Fresh Blueberry Shortcakes

Last week of March. Easter is Sunday and I am making the Easter brunch at Gloria's again, which has become its own tradition since 2021. The frittata with asparagus and goat cheese, the potato salad, the lemon icebox pie. Three years of the same menu, which means it has stopped being improvised and become the Easter thing.

I have also been making wedding cake tests. I made the first lemon layer cake trial this week, three eight-inch rounds, the lemon curd filling I have been perfecting for three years, the cream cheese frosting. It was very good on the first try, which surprised me, and then I realized it had not surprised Gloria when I reported back to her, because she said: you have been developing this cake for three years without knowing it was going to be a wedding cake. All those lemon desserts were practice. I said: I suppose they were. She said: nothing is wasted. If you are paying attention, nothing is wasted.

Tyler tasted the cake and said: this is going to be the wedding cake? I said: yes. He said: then the wedding is going to be excellent. He said it with the uncomplicated certainty he brings to things he is sure of, which is increasingly everything. I do not take for granted the specific goodness of being with someone who is sure of you. I earned that knowledge the hard way. Now I hold it the right way.

After a week of lemon curd and layer cake testing, I wanted something I could bring to the Easter table that felt as bright and assembled as everything else I’ve been making — but without the multi-day project. These Fresh Blueberry Shortcakes are exactly that: layered, a little celebratory, and built from things that taste like the season is finally turning. Gloria would approve. Tyler would eat three.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes | Servings: 8

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
3/4 cup heavy cream, plus extra for brushing
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 cups fresh blueberries
3 tablespoons granulated sugar (for macerating berries)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream (for topping)
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (for whipped cream)

Instructions

Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Make the shortcake dough. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the cold butter cubes and use your fingertips or a pastry cutter to work the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with a few pea-sized pieces remaining.
Add the cream. Stir in 3/4 cup heavy cream and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until the dough just comes together — do not overmix. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently pat it to about 3/4-inch thickness.
Cut and bake. Use a 2 1/2-inch round biscuit cutter to cut out 8 shortcakes, pressing straight down without twisting. Place on the prepared baking sheet, brush tops with a little heavy cream, and sprinkle with a pinch of sugar. Bake for 13–15 minutes until golden on top. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Macerate the blueberries. While the shortcakes bake, combine the blueberries, 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, and lemon juice in a bowl. Stir gently and let sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes, until the berries release their juices.
Whip the cream. In a chilled bowl, beat the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract with a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium-high until soft, billowy peaks form. Do not overwhip.
Assemble. Split each shortcake horizontally. Spoon a generous amount of macerated blueberries and their juices over the bottom half, add a dollop of whipped cream, then place the top half on. Finish with more berries and whipped cream. Serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Fresh Blueberry Shortcakes — A Spring Dessert for the Season of Building Something Beautiful