Cherry Ice Cream Shortcake with Cornmeal Biscuits and Basil Sugar

September 15, 2021

This Cherry Ice Cream Shortcake with Cornmeal Biscuits and Basil sugar is the perfect send off to summer! Use Hudsonville’s Traverse City Cherry Fudge to make these treats for your family while the summer produce is still thriving and the light continues to linger in the evening.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Hudsonville Ice Cream. The opinions and text are all mine. Thank you for supporting the brands that make VV possible.

We may be past Labor Day but summer isn’t over yet – the summer produce is still bursting at my farmer’s market and we will most likely see warm weather for at least another month here in Indiana. What should we do with this little magical time between when most of our summer plans have ended but fall isn’t here just yet? Savor it, of course! Pick up all the summer produce you can get your hands on. Eat all the ice cream before the weather turns. Go to the lake or on a picnic to enjoy the warm evenings before it starts to get dark early again.

This Cherry Ice Cream Shortcake recipe is an ode to the end of summer. Pick up the last of the corn harvest to make the buttery corn biscuits for these ice cream sandwiches. If you have a garden, your herbs are probably thriving and perhaps even out of control right now so this basil sugar will help you to use a big portion of your basil up. The Hudsonville Traverse City Cherry Fudge ice cream center is both a nod to summer with its bright cherry bits and a reminder that cooler weather is coming with its deep amaretto base. You can find out where to pick up this Hudsonville flavor and many others using this scoop locator.

This recipe yields 6 biscuits but you could easily double the biscuit recipe if you are serving more. You will have extra ice cream and basil sugar leftover (depending on how stuffed you can get your biscuits) – the extra can be turned into future sundaes with a scoop of ice cream, basil sugar, and warm jam (yum!). I suggest you make the biscuits and basil sugar ahead of time so you can assemble these quickly once you are ready to serve. If you don’t have Cherry Fudge on hand, these would also be delicious with Hudsonville’s French Vanilla!

Cherry Ice Cream Shortcake with Cornmeal Biscuits and Basil Sugar

Course: Dessert

Servings: 6 servings

Ingredients

Corn Shortcakes:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour + more for flouring the counter
1/4 cup cornmeal
1 tsp granulated sugar
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
fresh kernals from 1 ear of corn
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and diced into 1 inch pieces + 2 Tbsp melted unsalted butter

Basil Sugar:

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed fresh basil
1/2 tsp lime zest

Everything else:

1 48 fl oz carton Hudsonville's Traverse City Cherry Fudge

Instructions

For the corn shortcakes:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cornmeal, 1 tsp sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the chilled cubes of butter and, using clean hands, work the butter into the dough until a crumbly mixture is created.
Pour in the buttermilk and mix until a shaggy dough forms. Transfer to a floured counter and shape into a 1 inch thick dough. Use a 3 inch biscuit cutter to cut out 6 biscuits (you will most likely need to reform the dough after cutting the first 3). Transfer biscuits to the baking sheet, leaving space for them to grow a little bit. Transfer to the freezer and chill for at least 10 minutes.
Remove from freezer and brush the tops with melted butter. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until browning on the top. Remove from oven and set aside to let cool.

For the basil sugar:

Add 1/2 cup granulated sugar, basil, and lime zest to a food processor and process for 20 seconds or until the basil is completely broken down and the sugar is brown green. Set aside until ready to use.

To assemble:

When ready to serve, use a serrated knife to cut the shortcakes in half. Use an ice cream scoop to add a scoop of Traverse City Cherry Fudge onto on side of the shortcake. Sprinkle with 1 tsp of the basil sugar and top with the other side of the shortcake. Repeat with the remaining 5 shortcakes and serve immiedetely.