than a few hours, you can carefully cover it with plastic wrap or use a cake carrier for storing in the refrigerator (what I always store my cakes in!). *Note that the berries could begin to release their juices if kept in the refrigerator for longer than 2 hours. For cutting, I recommend using your sharpest knife and cutting slowly.
• Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

SUMMER BERRY STACK

Steps:

• Whisk 3/4 cup sugar, egg yolks, and 1 tablespoon lemon zest together in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook until sugar dissolves and mixture is light in color, about 3 minutes. Stir in 2/3 cup lemon juice and 3 tablespoons butter. Cook, whisking constantly, until lemon curd coats the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; cover and let cool.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat two 9x13-inch baking pans with cooking spray and dust each with 1 teaspoon flour.
• Place 1 cup butter in a microwave-safe bowl; heat in the microwave until melted, 2 to 3 minutes. Mix together with graham cracker crumbs and 1/2 cup sugar. Press the crust into the bottom of 1 prepared pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until slightly browned, about 10 minutes. Leave oven on.
• Beat cake mix, water, 3 eggs, vegetable oil, and 2 tablespoons lemon juice together in a bowl using an electric mixer until smooth. Mix in sour cream; fold in blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries. Pour 1/2 the batter on top of the crust; pour the rest into the second prepared pan.
• Bake the batter-filled pan in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool.
• Beat cream cheese in a bowl with an electric mixer until fluffy. Beat in condensed milk until smooth and fluffy. Add lime juice and zest; mix well. Fold in whipped topping.
• Scatter dollops of lemon curd over every few inches of the crusted cake. Spread half the cream cheese mixture over the lemon curd. Flip the second cake onto a cake rack; gently place on top of the cheese layer. Smooth the remaining cream cheese mixture on top.
• Melt chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl in 15-second intervals, stirring after each melting, 1 to 3 minutes. Drizzle on top of the cake. Cover cake; refrigerate until chocolate and cheese layer are set, about 3 hours.

SUMMER SHORTCAKE

Steps:

• Make the biscuits: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a food processor, pulse flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until combined. Add butter, and pulse until largest pieces are the size of peas. Add cream cheese, and pulse again until largest pieces are the size of peas. Add buttermilk, and pulse until dough comes together. Transfer to a bowl, and gently knead into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rest in the refrigerator at least 1 hour (or overnight).
• Divide dough in half. Working with one portion at a time on a lightly floured work surface, pat into a disk, then roll into a 10-inch round. Transfer to baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
• Brush biscuits with buttermilk. Generously sprinkle raw or sanding sugar over tops and sides. Brush off sugar from parchment. Bake until dough has risen slightly and is golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes (if bottoms brown too quickly, reduce temperature to 400 degrees). Leave biscuits on sheets. Using a 2 1/2-inch star cutter, cut out (but do not remove) 7 stars from one biscuit while it is still warm. Let cool.
• Using a paring knife, carefully remove star shapes. Reserve for snacking or another use. (Biscuits can be made up to 8 hours ahead; store on wire racks, and cover loosely with plastic wrap.)
• Make the filling: Combine blueberries, strawberries, and 2 tablespoons sugar, and let macerate until juicy, 10 minutes.
• Just before serving, beat cream to medium peaks with remaining tablespoon sugar and the vanilla.
• Assemble the cake: Place uncut biscuit on a large plate. Spoon half the berries and their juices on top of biscuit, then spread the whipped cream over berries. Top with all but about 1/2 cup berries. (Make sure surface is even; it will support the top biscuit and prevent it from breaking.) Carefully place cutout biscuit on top. Fill star cutouts with reserved berries. Serve immediately, or refrigerate, uncovered, up to 3 hours.

