My Shortcake Goes Both Ways

I know I promised to get out of my baking funk, and for the most part I think I have.  I have moved on from the disappointing cupcakes and have decided to focus on things that I can actually eat (i.e. slightly healthier).  In the latest issue of cooking light there was a recipe for a citrus shortcake that was intended to be used for several desserts (a trifle and a brandied peach shortcake).  There were recipes for the dessert ideas, but I run in street gangs and do what I want, so I took their recipes as suggestions and worked with what I had in the house.

But before I could make the desserts, I had to actually make the shortcake.  The recipe can be found here.  And what would a post be without some pictures?

The recipe told me to make this in an 8x8 square baking dish, but since I don't have that I improvised.  I think it turned out pretty well, don't you?

Now that the shortcake was done, I had a couple desserts to make.  The first was a berry trifle.  I cut a couple slices of the shortcake into small cubes and put them in the oven to toast.  While they were getting a tan, I mixed about 1 c of greek yogurt with 1 tbsp of sugar, 1 tsp of orange zest, and maybe a tbsp of fresh orange juice.  Then I tossed some strawberries and blueberries in another couple tbsp of fresh oj and let them all get acquainted with each other while the shortcake finished getting toasty.  When the cubes looked more latina then white-bread I took them out of the oven and layered them in a glass with the berries and the yogurt sauce.  All said and done, they looked like this:

Next up was peachy shortcake (om nom nom).  The recipe in Cooking Light called for Brandy, and grilling peaches, and lots of other ingredients.  Since the peaches I had were in season, ripe, and basically amazing, I decided to forget all of the complicated stuff and let the peaches speak for themselves.  I removed the skin, sliced them, and then drizzled with just enough honey to make a light sauce.  Next I mixed about 1/4 c of greek yogurt with 1 tbsp of honey to sweeten it.  Last, but definitely not least, I layered the citrus shortcake with the peaches and the yogurt sauce.  The end result was such a fresh, light dessert that it was perfect for the ridiculous summer heat we've been having these last few days.

Take home message?  Recipes are great, but don't go out of your way to follow them.  Listen to you gut, go with what's in your pantry, and the end results will be well worth it!  Enjoy!