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Ginger peach biscuit shortcake is the perfect blend of warmth and freshness, combining the zing of ginger with the natural sweetness of ripe peaches.
What is a biscuit shortcake?
Biscuit shortcake is a dessert that uses American-style biscuits as the base, instead of a cake, to create a shortcake. These biscuits are typically lightly sweetened, flaky, and tender, providing a rich, buttery contrast to the fresh fruit and whipped cream layered with them. The biscuits are split in half horizontally, with a layer of sweetened fruit and whipped cream placed between the halves. More fruit and cream are typically spooned on top.
Flavor Profile
The ginger in the biscuit adds a subtle warmth that perfectly balances the sweetness of the peaches, making each bite refreshing yet satisfying. The flaky, buttery biscuits contrast the juicy peaches and soft whipped cream, while the yogurt adds a pleasant slight tanginess to the base.
Ginger Peach Biscuit Shortcake
Ingredients
- 120 g plain whole-milk yogurt cold
- 60 g whole milk cold
- 272 g all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
- 45 g sugar
- 85 g unsalted butter cold, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
- 240 g peaches weight is without skin and stone
For topping:
Filling for shortcake:
- Peaches
- Whipped cream
Instructions
- When making tender and flaky biscuits you want to make sure the ingredients like milk, butter, yogurt are cold. Keep them in the fridge until you are ready to use them
- I use fresh peaches. Dice into tiny little pieces.
- Combine all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, grated ginger and baking soda in a mixing bowl. Add the cold butter pieces in.
- If you have a pastry cutter, you can use the cutter to mix the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse crumbs. This creates pockets of fat that melt during baking, creating those desired layers.
- If you use your hands, rub the dry ingredients together with the butter pieces until you get crumbs about the size of peas.
- Whisk the cold yogurt and milk together. Pour this over the dry ingredients. Use a fork to toss everything together.
- Add the peach pieces and use a fork to toss everything again.
- The mixture is sort of dry and crumbly at this point. Use your hands to push the mixture together. Don't knead it. Just push them together to form a rough dough
- Transfer this to a work surface
- Use your hands again to lightly pat them into a rectangle-ish shape, about 1/2-inch thick. At this point, you can use a biscuit cutter, about 2 – 2 1/2 inch diameter, to cut as close as possible to get as many biscuits as you can. Push the cutter straight down to cut and do NOT twist it. When you twist the cutter, you seal the edge of the biscuit and that prevents it from rising properly
- You can gather the scraps and push them together again and cut as many as you can. The scraps usually won't be as pretty, but they are still going to be delicious.
- I split the dough into two pieces and I use a very sharp knife to cut into 6 pieces on each dough, a total of 12. You will get 12 small biscuits. You can cut them larger if you prefer it that way
- Place them on a large baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Sprinkle the top with turbinado sugar for some texture. You can prepare up to this point and freeze them for future baking. They can be kept in the freezer for one month
Chill in the freezer before baking:
- If your butter and liquids are cold when mixing and you're working quickly, you can skip chilling. However, if your kitchen is warm or the dough has softened, chilling for about 15-20 minutes before baking can help achieve a better rise.
- I like to put the entire baking sheet with the biscuits on it in the freezer for about 15 minutes while the oven is preheating
Baking:
- Preheat the oven to 425 F (220 C) for conventional oven, 400 F (200 C) for convection oven
- Place the baking sheet on the middle rack and bake for 15 minutes or until they are golden brown
To serve as is:
- Biscuits are best served on the same day. You can serve them warm right away with some jam and butter
To serve as a shortcake:
- Let the biscuits cool down to room temperature. Split the biscuit in half. Add some fresh peach slices, sprinkle the peach slices with some sugar and let it sit for about 5 minutes. The sugar will draw out some juices from the peaches, making them taste even better. Top with some sweetened or unsweetened whipped cream or yogurt on the base of the biscuit and then top with the cap. Serve as a "dessert" with a spoon.
- You can read more details on variations, and other tips in my post that may answer your questions not covered in the recipe card
*Nutrition facts are just estimates and calculated using online tools*
Important tips to make good biscuits
1. Keep the butter cold: Cold butter creates flaky layers in the biscuits. Cut the butter into small pieces and refrigerate it until you’re ready to mix it into the dough.
2. Don’t overwork the dough: Overmixing can lead to tough biscuits. Gently fold the ingredients together just until combined, and avoid kneading as much as you can
3. Use cold liquids: Just like the butter, your milk, yogurt, or cream should be cold to help the biscuits rise and maintain their flakiness.
4. Cut the butter into the flour properly: Use a pastry cutter or your fingers to mix it until it resembles coarse crumbs. This creates pockets of fat that melt during baking, creating those desired layers.
5. Pat, don’t roll: Gently pat the dough to your desired thickness instead of using a rolling pin. Rolling can compress the dough too much and you will lose the light and flaky texture
6. Use a sharp cutter: When cutting the biscuits, use a sharp-edged cutter or knife and avoid twisting. Twisting can seal the edges and prevent the biscuits from rising properly.
7. Keep them close together: When placing biscuits on the baking sheet, position them close but not touching. This encourages them to rise upwards rather than spreading outwards.
8. Bake in a hot oven: High heat (around 425°F/220°C) helps the biscuits rise quickly, giving them a nice golden-brown color and crispy exterior.
Variations
A great variation for ginger biscuit shortcakes would be using strawberries, which is a classic that you see often used in American-style shortcakes. Strawberries pair beautifully with the warm spice of ginger, and their sweet-tart flavor contrasts nicely with the buttery, flaky biscuits. You can slice them fresh, layer them like peaches, or briefly macerate them with a little sugar to bring out their juices. Other fruit options that would work well include:
Apricots: Their natural sweetness and slight tang complement the ginger.
Plums: Adds a bit of tartness, with juicy flesh that balances the biscuit’s richness.
Blueberries: Bursting with sweetness and a bit of acidity, blueberries work wonderfully, especially when slightly crushed to release their juice.
Nectarines: If you love the texture of peaches but want a slightly firmer fruit, nectarines make a great alternative.
Mangoes: For a tropical twist, ripe mangoes bring a creamy texture and exotic sweetness that blends well with ginger.
How to store biscuits
I recommend preparing the shortcake just before serving. The plain biscuits can be stored in several ways:
1. Room temperature: Place the biscuits in an airtight container or wrap them tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil to prevent them from drying out. They can be kept this way for a day or two
2. Freezer: For longer storage, wrap individual biscuits tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, then place them in a freezer-safe bag or airtight container. Be sure to label the bag with the date. They can be kept frozen for up to one month for the best result
How to reheat biscuits
1. If they are at room temperature, reheat them in a preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) for 5-10 minutes to restore some of their crispness.
2. If they are frozen, thaw them at room temperature or reheat directly from frozen in the oven at 350°F (175°C) for 10-15 minutes.
