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I have made these several times each spring when strawberries come back into season and this recipe is just amazing! The use of yogurt not only in the biscuit dough but also in the cream makes them light, moist, delicious and better for you than the traditional strawberry shortcake recipe. After letting the yogurt drain in the fridge for at least an hour it becomes more like the consistency of a Greek yogurt and with the help of the Greek gods, I’m sure, takes the whipped cream that much closer to a heavenly state. With or without the added orange juice in the cream, you will want to heap more of this on your plate than usual, especially if you used non fat yogurt, because it is so delicious and less dense than a traditional “heavy” whipped cream. As soon as strawberries come into season in your area you must give this recipe a try. Enjoy!

Strawberry Shortcakes

Adapted from Vegetarian Times

For the Cakes

1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tbs ground flax meal

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2 tbs butter

1 6oz container fat free or low fat plain yogurt

Preheat oven to 450° Fahrenheit. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Blend in the butter with your finger tips or pastry cutter until a coarse mealy texture is obtained, should resemble cornmeal. Stir in the yogurt and pat dough  into a flattened 1/2 inch thick circle on a well floured surface. Cut out about 6-8 dough circles with a well floured, round dough cutter or cup. Place biscuits on a baking sheet covered with a sheet of baking paper or a buttered and floured sheet. Brush the tops with milk or melted butter and bake for about 10 minutes or until the tops are golden.

For the Berries

1 package, about 500 grams of strawberries

1 tbs sugar

juice from half a lemon

Clean and slice the strawberries into a bowl. Sprinkle with sugar and add the juice from half a lemon. Mix together well and let sit for at least 1/2 to 1 hour.

For the Cream

2 cups of low fat or no fat vanilla yogurt

2/3 cup heavy cream

juice from 1 small orange (about 4 tablespoons)*

OR

2 cups of low fat or no fat plain yogurt

2/3 cup heavy cream

3 tbs confectioners sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

juice from 1 small orange*

*I used a small blood orange for this particular batch. I have also used no orange juice at all and it comes out very nicely as well.

At least 1-3 hours before you want to make the cream, put the yogurt in a sieve lined with cheesecloth, coffee filters or heavy duty paper towels. Place on top of a large bowl with at least an inch of clearance on the bottom cover with a plate and optionally a weight on top. Place in the fridge until you are ready to make the cream. After 1-3 hours, whip the heavy cream and, if using, the sugar and vanilla extract until stiff peaks form. Fold in drained yogurt and orange juice. Serve on top of a split biscuit with strawberries on top. Store any unused cream in the fridge and use within 3 days.