Ms Chef in Seattle

Have you ever thought that the thing about making shortcake for summer fruits is that it’s not chocolate enough?

Maybe some 20 years ago I devised a chocolate biscuit for shortcake, but it was made the “hard” way, by which I mean cutting shortening into the dry ingredients which adds time in the kitchen. Anyone who’s taken advantage of my various biscuit recipes herein knows that the process is considerably shortened as well as made healthier by the use of canola oil in the wet ingredients rather than shortening.

So, this morning I applied the new method to my old recipe for chocolate shortcake, but changing it slightly because cocoa powder requires a bit more oil in the batter than flour. (It’s a feature of cocoa, needing oil or butter in baked goods. Chemistry. Science.)

Split in the middle and fruit plus a bit of whipped cream added to middle and then on top and ipso quicko, you’ve got chocolate shortcake. As nectarines hit the produce section of the grocer this week in mass, I made my own favorite.

Chocolate Shortcake: Preheat oven to 425 degrees while mixing the batter. Parchment on a baking sheet for ease of cleanup. Two bowls, one for each of wet and dry ingredients.

Dry ingredients: 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup cocoa powder, 1/4 cup sugar, 3 teaspoons baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon each baking soda and salt.

Wet ingredients: 1 egg, 1/2 cup oil, 2/3 cup milk with 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice or vinegar.

Pour the wet into the dry and stir only until ingredients moistened. Plop dough onto baking sheet for 6 big biscuits, per usual. Bake for 12 minutes. Cool on wire rack.