End Of Summer Berry Shortcake

End Of Summer Berry Shortcake

We’ve chosen raspberries (since we remove strawberries while cleansing), and added basil which is an unexpected twist to the topping. Our berry shortcake is free from processed sugar and traditional dairy, but still has all of the buttery, rich flavors we love about shortcake.

There may be certain foods we eliminate during your 21-day cleanse that leave you scratching your head. Foods we think of as healthy, like tomatoes or strawberries, might end up being a part of your wholesome diet post-cleanse. However, even some whole foods like strawberries are common allergens and may unknowingly cause digestive (or other) issues.

It can be confusing (and frustrating) when produce can cause issues with our body, but thanks to the heavy use of pesticides this is a common issue with some modern fruits and vegetables. Rest assured, you may find post-cleanse that you have no issue at all when you add these items back in (or you may discover that they’re causing a pesky symptom you’ve had for a while). Either way, it’s incredibly empowering to understand through reintroduction after the cleanse how different foods impact us.

The good news is you can have all of the goodness of strawberry shortcake using raspberries, which are cleanse-friendly! Regular consumption of raspberries has been shown to help inhibit the irregular division of cells and also helps promote the proper recycling of old cells. Raspberries (particularly the red variety) are high in antioxidants like vitamin C, quercetin, and gallic acid. This recipe is flexible, so if you don’t have raspberries, you can substitute your choice of berry!

We love combining sweet, tart berries with unexpected herbs like basil. Not only will it add a beautiful flavor twist to your shortcake, but the basil comes with a long list of benefits as well. Basil is anti-inflammatory which can help prevent chronic illnesses like heart disease, IBS, and arthritis. It is also anti-bacterial and anti-microbial.

Ingredients:

Shortcake:

1/2 cup coconut palm sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon kosher salt

2 cups gluten-free flour of choice

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 cup ghee (or coconut oil, if cleansing)

3/4 cup canned coconut milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Raspberry Topping:

2 cups raspberries

3 tablespoons coconut palm sugar

3 basil leaves

Whipped Topping:

2 cans full-fat coconut cream, kept in the refrigerator overnight

1 teaspoon vanilla

Optional: 2 teaspoons maple syrup or coconut palm nectar for added sweetness

Directions:

Step 1: For the best possible berry shortcake texture, we recommend taking the time to freeze your ghee or coconut oil before making your dough. You can simply measure out your oil, place in the freezer for 15 minutes, and remove right when you’re ready to use.

Step 2: While oil freezes, make vegan “buttermilk.” Mix coconut milk (the full-fat, canned version will give you the richest flavor) with lemon juice and set aside for 10 minutes.

Step 3: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix together dry ingredients thoroughly.

Step 4: Using a fork, or pastry cutter, crumble ghee or coconut oil into dry ingredients (it should crumble easily while cold). Your dough should have small crumbles of hard oil or ghee evenly distributed throughout the dry ingredients.

Step 5: After lemon juice and coconut milk sit for 10 minutes, whisk in vanilla. Slowly add the milk mixture to dry ingredients until thoroughly combined.

Step 6: Scoop out 1/4 cup of dough at a time, forming 1-inch thick discs. Place biscuits on a parchment-lined cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until lightly browned and cooked through.

Step 7: While shortcake cooks, prepare the raspberry filling. Combine 1 cup raspberries with sugar in a small saucepan over low heat. gently stir and mash raspberries until liquid reduces and sugar dissolves (about 5 minutes, stirring regularly). Remove berries from heat, and fold in the remaining half of berries to hot berries.

Step 8: Remove coconut milk from the refrigerator. Scoop out the solid coconut cream from the top of the can (this forms when the can is kept cold). Discard the remaining liquid left on the bottom. Blend the cream with the vanilla and sweetener (if using).

Step 9: Once shortcake is slightly cooled, layer with berries and whipped topping. Serve the berry shortcake immediately!

Recipe and photography by Kaitlyn Noble

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