Strawberry Shortcake
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Sunny days call for homemade strawberry shortcake—a perfect blend of juicy fresh strawberries, rich buttermilk biscuits, and whipped cream.
Strawberry shortcake! With tender, sugar-crusted biscuits, sweet macerated strawberries, and heaps of whipped cream, it’s definitely one of my go-to desserts when the weather warms up. To make the best version of this classic, it’s got to be 100% homemade. So, say goodbye to store-bought pound cake and tubs of Cool Whip—there’s simply no substitute for from-scratch biscuits and real whipped cream.
If the idea of making homemade biscuits seems daunting, don’t worry—my recipe is simple and foolproof. It requires just one bowl, and instead of the traditional rolling and cutting method, you’ll shape the dough into free-form balls. This approach not only simplifies the process but also gives the biscuits a wonderful craggy texture, perfect for creating nooks and crannies that soak up the strawberry juices without ever becoming soggy.
Table of Contents
“These are the strawberry shortcakes of my childhood that I have been trying to recreate for decades!! The slightly sweet, craggy biscuits, sweet berries and whipped cream brought back a flood of memories.”
What You’ll Need To Make Strawberry Shortcake
- All-purpose flour: Provides the structure for the biscuits, serving as the base of the dough.
- Cornstarch: Used alongside flour to soften the proteins, yielding a more tender biscuit.
- Baking powder and baking soda: Leavening agents that help the biscuits rise, making them light and fluffy.
- Granulated sugar: Sweetens the biscuit dough, strawberries, and whipped cream.
- Cold butter: “Cut” into the biscuits so that when baked, the cold pieces create steam pockets that rise, leading to a flaky, rich texture. Using unsalted butter allows you to control the saltiness of the biscuits.
- Buttermilk: Adds a slight tang and moisture to the biscuit dough, contributing to the tender texture and rich flavor. If you’d rather not buy a whole carton for this recipe, see my post for how to make buttermilk using milk and lemon juice or vinegar.
- Turbinado sugar: Sprinkled on top of the biscuits before baking, providing a sweet, crunchy crust.
- Strawberries: The fruit component of the dish, offering fresh, juicy sweetness and vibrant color.
- Seedless raspberry jam: Enhances the strawberries with additional sweetness and gloss, adding depth to the berry flavor.
- Heavy cream: Whipped into cream for filling the shortcake, adding a rich, luxurious element to contrast with the freshness of the berries and the texture of the biscuits.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Make the Biscuits
Begin by making the biscuits. These are a lightly sweetened version of my Southern-style biscuits. True Southern biscuits typically call for White Lily flour, a low-protein flour primarily available in the southern US states that makes for ultra-tender, melt-in-your-mouth biscuits. I can’t find White Lily flour easily where I live, so my secret is to add a little cornstarch to the flour to get the same effect.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, granulated sugar, and salt.
Add the pieces of cold butter.
Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with pea-sized clumps of butter within.
It should look like this.
Add the buttermilk. (Note: If you’d rather not buy a whole carton of buttermilk for this recipe, it’s easy to make your own. Simply add 2-1/2 teaspoons of lemon juice or white vinegar to a liquid measuring cup. Then add milk to the 3/4-cup line and let sit for 10 to 15 minutes, or until slightly curdled and thickened.)
Stir with a rubber spatula until the dough comes together into a sticky, shaggy mass. Do not overmix.
With lightly floured hands, form the dough into 8 craggy-looking balls and place on the prepared baking sheet. (They should be bigger than golf balls but smaller than tennis balls.) Don’t worry about making them perfect — it’s better if they are a little rough around the edges. Sprinkle the tops with the turbinado sugar.
Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, until the biscuits are golden. Set aside to cool.
Step 2: Prepare the Strawberries
While the biscuits cool, prepare the strawberries.
Put one-third of the berries in a medium bowl and, using a potato masher or a fork, mash them into a chunky purée.
Mix in the remaining berries, along with the raspberry jam and granulated sugar.
Let the berries sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes, until saucy.
Step 3: Prepare the Whipped Cream
Meanwhile, make the whipped cream. In an electric mixer or by hand, whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form, then sprinkle the sugar over the cream and beat until soft peaks return. Do not overbeat.
