Extra-Tender Blackberry Shortcake

Ingredients

• 340g all-purpose flour (2¼ cups plus 3 Tbsp.)
• 55g sugar (about ¼ cup)
• 2 Tbsp. baking powder
• 0.7g (¼ tsp.) Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• 2 hard-boiled egg yolks
• 114g unsalted butter, chopped into ½-inch dice and frozen
• About 1 cup plus 1 Tbsp. heavy cream
• 12g (about 2 ½ tsp.) crystallized sugar, such as turbinado, Demerara, or Sugar In The Raw
• 340g (about 2 ½ cups) fresh or frozen blackberries
• 70g sugar
• 2 tsp. orange zest
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp. vanilla paste or pure vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp. confectioners’ sugar
• 1 cup Greek-style yogurt (or yogurt drained overnight)
• 420g (about 3 cups) fresh blackberries
• Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Steps

1. To make the shortcake biscuits, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a food processor. Pulse to mix. Add the yolks, pulse to combine, then add the butter and process until the mixture is the texture of coarse meal (when it’s right, the butter will no longer sound rumbly and the largest pieces will be no bigger than a lentil), about 15 seconds.
2. Transfer the dough to a bowl. Add 1 cup and 1 tablespoon cream and stir with a fork just until the flour is moistened and the dough is clumpy and shaggy (if the dough seems very dry, add up to another tablespoon of cream). Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Gather the dough together with your hands and form it into a compact square, and, using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 6-inch square.
3. Trim the ragged edges and cut out 8 shortcakes with a sharp knife or cutter (squares are most efficient). Roll the trimmed scraps into an additional shortcake.
4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the shortcake biscuits on the prepared baking sheet and allow them to rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
5. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Brush each biscuit with cream, sprinkle with crystallized sugar, and bake for 10 minutes. Rotate the pan front to back and continue baking until the biscuits are golden, about 10 minutes more. Set the biscuits aside to cool.
6. To make the blackberry reduction, combine 340 grams (12 ounces) blackberries, 70 grams (2.5 ounces) sugar, and the zest in a small saucepan. Crush the berries with the back of a wooden spoon. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then lower the heat and simmer until the berries are soft and have released their juices, about 10 minutes. Press the berry compote through a fine sieve. Reserve the reduced syrup and discard the berry pulp.
7. Shortly before serving, make the yogurt cream. Combine 1 cup cream, the vanilla, and confectioners’ sugar in a stand mixer or bowl. Whip until the cream holds soft peaks. Add the yogurt and whisk together until blended.
8. To assemble the shortcakes, slice each biscuit in half horizontally with a serrated knife. Arrange the bottom halves on serving plates. Put 420 grams (15 ounces) fresh berries in a large bowl and dress them with the berry reduction, stirring gently to coat the berries evenly. Dollop whipped yogurt cream on the bottom biscuit halves, spoon blackberries over the cream, then finish the cakes by topping them with the other biscuit halves. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve.