Recipe - Chocolate Shortcakes With Red Fruit And Whipped Cream

2 pt Ripe strawberries hulled,
Sliced
1/3 cup Sugar or more to taste
1 pt Raspberries
One half pound Cherries pitted, chopped
SHORTCAKE DOUGH
2 One half cup Allpurpose flour
One fourth cup Cocoa powder
One half cup Sugar
1 tablespoon Baking powder
One half teaspoon Baking soda
One half teaspoon Salt
1 lg Egg
Three fourths cup Buttermilk cold
One half cup Milk + 2 tbsp, cold
2 teaspoon Orange zest finely
Grated
Three fourths cup Unsalted butter in 1/4"
Pieces
3 tablespoon Sugar for topping
FILLING
1 One half cup Whipping cream cold
1 tablespoon Sugar
1 One half teaspoon Vanilla
One fourth cup Powdered sugar
(optional)

Place strawberries in large bowl, add sugar, gently toss. Set aside for at
least 2 hours. Using a fork, mash onethird of the berries; toss again,
then add raspberries and cherries. Let stand 1 hour. Adjust rack to lower
third of oven; preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with
parchment paper. The dough: Sift flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking
powder, baking soda, salt into a large bowl. Combine egg, buttermilk, milk,
orange zest; stir to mix. Cut butter into dry ingredients until mixture
resembles coarse meal. Add egg mixture; stir just until it forms a soft,
moist, sticky dough. Spoon 1/4cup mounds of dough about 2 inches apart on
the baking sheet. Sprinkle a little sugar over each mound; gently pat dough
to One half to Three fourths inch thickness. Bake about 20 minutes, or until toothpick
inserted into center comes out clean. Cool shortcakes on a wire rack.
Topping: Whip cream with sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form. To
assemble: Split shortcakes in half. Place bottom halves on dessert plates.
Top each with berries and cherries, then with whipped cream. Set top of
shortcakes on whipped cream. If desired, sprinkle with a light dusting of
powdered sugar. Serves 12.

Recipe By : Flo Braker

File ftp://ftp.idiscover.co.uk/pub/food/mealmaster/recipes/mmdja006.zip