Strawberry Shortcakes

Step 1

Stir together the flour, 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, and butter with a fork in a large bowl until the butter is coated with flour. Using the tines of the fork or your fingers, break the butter cubes into pea-sized pieces, tossing them to coat with the flour mixture until crumbly. Set aside.

Step 2

Preheat the oven to 425° with the oven racks positioned in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Whisk together 1 3/4 cups of the whipping cream with the egg, vanilla, and the orange zest in a medium bowl until combined. Gradually add the cream mixture to the flour mixture, stirring until the dough just comes together and there are no pockets of dry flour left.

Step 3

Using a 1/3 cup measure or cookie scoop, drop leveled scoops of the shortcake dough onto parchment-lined rimmed baking sheets, spacing the dough mounds at least 2 inches apart. Press the dough rounds to flatten slightly and sprinkle the tops with coarse sugar. Bake until the tops are golden brown, about 15 minutes, rotating the pans between the upper and lower racks halfway through baking.

Step 4

While the shortcakes bake, stir together the strawberries, 1/4 cup of remaining granulated sugar, and juice from the orange halves in a bowl. Use a hand mixer to beat the remaining 3 cups cream and the remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar in another medium bowl until soft, fluffy peaks form, about 2 minutes.

Step 5

Remove the biscuits from the oven; let cool 5 minutes. Use a fork to gently split each biscuit in half. For each serving, add a dollop of whipped cream to each biscuit bottom, followed by a spoonful of strawberries. Top with a biscuit half, more whipped cream, and more berries. Serve immediately.