Summer shortcake

I found this cake in Martha Sterwart's Living magazin, July 2007. We celebrated yesterday with our relatives from Switzerland and I chose this cake also to celebrate 1 year of my arrival to the States as a wife... :)

I liked this type of cake and plan to make is sometime again using different cutting shapes and fruit.

For the biscuits:

• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 stick cold unsalted butter cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 8 oz cold cream cheese cut into 2-inch pieces
• 3/4 cup buttermilk, plus mor for brushing
• raw sugar for sprinkling

For the filling:

• 2 pints blueberries
• 2 pints strawberries, hulled
• 3 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Make the biscuits: in a food processor pulse flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt until combined. Add butter and pulse until the largest pieces are the size of peas. Add cream cheese, pulse again until large pieces are the size of peas. Add buttermilk, pulse until dough comes together. Transfer to bowl, knead into ball. cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.

Divide dough into half. On a lightly floured work surface roll into a 10-inch round. Transfer to baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush biscuits lightly with buttermilk, sprinkle generously with sugar. Bake until dough has risen and golden brown, for 12-15 minutes in 400 degrees preheated oven. Bottoms will brown sooner, that's why I placed another empty baking pan underneath.

Repeat with other biscuit. Using a 2 1/2 inch cutter cut out, but do not remove shapes, while it's still warm. Let cool.

Make filling: combine strawberries and bluebberries and 2 Tbsp sugar, let macerate until juicy, for 10 minutes.

Just before serving beat cream to medium peaks with remaining sugar and vanilla. Assemble cake: spoon half the berries over uncut biscuit, spread the whipped cream, top with remaining berries, reserve a few for decoration. Place cutout biscuit on top, fill out stars with reserved berries. Serve immediately or refrigerate up to 3 hours.