Step 4: Assemble
Using a serrated knife, split the biscuits in half horizontally and transfer the bottoms to 8 dessert plates. Spoon about three-quarters of the macerated berries and their juice evenly over the biscuit bottoms. Let some of the berries spill out onto the plate. Top with a generous dollop of whipped cream and cover each with a biscuit top. Spoon more berries and cream over each shortcake and serve immediately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Strawberry shortcake must be assembled right before serving, but you can prepare parts of the recipe ahead of time to ease your cooking process. The unbaked biscuits can be refrigerated for up to one hour before you plan to bake them. For longer storage, you can freeze the unbaked biscuits for up to three months. When ready to bake, you can bake them directly from the freezer, just remember to add a few extra minutes to the usual baking time.
The whipped cream can be made a few hours before serving. If you do so, remember to under-beat it slightly at first. Keep the under-beaten cream covered in the refrigerator, and before serving, give it a final whip by hand to achieve that soft, pillowy consistency.
The strawberries should be prepared fresh and not made ahead, as they lose texture and flavor if they sit too long after being sliced and macerated.
Strawberry shortcake is best enjoyed the day it’s made. However, if you have leftovers, store the components separately. Biscuits can be kept at room temperature for up to two days, and the macerated strawberries and whipped cream should be refrigerated and used within one day. Assemble them just before serving for the best texture and flavor.
I don’t recommend using frozen strawberries for this recipe. If fresh strawberries are not available, consider waiting until they are in season for the best results, or use a different fresh fruit that is in season.
Strawberry Shortcake Video Tutorial
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Strawberry Shortcake
Sunny days call for homemade strawberry shortcake—a perfect blend of juicy fresh strawberries, rich buttermilk biscuits, and whipped cream.
Ingredients
For the Biscuits
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 10 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch chunks
- ¾ cup buttermilk (see note)
- 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar
For the Strawberries
- 2 pounds strawberries, hulled and sliced ¼-inch thick
- 3 tablespoons seedless raspberry jam
- ½ cup granulated sugar
For the Whipped Cream
- 1½ cups heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
Instructions
For the Biscuits
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Line a 13x18-in baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, granulated sugar, and salt.
- Add the pieces of cold butter. Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with pea-sized clumps of butter within. Add the buttermilk and stir with a rubber spatula until the dough comes together into a sticky, shaggy mass. Do not overmix.
- With lightly floured hands, form the dough into 8 craggy-looking balls and place on the prepared baking sheet. (They should be bigger than golf balls but smaller than tennis balls.) Don't worry about making them perfect -- it's better if they are a little rough around the edges. Sprinkle the tops with the turbinado sugar. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, until the biscuits are golden.
For the Strawberries
- Put one-third of the berries in a medium bowl and, using a potato masher or a fork, mash them into a chunky purée. Mix in the remaining berries, along with the raspberry jam and granulated sugar. Let the berries sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes, until saucy.
For the Whipped Cream
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or beaters), whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Sprinkle the granulated sugar over the cream and beat until soft peaks return. Do not overbeat. (Alternatively, the whipped cream can be beaten by hand in a deep mixing bowl with a whisk.)
To Assemble
- To assemble the shortcakes: Using a serrated knife, split the biscuits in half horizontally and transfer the bottoms to 8 dessert plates. Spoon about three-quarters of the macerated berries and their juice evenly over the biscuit bottoms. Let some of the berries spill out onto the plate. Top with a generous dollop of whipped cream and cover each with a biscuit top. Spoon more berries and cream over each shortcake and serve immediately.
- Note: If you’d like to make your own buttermilk, check out the easy method here.teaspoons of lemon juice or white vinegar to a liquid measuring cup. Then add milk to the ¾-cup line and let sit for 10 to 15 minutes, or until slightly curdled and thickened.
- Make Ahead: The unbaked biscuits can be refrigerated for up to 1 hour before baking. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months. To freeze: place the unbaked biscuits on a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and freeze until solid. Remove the firm biscuits from the freezer, place in an airtight bag, and store in the freezer. Bake the biscuits directly from the freezer, allowing a few extra minutes baking time. The whipped cream can be made a few hours before serving but err on the side of under-beating. Store it covered in the refrigerator and give it a final whip by hand to get it to a pillowy consistency just before serving. The strawberries cannot be made ahead.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (8 servings)
- Serving size: 1 strawberry shortcake
- Calories: 565
- Fat: 32 g
- Saturated fat: 20 g
- Carbohydrates: 67 g
- Sugar: 35 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Sodium: 533 mg
- Cholesterol: 100 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Great one! I used sourcream, chopped coconut oil, and coconut cream cuz i didnt have all the ingredients and they turned out great!
