Magical Mixed Berry Shortcakes

A beautiful dessert — colorful blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries are sandwiched between moist golden shortcakes and topped with a sweetened crème fraîche glaze.

Recipe Ingredients:

Shortcake:
3 1/4 cups cake flour, sifted
1/3 cup Splenda® Granulated No Calorie Sweetener
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup heavy cream

Strawberry Sauce:
4 cups strawberries, stemmed and hulled
3 tablespoons Splenda® Granulated No Calorie Sweetener

Mixed Berry Filling:
3 cups sliced strawberries
1 cup blueberries
1 cup raspberries
3 tablespoons Splenda® Granulated No Calorie Sweetener
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice

Crème Fraîche Glaze:
1/2 cup crème fraîche or sour cream
2 tablespoons Splenda® Granulated No Calorie Sweetener

Cooking Directions:

1. For Crust: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly oil a cookie sheet or baking pan.
2. For Shortcake: Pour sifted cake flour, Splenda® Granulated Sweetener, baking powder and baking soda together in a medium sized mixing bowl. Add softened butter and mix until the butter is evenly distributed throughout the flour mixture and is the texture of course cornmeal. Add buttermilk and heavy cream. Stir until just mixed.
3. Flour a work surface. Place dough on floured work surface. Sprinkle with flour. Pat dough out until it is approximately 3/4-inch thick. Cut into three- inch circles using a three-inch biscuit cutter. Place shortcakes on prepared baking sheet. Brush tops with egg-wash. Bake in preheated 350°F (175°C) oven 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.
4. For Strawberry Sauce: Blend strawberries and Splenda® Granulated Sweetener in a food processor or blender until puréed. Refrigerate until ready to use.
5. For Berry Filling: Toss together all berry filling ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to use.
6. For Crème Fraîche Glaze: Spoon crème fraîche into a bowl. Add Splenda® Granulated Sweetener and stir well. Refrigerate until ready to use.
7. To Assemble Shortcakes: Just before serving, slice shortcakes in half. Place each bottom half on a dessert plate. Spoon approximately 1/3 cup strawberry sauce around each shortcake. Top each shortcake with 1/2 cup berries. Place the shortcake tops on top of berries. Drizzle with Crème Fraîche Glaze. Garnish with an optional mint sprig.

Makes 10 servings.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (1/10 of recipe): Calories 380 | Calories from Fat 160 | Fat 18g (sat 11g) | Cholesterol 55mg | Sodium 220mg | Carbohydrates 51g | Fiber 5g | Sugars 5g | Protein 6g.

Recipe courtesy of Splenda, Inc. Splenda® is a no-calorie sweetener made from sugar that is suitable for diabetics. For more information regarding this product, please call 1-800-777-5363 or visit their website at www.splenda.com.