Lemon Blueberry Shortcakes

These lemon blueberry shortcakes with sweet lemon biscuits, blueberry curd, and lemon cream cheese frosting make the perfect afternoon treat. It's a blissful marriage of lemon and blueberry in every bite!

Watch how to make this

Ingredients

• Lemon: Provides a tangy and refreshing flavor to both the biscuit dough and the frosting. The lemon zest adds aromatic citrus notes, enhancing the overall taste of the dish.
• Buttermilk: Adds moisture and tenderness to the lemon biscuit dough while also imparting a subtle tanginess. It reacts with the baking powder and baking soda to leaven the biscuits, resulting in a light and fluffy texture.
• Egg: Serve as a binding agent in the biscuit dough, helping to hold the ingredients together and provide structure. They also contribute to the richness and color of the dough.
• Baking powder: A leavening agent that helps the biscuits rise and become light and airy. It reacts with the acidic components in the dough, such as the lemon juice and buttermilk, to create carbon dioxide bubbles, resulting in a tender texture.
• Coarse sugar: Also known as sanding sugar, is sprinkled on top of the biscuit dough before baking to add a crunchy texture and a hint of sweetness. It also creates a beautiful golden crust on the biscuits as they bake.
• Blueberries: The star ingredient in the blueberry curd, provides sweetness, flavor, and vibrant color. You can use fresh blueberries or frozen ones.
• Cream cheese: Used to make the creamy frosting that tops the split lemon biscuits. It adds richness and tanginess to the frosting, balancing the sweetness of the blueberry curd and adding a smooth and creamy texture.

Substitutions and variations

• Gluten-free: Substitute all-purpose flour with gluten-free all-purpose flour.
• Fruit: Try this recipe with another fruit that pairs well with lemon such as raspberries, or strawberries.

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Make lemon biscuits

Let's start by making the lemon biscuits. These biscuits have a subtle hint of lemon with a lovely sugar crust that pairs wonderfully with the fillings.

In a large bowl, combine all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, lemon zest, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Using a pastry cutter, incorporate cold chunks of butter into the dry mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. (If you don't have a pastry cutter, you can use your hands or a food processor. However, if you use a food processor, make sure not to overmix the dough.

In a separate bowl, whisk together buttermilk, lemon juice, and an egg, then add this mixture to the dry ingredients. Normally, I don't add eggs to biscuits; however, since these biscuits will be used as a vessel for other fillings, we're going to incorporate the egg. The egg gives the biscuits more structure making it ideal for shortcakes.

Stir just until combined, being careful not to overmix. Then, shape the dough into a square, fold it in half, then pat it down into a rectangle about 1 inch thick. Repeat the folding process once more, then cut the dough into 8 equal portions and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Chill the biscuits in the fridge for 15 minutes to firm up.

Step 2: Prepare blueberry curd

While the biscuits chill, make the blueberry curd. Puree 12 ounces of fresh or frozen blueberries in Vitamix until smooth, then strain the mixture to remove any skins. Heat the blueberry puree in a saucepot over medium heat until it reduces to ½ cup. Keep an eye on the puree, stirring occasionally to prevent it from burning. Remove from heat and let it cool slightly.

Once cooled, combine the blueberry puree with granulated sugar, an egg, egg yolks, and lemon juice, whisking until well combined. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, whisking frequently, and cook for 4-5 minutes until thickened.

Remove from heat, add cold butter, and stir the curd until the butter has melted and emulsified with the curd. Transfer the blueberry curd to a bowl and cover the surface with plastic wrap. You want the plastic wrap to directly touch the surface of the curd to prevent skin from forming.

Let the curd cool completely. Feel free to make the blueberry curd up to 3 days in advance.

Step 3: Bake biscuits and assemble

After chilling, remove the biscuits from the fridge and brush the tops with buttermilk. Sprinkle a generous amount of coarse sugar on top of each biscuit and bake in the preheated oven for 15-18 minutes until golden brown. I like to rotate the pan halfway through to ensure even browning. Once baked, let the biscuits cool.

You can bake the biscuits the day before but like many baked goods, these biscuits are best when baked fresh.

In the meantime, prepare the cream cheese frosting by beating softened cream cheese with powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest until smooth. If you enjoy a sweeter cream cheese frosting, add more powdered sugar.

Slice the cooled biscuits in half horizontally and spread cream cheese frosting on the bottom halves. Spoon a dollop of blueberry curd on top of the frosting and add a few fresh blueberries. Then, place the top halves of the biscuits over the filling and serve immediately.

The concept behind these lemon blueberry shortcakes is simple but the outcome is outstanding. You get lemon and blueberry in every bite from the buttery flaky biscuits to the creamy filling to the blueberry curd. These elements are already delicious by themselves but combine them and you have one amazing dessert!

Make-ahead and storage

• Make-ahead: The blueberry curd and cream cheese frosting can be prepared up to 3 days in advance. Bring cream cheese frosting to room temperature before assembling shortcakes. You can also bake the shortcakes the day before and store them at room temperature.
• Store: It's best to keep all the components separate and assemble the shortcakes right before serving. Keep the curd and frosting in the fridge for up to 5 days and the shortcakes at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Frequently asked questions

More blueberry desserts

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Recipe

Print Recipe

Lemon Blueberry Shortcakes

Total Time1 hour hr

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: bread

Servings: 8

Author: Christine Ma

Ingredients

Lemon biscuits

• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour (370 grams)
• ⅓ cup granulated sugar (67 grams)
• 2 tablespoons lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 10 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small chunks (141 grams)
• ½ cup buttermillk plus extra for brushing (125 ml)
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 large egg
• 2-3 tablespoons coarse sugar

Blueberry curd

• 16 ounces blueberries divided
• ½ cup granulated sugar (100 grams)
• 1 large egg
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons cold butter (28 grams)

Lemon cream cheese frosting

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened at room temperature
• ¼ cup powdered sugar (33 grams)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Prepare lemon biscuit dough. Combine flour, sugar, lemon zest, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Add butter and use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the dry mixture. The mixture should resemble coarse crumbs.
• Whisk together buttermilk, lemon juice, and the egg in a medium bowl. Add to butter flour mixture, stirring just until combined. Use your hands to shape the dough in a square. Fold the dough in half, then pat down until it's about 1-inch thick. Fold the dough again and pat down into a rectangle that's about ¾-inch thick. Cut the dough into 8 equal portions and place on the prepared baking sheet. Chill biscuits in the fridge for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the blueberry curd. Puree 12 ounces blueberries until smooth and strain, discarding any skins. Heat blueberry puree in a medium saucepot over medium heat until it's reduced to ½ cup. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
• Combine cooled blueberry puree with sugar, egg, egg yolks, and lemon juice in a medium saucepot, whisking until combined. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, whisking frequently. Continue to simmer for 4-5 minutes or until curd is thickened. Remove from heat and add butter, stirring until butter has melted into the curd. Transfer curd to a bowl and place plastic wrap directly on top of the surface. Let cool.
• Remove biscuits from the fridge and brush the tops with buttermilk. Sprinkle a generous amount of coarse sugar on top of each biscuit and bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool.
• Beat together cream cheese with powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest until smooth.
• Slice biscuits in half and top bottom half with cream cheese frosting. Spoon a dollop of blueberry curd on top and sprinkle fresh berries. Place remaining biscuit half on top and serve.

Notes

The blueberry curd and cream cheese frosting can be prepared up to 3 days in advance. Bring cream cheese frosting to room temperature before assembling shortcakes.