Because really, what is the one thing that Strawberry Shortcakes are missing?  Chocolate!  We went to a dear friend’s baby blessing yesterday with a luncheon before and so I of course volunteered to make treats.  These were perfect, summery and light and yummy, just the right amount of chocolate.  The recipe comes from “My Recipes”.  I doubled the recipe and made them a little smaller (1/4 cup scoops instead of the 1/3 cup called for) and ended up with about 16 cakes.

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar plus extra for sprinkling

4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

5 tablespoons milk

4 cups (about 16 oz) strawberries, stemmed and sliced (about 3 1/2 cups sliced)

2/3 cup heavy cream

1  Preheat oven to 425.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper.  Sift cocoa, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and 1/4 cup sugar into large bowl.  Add butter and rub in with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal.  (I used my pastry cutter.)

2  Stir in milk until a rough dough forms.  (I had to add almost double the amount of milk to get it to stick together.)  Do not overmix.  Divide dough into 4 equal portions (a heaping 1/3 cup each).  Gently shape into mounds and sprinkle tops with sugar.  Transfer to baking sheet and bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 12 – 14 minutes.  Transfer biscuits to wire rack to cool.

3  Toss strawberries and 1/4 cup sugar in bowl.  (I just served the strawberries without sugar.)  Let stand a room temperature, stirring occasionally, until juices form, about 30 minutes.  Using a hand mixer on high, whip cream and 2 tablespoons sugar in large bowl until soft peaks form.  (Or use my recipe for whipping cream found here.)

4  Using a serrated knife, slice each biscuit in half horizontally and place 1 bottom half on each of 4 plates.  Spoon 1/4 berry mixture on each bottom.  Dollop with whipped cream and top with remaining biscuit halves.  (I put another dollop of cream on top and then a few more berries on top of that.)