Hello Jenn!!
I am a devoted fan and my family enjoys everything I cook from your book and site!!
I have White Lily self rising flour and would like to know if I can use it and omit the cornstarch for this shortcake recipe.
Thank you for sharing your expertise with us all!!
:))
I do think it would work, Stacey. Enjoy! 😊
Hi Jenn!
OMG over the moon 🌙 good!
Thank you for another wonderful recipe.
I’m embarrassed to admit that I’ve never tasted “true shortcake “-especially living in Ca., w/ the fresh produce!
With strawberries being in season this is especially good.
I referred to smother reader’s suggestion of including Cointreau when “making” the strawberries.
Thank you
Lisa
I made this recipe for my niece’s birthday and she said it was by far the best she’d ever had! 😋 delicious- will be making again!
Easy, quick, impressive, delicious!! I added 2 tsp. lemon zest to the strawberries.
UPDATE: I added 1 tablespoon of Cointreau to the strawberries, as another reviewer suggested (and left out the lemon zest). It was unbelievable! Yes, I’m telling you to spend $35 on a bottle of Cointreau for one tablespoon of bright, beautiful flavor- you’ll be glad you did. Then go make a pitcher of margaritas with the rest of the Cointreau.
Good idea Ann!
on our way to Costco now !
I’m always up for a reason to purchase
Grand Marnier or Cointreau!
Lisa
Hello! For Mother’s Day my mom asked me to make strawberry shortcake because she said I did once and it was amazing. The only problem is I have NO recollection of this (she is getting up there in years) but she’s my mom, so how am I going to say no?
That left me scrambling until I stumbled across your recipe and it is clearly the best on the Internet, even though I’ve never actually made it before. I am a complete nervous wreck when it comes to all things baking, and I saw you mentioned white lily powder flour as your go to, and while I am able to acquire white lily flou: I’m not sure which type I should get!
I’ve been doing a lot of biscuit research online trying to find the answer myself, and lots of them seem to use the self-rising variety, but it says I need to knead them in that case, but your recipe doesn’t call for kneading. I am so confused. Would you please tell me which kind of white lily flower to use? And if so, how much of it?
Also, I saw the question about the corn starch/white lily flour (not sure which kind of flour) and you recommended just add a little more flour in place of the cornstarch: how much?
Also you said if I made them ahead of time I could bake them from frozen and they would take a few minutes longer… but do you know how much longer? Also, when I tend to bake things, on the RARE occasions that I do (omg so stressful, lol) I bake on parchment paper, and on something called an air bake tray, would that work for this?
I’m so sorry for this waaay too long post, but it’s for Mother’s Day… This isn’t spam I swear I’m being sincere—-please help me!
Hi Kathryn, Happy to help! While it is possible to tweak the recipe to use white lily flour, because you mentioned that you are a bit of a nervous baker, I’d stick to the recipe as that’s the way I’ve developed and tested it and I can ensure you’ll get good results that way. Also, it should be fine to use parchment paper and the air bake tray. Last, if you’re baking them from frozen, I’d give them 2 to 3 minutes more in the oven. Hope that helps and that your mom enjoys!
Hi Jenn
I am making these for a Spring dinner party dessert. A few guests are Gluten free.
Can I substitute with GF flour- such as Bob’s Red Mill, King Arthur, or Pillsbury.
Thanking you in advance
Myrna Klein
Hi Myrna, I haven’t tried these with gluten-free flour so I can’t say for sure, but I think you can get away with it. Oftentimes, readers will write in if they’ve used a gluten-free flour for a recipe but it appears that no one has mentioned that thus far so if you try it, please report back on how they came out! 🙂
Can I use a pastry cutter instead of my fingers?
Sure – hope you enjoy!
Just made these biscuits for the second time. They came out perfect, golden, with crunchy bits on top. We love them even without the strawberries. Butter and jam! So glad you mentioned mixing raspberry jam with the cut strawberries because I have done that for years and it gives a special something extra to the strawberries. Thanks for all your good hints. I love reading and using your recipes.
AMAZING!!! My family absolutely loved these! Especially when I used fresh-picked strawberries!