It’s Shortcake Season

Almond Shortcakes with Peaches & Cream

Shortcake is one of the best desserts to show off summer fruits at their peak of ripeness. While strawberries dominate the shortcake scene, these Almond Shortcakes beg for juicy, ripe peaches.

You won’t break a sweat by making these shortcakes. They’re drop biscuits, mixed in the food processor and dressed up with a sliced almond topping. The secret ingredient is almond paste which teams up with almond flour and almond extract for rich flavor and texture.

I’ve baked shortcake since my childhood, starting with my Great Aunt Mary’s recipe, passed down from my Nana. My Dad introduced us to shortcake for breakfast, doused with homemade eggnog, the way he enjoyed it as a young man working on a watermelon farm in Southern California. I’ve lightened up my approach to shortcake although I still favor short or biscuit-style shortcakes over the spongy style.

Use a mix of yellow and white peaches and nectarines to enjoy each of their subtle flavor differences. Slice and toss with a splash of fresh lemon juice and honey or sugar, to bring out the juices. Whipped cream? Of course. I lighten it by whipping with plain Greek yogurt (about 1 cup cream and 1/3 cup yogurt), which tastes a bit like crème fraiche. Powdered sugar and vanilla are optional.

Nectarines are a type of peach that evolved from a natural mutation resulting in a smooth, fuzz-free skin (1). Nutritionally similar, peaches and nectarines contribute a variety of essential nutrients; dietary fiber, vitamin C and niacin are most abundant. They also provide phytonutrients, including carotenoids (prominent in the yellow fleshed varieties), phenolic compounds such as chlorogenic and neochlorogenic acids, flavonoids and anthocyanins that may help fight inflammation, protect cells and reduce the risk of diseases such as cardiovascular disease and some cancers (2,3,4).

Dig into this peachy summer dessert.  

Almond Shortcakes

Yield: 8 shortcakes.

1 large egg, white and yolk separated

6 tablespoons sugar, divided use 

½ cup sliced almonds

3 ½ ounces almond paste (half of a 7 oz package)

1 ½ cups all purpose flour

½ cup almond flour

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces

½ to ¾ cup buttermilk

1 tablespoon neutral vegetable oil

½ teaspoon almond extract

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Adjust rack to middle position.
2. Whisk egg white and 3 tablespoons sugar in small bowl. Stir in almonds. Set aside for topping.
3. In bowl of food processor, process almond paste with remaining 3 tablespoons sugar to a fine meal. Add flour, almond flour, baking powder, soda and salt. Process to blend. Add butter; pulse to coarse meal.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk egg yolk with ½ cup buttermilk, oil, almond and vanilla extracts.  Add to processor bowl and pulse a few times to blend. Add another ¼ cup buttermilk if mixture is dry.
5. Scrape mixture back into bowl and mix to form a moist dough. Do not over mix.
6. Oil baking sheet or line with parchment paper. Drop 8 (about 1/3-cup) portions of dough onto sheet. 
7. Spoon almond mixture evenly over tops of biscuits. (Some egg white mixture may be left.)
8. Bake on middle oven rack for 12 minutes or until pick inserted in centers comes out clean.
9. Cool on wire rack.
10. To serve, split each biscuit in half horizontally.  Sandwich with sliced, lightly sweetened peaches and/or nectarines and whipped cream.

References

1. Peaches vs. Nectarines: What’s the Difference?
2. Trustwell. Food Processor®   11.11.31 Database structure 11.11.0
3. Varietal and Geographical Origin Characterization of Peaches and Nectarines by Combining Analytical Techniques and Statistical Approach – PMC
4. Evaluation of the Fruit Quality and Phytochemical Compounds in Peach and Nectarine Cultivars – PMC

© Lorelle Del Matto 2025