Shortcakes don’t have to be limited to strawberries; peaches are good with them too. For this recipe, I spiced up the biscuits and added pecans for crunch.
FOR THE BISCUITS
2 cups soft wheat self-rising flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch chunks and chilled for 15 minutes
1/2 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup buttermilk, plus more if needed
All-purpose flour for dusting
Melted butter for brushing the tops
FOR THE FILLING
6 small freestone peaches, peeled and sliced
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon lemon juice
FOR THE GINGER WHIPPED CREAM
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 450°. Use a nonstick cake pan or baking sheet.
To make the biscuits, whisk together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and ginger in a large mixing bowl. Add the cold chunks of butter and toss them in the flour to coat. Using a pastry blender or your fingertips, break up the chunks until they’re about the size of peas. Stir in the pecans.
Make a well in the center and pour in the buttermilk. Starting at the sides of the bowl, use a spatula or wooden spoon to toss the flour over the buttermilk. Continue to work in the flour from the sides of the bowl, just until the dough comes together.
If the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl and sticks to your fingers, you have the right amount of buttermilk. If there are dry spots and the dough isn’t sticky when you touch it, add more buttermilk.
Dust a surface with all-purpose flour and turn the dough out onto the surface. Flour your hands, then cuddle the dough by pressing your hands around the outer edges. Pat and press the top of the dough with your floured hands. Fold the dough in half, pat it, and fold it again. Repeat this two or three times until the outside of the dough feels less sticky and becomes smooth.
Use a rolling pin or pat the dough to flatten it to the desired thickness: 1/2 inch for traditional biscuits or up to 1 inch for very tall biscuits.
Cut the biscuits using a biscuit cutter without twisting the cutter. Place the biscuits in the cake pan or baking sheet so they touch if you like soft sides or about 1/2 inch apart for crisper sides.
Combine the leftover pieces of dough and cuddle them with your hands, handling the dough as little as possible. Cut more biscuits. Form the remaining scraps into a snake and place it around the biscuits. This will make the biscuits rise more evenly. (And the snake makes a crispy extra for the cook.)
Bake the biscuits in the center of the oven until they’re light golden brown, 12–14 minutes. Brush the tops with melted butter.
To make the filling, combine the peaches, sugar, cinnamon, and lemon juice in a medium bowl and let stand for at least 15 minutes.
To make the ginger whipped cream, combine the cream, sugar, ginger, and vanilla extract in a medium bowl and whip until stiff peaks form.
To assemble the shortcakes, slice each biscuit in half horizontally. On the bottom half, add the peach filling and ginger whipped cream, then place the other half on top.