Spiced Plum Shortcakes

Spiced, glazed, and boozy.

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Roasting is the most underrated way to prepare plums. The high heat of the oven draws out moisture and caramelizes the sugars in the fruit, intensifying its natural sweetness and transforming it into a luscious chunky jam. Throw in a little added sugar, a bit of spice, and a judicious shot of booze, and you’ve got a rich fruit compote that is absolutely intoxicating.

I’ve been obsessed with rum-roasted plums since culinary school, determined to feature them on this blog. But I didn’t want them to just be one part of a larger dessert: I wanted them to be the star. Which is how I landed on these Spiced Plum Shortcakes.

Sticky-sweet roasted plums on a cloud of whipped cream, resting atop a light, fluffy freshly-baked biscuit. The airy cream perfectly complements the rich jamminess and deeply spiced sweetness of the roasted plums, while that super soft (not-too-sweet) shortcake biscuit ties everything together in perfect harmony.

If biscuits seem like a complicated addition to such a simple fruit preparation, I promise they are super easy. With just seven ingredients, they come together in a single mixing bowl and don’t even require a rolling pin. The trickiest part is the chaffing, a traditional British technique that involves folding the dough over itself and patting it out repeatedly to form many fine flaky layers in the dough—and though this might sound complicated, it’s actually very easy and only takes about five minutes in total. Even if you’ve never made them before, you’ll definitely have these biscuits mixed, cut, and in the oven in less than 20 minutes. You’ll be digging into a Spiced Plum Shortcake before you know it.

Enjoy!

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Spiced Plum Shortcakes

(Serves 6)

For the roasted plums:

5 red or purple plums (about 1 ½ lb), halved and cored

2 tbsp. granulated sugar

¼ cup (2 oz) dark or spiced rum

½ tsp. ground ginger

½ tsp. grated lemon zest

¼ tsp. Diamond Crystal kosher salt

For the shortcakes:

2 ½ cups (300 g.) all-purpose flour

¼ cup (50 g.) granulated sugar

4 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. kosher salt

4 tbsp. (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, cubed

2 large eggs, divided

½ c. whole milk, plus 1 tablespoon (optional)

¼ cup sparkling sugar (optional)

Whipped cream, for serving

Special equipment: bench scraper, baking sheet, parchment paper

Method

For the roasted plums:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a metal baking pan, arrange plums cut sides facing up. Sprinkle with sugar and drizzle with rum. Sprinkle ground ginger, lemon zest, and salt evenly on top.

Roast for 60-80 minutes, checking every 20 minutes and adding a few tablespoons of water when needed to keep the bottom from over-caramelizing and burning, until plums are soft and jammy. Remove from oven and let cool.

For the shortcakes:

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add cold butter cubes and toss to coat in flour. With fingertips, lightly toss and rub in the butter until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs.

In a small bowl, whisk one egg lightly until blended. Add ½ cup milk and stir until combined.

Drizzle half of wet mixture over the dry ingredients in the bowl. Using a fork, gently toss just until incorporated. Drizzle over remaining wet mixture and continue to toss until a rough shaggy dough forms (there will still be some dry bits).

Turn out dough onto a clean work surface and use a bench scraper to scoop up half of the dough and fold it over the other half. Lightly pat out the dough and then fold again. Continue to pat out and fold, incorporating any loose or dry pieces as you fold, until a mostly smooth dough forms. Gently pat out the dough to an inch thick.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a 2 ½ -inch circle cutter dipped in flour, cut straight down into the dough. Lift the cutter straight up and out, without twisting. In the same way, cut out three more shortcakes and place on prepared baking sheet. Push any scraps together (don’t knead) and cut out 2 more circles if possible. Place on prepared sheet. Refrigerate shortcakes on baking sheet while the oven preheats.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk remaining egg with 1 tablespoon milk or water. When oven is fully preheated, brush tops of shortcakes with egg wash (do not allow wash to trickle down the sides). Sprinkle with sparkling sugar as desired.

Bake shortcakes 12-16 minutes, or until risen and golden brown on top and bottom. Serve with whipped cream and roasted plums.

Originally posted December 11, 2022.