Shortcake with Berries and Cream

Today I love bringing fresh strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries home and looking for new ways to eat them. Of course I love them with ice cream, but sometimes I crave a light cake. This shortcake fits the bill. Moist, crumbly, and slightly lemony, this shortcake lets you enjoy any berry you love. The cream is light, low-fat, and full of flavor. You can prepare the cream and the berries a day ahead of time. The shortcake is best the day that it’s baked, or even slightly warn.

If you want to eat this shortcake in the middle of winter go right ahead!  It pairs beautifully with any fresh fruit.

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Shortcake

1 ½ c. gluten-free flour blend
½ c. yellow cornmeal, stone-ground
1 T. baking powder
¼ t. salt
1 t. lemon zest
¾ c. low-fat buttermilk
¼ c. canola oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 t. vanilla
scant ¼ c. agave nectar

Cream

1 c. 2% cottage cheese
1 c. non-fat plain yogurt
2 T. light agave nectar (optional)

Berries

4 c. of your favorite summer berries

Adjust a baking rack to the middle position of the oven. Preheat oven to 425¡F. Spray a 8″ round cake pan with baking spray. Line with parchment paper and spray again. You can also use a 8×8 square pan. Set aside.

To make the shortcake, place flour blend, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt in a sifter. Sift the dry ingredients together. Put dry ingredients in a small mixing bowl and make a well in the center.

Mix wet ingredients together in a large measuring cup. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix with a fork until just combined and dough comes together. Place into prepared pan and spread with a spatula so that the top is flat. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes or until golden brown. The shortcake will pull slightly from the edges of the pan.

Place on a wire rack and cool for 5 minutes. Then remove from pan and place on a clean kitchen towel on the wire rack and let it cool further.

While the shortcake is in the oven, place cottage cheese and yogurt into a food processor or blender. Process until completely smooth. Scrape sides down several times. Once mixture is smooth, add agave and process until incorporated. Transfer to another container, cover, and refrigerate. Then, prepare berries if necessary.

To serve, slice the shortcake into 8 wedges and slice each wedge in half. Place the bottom half of the shortcake wedge on a plate. Place ¼ c. of cream on the bottom half. Top with ½ c. of berries. Place top half of wedge on top of berries.