Flashback Friday ~The Great Magazine Challenge Revisited

Last Sunday I threw out my Great Cooking Magazine Challenge to get us out of our winter funk. Hope you all have been trying out some new recipes this week! Come back here on Sunday and post your link or make a comment about what you did with the challenge.


To get you in the mood I'm flashing back this week to a recipe I tried in a previous Great Cooking Magazine Challenge. How about some juicy strawberries to make you think toward spring!



Chocolate Strawberry Shortcakes
Adapted from June/July 2009 Food Network Magazine

For the Shortcakes

1 cup all purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/3 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons dutch process cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons cold butter cut into pieces
3 ozs milk chocolate roughly chopped
2 large eggs
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
raw or turbinado sugar for sprinkling

For the Topping
1 quart strawberries, hulled and sliced
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone mat. Make shortcakes: Whisk flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Using your fingers, rub the butter into the flour mixture until sandy. Add the chocolate. Whisk 1 egg, the cream and vanilla in a glass measuring cup; stir into a flour mixture with a fork to make a shaggy dough (there will be some dry bits). Turn out into a lightly floured surface; pat flat until 1 1/2 inches thick. Cut into 6 rounds, using the scraps for the last cake. Place rounds on the baking sheet and place in fridge or freezer for 20 minutes. While in fridge preheat oven to 400°. Beat remaining egg and brush onto cakes and sprinkle with raw sugar. Bake until firm, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool. While cooling make the toppings. (Recipe calls for half of strawberries to be cooked, but I skipped that). Toss strawberries with sugar. Whip the cream until medium peaks forum. Swirl in a little of strawberries and juice into whipped cream. Split the shortcakes in half. Layer the cream and strawberries then cover with second half. Top with more cream and strawberries.

If you have a FLASHBACK you'd like to share please add your link here. This isn't the Cooking Magazine challenge...just my weekly Flashback Friday post. So come back Sunday to share your Magazine reviews and recipes!



I'm also joining in with Foodie Friday this week over at Designs by Gollum. Check it out HERE.