PERFECT BERRY SHORTCAKES

Steps:

• Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat to 425 degrees. Mix flour, salt, baking powder and 3 Tbs. sugar in a medium bowl. Grate 2 Tbs. of the butter on the coarse holes of a box grater into dry ingredients; toss to coat. Repeat grating and tossing with remaining butter. Combine egg and half-and-half; pour into flour mixture. Toss with a fork to form large clumps. Lightly press clumps into a ball; add a teaspoon more half-and-half to the bowl if dough won't come together.
• Turn dough onto work surface; press into an 8-by-4- to 5-inch rectangle. Cut into 6 squares, placing them 1 inch apart on a small baking sheet. (Can be refrigerated up to 2 hours before baking.) Before baking, brush tops with optional egg white for a particularly attractive sheen. Sprinkle with remaining 2 Tbs. sugar. Bake until golden brown, about 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool until warm, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Mix thawed and fresh berries with sugar in a bowl; let stand until sugar dissolves. With a hand mixer, beat cream to soft peaks, gradually adding 1 Tb. sugar, then vanilla.
• Split each cake crosswise; spoon a portion of berries over each cake bottom, then a dollop of whipped cream over berries. Cap with cake top and serve immediately.

STRAWBERRY BALSAMIC SHORTCAKES

Steps:

• To make the strawberries, toss the coined berries and cane sugar together in a bowl. Let them sit for about 20 minutes, or until they start to break down and liquefy.
• Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C or gas mark 8) and have a sheet pan lined with parchment nearby.
• To make the biscuits, in a bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, granulated sugar and salt. Drizzle over the olive oil, and gently toss with your hands until droplets of oil are dispersed evenly throughout the flour. Add the buttermilk, stirring gently and compressing with your hands until a shaggy dough is formed. Dump out onto a floured work surface and knead until it comes together into a solid mass. Roll it out into a 1¼-inch (3-cm)-thick disk. Using a 3-inch (7.5-cm) biscuit cutter, punch out 6 biscuits, folding and re-rolling the dough if needed. Place the biscuits on the lined sheet tray, brush with more buttermilk, sprinkle with raw sugar if using, and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until slightly puffed and golden brown. Remove the biscuits and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
• To make the balsamic glaze, combine the balsamic vinegar and honey in a saucepan and bring it to a simmer. Cook over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the liquid reduces by half. Set aside to cool and thicken.
• To make the whipped cream topping, when you're ready to serve, beat together the cream and honey in a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, or in a bowl with an electric mixer, until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes. Split the cooled biscuits in half and spoon on some of the strawberries along with some of their juices so it soaks into the bottom biscuit. Top with a dollop of whipped cream, followed by a drizzle of the balsamic glaze. Top with the other half of the biscuit, and repeat with more strawberries, more cream, and another drizzle of glaze. Repeat with the rest of the biscuits, and serve immediately.

SUMMER BERRY CREAM CAKE

Steps:

• To prepare cake, first heat oven to 350 degrees. Oil or spray a 10-inch springform pan, and line bottom with parchment paper.
• Using an electric mixer at high speed, whisk eggs and sugar together until they triple in volume, becoming thick and airy. Add vanilla and lemon zest, and whisk to combine. Reduce speed to medium-low, and gradually add flour. Remove bowl from mixer, give a final fold with a spatula and pour into prepared cake pan. Bake until risen and light golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool pan on wire rack 10 minutes, and remove sides from pan.
• When cake is cool use a long, thin knife to split it into 2 thin disks. Place bottom half cut side up on a serving platter; place other half cut side up on a large piece of foil. In a blender, combine 2 cups strawberries, confectioners' sugar and lemon juice. Purée until smooth. Set aside 1/4 cup purée, and divide remaining purée between two cake layers, pouring over cut sides and spreading with a rubber spatula.
• In a large bowl, combine reserved 1/4 cup purée with 1/2 cup blueberries, 1/2 cup blackberries, 1/2 cup red raspberries and currants or golden raspberries. Fold gently to mix.
• Whisk heavy cream with vanilla until thick but still soft. Spread half over cake sitting on serving dish. Top with fruit mixture, and place remaining cake half on top, cut side down. Spread remaining cream on top. Cut strawberries into halves or quarters, and place in a bowl. Add remaining 1/4 cup each of blueberries, blackberries and raspberries, and toss to mix. Arrange berry mixture on top of cake, and dust with confectioners' sugar.