I have a chocolate shortcake recipe that is wonderful except for one thing. The biscuit is extremly crumbly when it cools and almost impossible to cut. Any suggestions? Recipe follows:

3 qt. AP Flour
3 cups Sugar
2 cups Cocoa Powder
2 Tblsp. Baking powder
1 Tblsp. Baking soda
1 1/4 cups Butter, chilled and cut into pieces
2 lb. Chocolate Chips
6 cups Heavy Cream

Sift Dry ingredients. Cut in butter untill dry mixture has a course texture, like cornmeal. Mix in chocolate chips. Add creamy slowly and mix until dough forms moist clump.

Please post a solution if you have one, or e-mail me at ewicks@hotmail.com

By Panini (Panini) on Tuesday, May 08, 2001 - 07:20 pm: Edit

Emily
Have you ever tried to cut down the cocoa? It seems like a lot to me.
Also, this might sound wierd, but I would switch to a high gluten flour and incorperate the cream as fast as possible. Get it to stop splashing and turn the mixer up high 3-4. Just enough till it starts to come away from the bowl.Don't blend all the butter completely. Fold in chips.Just a thought.
Kind of like scones.
jeff

By W.DeBord on Wednesday, May 09, 2001 - 07:54 am: Edit

That does sounds like way too much cocoa powder. Actually I'd scrap that recipe and look for another, it doesn't seem right. I use a recipe from Marlene Sorosky's cookbook for these that is quite good.

P.S. Are you using a serated knive? My shortbread is fragile to cut also....I cup my left hand on the top and slice sideways with my right. Sometimes the top piece cracks, but once you have your whip cream in the middle the broken biscuit can't be detected.

By d. on Wednesday, May 09, 2001 - 06:17 pm: Edit

I checked your bakers percentages and it does seem low on the liquids/butter. Is the biscuit dry and brittle, hence it crumbles? First, instead of measuring the flour in quarts, can you weigh it? Also it would help if you weigh the rest of the dry ingredients. Your cocoa sounds about right, so I'd play with adding more butter(maybe going up to a pound) and adjusting the cream.