Welcome to the definitive guide for crafting the ultimate Strawberry Shortcake Recipe. Imagine sweet, tender, and incredibly flaky biscuits, piled high with juicy, perfectly macerated strawberries, and topped with dollops of fresh, airy whipped cream. This isn’t just any shortcake; it’s a celebration of summer flavors, and surprisingly easy to create from scratch right in your own kitchen.

The Best Homemade Strawberry Shortcake Recipe You’ll Ever Make

While many dessert enthusiasts might instinctively reach for chocolate (and who can blame them? A decadent Chocolate Cheesecake is undeniably tempting), there’s a unique magic to fruit-filled delights, especially when summer’s bounty is involved. Having slowly converted to the charm of fruity desserts over the years, I can confidently say that this strawberry shortcake stands shoulder-to-shoulder with any chocolate indulgence. With its perfect balance of homemade, subtly sweet biscuits, succulent fresh strawberries, and cloud-like whipped cream, this recipe might just win you over, too.

Forget store-bought versions that often disappoint with dry cakes and artificial flavors. Our recipe focuses on simple, quality ingredients and straightforward techniques that guarantee a superior, bakery-quality result. You’ll be amazed at how easily you can transform basic pantry staples into a truly memorable dessert.

Why Homemade Strawberry Shortcake Shines

There’s a distinct difference between a good dessert and an extraordinary one, and often, that difference lies in the homemade touch. This strawberry shortcake recipe elevates a classic to new heights. The biscuits, unlike typical sponge cakes, are rich, buttery, and slightly crumbly, providing the perfect textural contrast to the soft fruit and cream. We use a method that ensures flakiness and tenderness, a hallmark of truly exceptional shortcakes.

Beyond the texture, the flavor profile is unmatched. Fresh, ripe strawberries are gently macerated with sugar, coaxing out their natural sweetness and creating a luscious syrup that infuses every bite. Paired with freshly whipped cream, made simply with heavy cream, a touch of powdered sugar, and vanilla, you get a harmonious blend of sweet, tangy, and creamy that is utterly irresistible. It’s a dessert that speaks of warm days, family gatherings, and pure culinary joy.

Essential Ingredients for Your Perfect Strawberry Shortcake

Crafting the best strawberry shortcake begins with selecting the right ingredients. Here’s a closer look at what you’ll need and why each component is crucial:

• All-Purpose Flour: The foundation of our tender biscuits. Remember to measure flour by spooning it into your measuring cup and then leveling it off. Scooping directly can compact the flour, leading to too much dry ingredient and a dense biscuit.
• Cornstarch: This is our secret ingredient for exceptionally soft and fluffy shortcakes. It helps to tenderize the dough, ensuring a delicate crumb that melts in your mouth.
• Lemon or Orange Zest (Optional): A vibrant citrus zest adds a bright, fresh flavor that beautifully complements the sweetness of the strawberries and cream. It’s a subtle yet impactful addition.
• Granulated Sugar: Used both for sweetening the biscuits and macerating the strawberries, balancing the tartness of the fruit.
• Baking Powder and Baking Soda: These leavening agents are vital for achieving that signature rise and airy texture in your shortcakes. Always check their expiration dates to ensure they are fresh and active.
• Heavy Cream and Buttermilk: Keep these dairy products chilled until just before use. Cold ingredients are key to developing flaky layers in the biscuits. Buttermilk adds a tangy depth and contributes to the tender crumb.
• Fresh Strawberries: The star of the show! Choose ripe, fragrant berries. Slice them thinly to encourage them to soften quickly and release their delicious juices when macerated with sugar.
• Unsalted Butter: For the flakiest biscuits, it’s imperative that your butter is frozen and cut into small cubes. Incorporate it into the dry ingredients swiftly to keep everything cold, preventing the butter from melting before baking.
• Fresh Whipped Cream: A must-have topping! For the fluffiest results, ensure both your mixing bowl and beaters are thoroughly chilled before whipping the heavy cream.

Step-by-Step Guide to Making Homemade Strawberry Shortcake

Creating this delightful dessert is simpler than you might think. Follow these detailed steps for a truly exceptional homemade strawberry shortcake:

1. Prepare the Strawberries (Maceration): The first crucial step is to macerate your sliced strawberries with sugar. This process draws out their natural juices, creating a sweet syrup and tenderizing the fruit. While your biscuits are in the oven, give them an occasional stir to help them become perfectly juicy.
2. Craft the Tender Biscuits: While homemade biscuits might sound daunting, this recipe simplifies the process. Pay close attention to the instructions and the “Tips for Success” section below – particularly regarding ingredient temperatures and handling the dough – and you’ll achieve perfectly light and flaky shortcakes.
3. Whip the Cloud-Like Cream: Once your biscuits are mostly cooled (a little warmth is fine, but not hot!), it’s time to prepare the fresh whipped cream. This step is incredibly easy and yields a much superior result to anything store-bought. Ensure your bowl and beaters are cold for maximum fluffiness.
4. Assemble and Serve: Finally, slice your cooled biscuits, generously layer with strawberries and their syrup, and crown each serving with a luscious dollop of fresh whipped cream. Serve immediately for the best experience.

Mastering Your Strawberry Shortcake: Expert Tips for Flawless Results

Achieving truly perfect strawberry shortcakes requires attention to a few key details. These tips are designed to ensure your biscuits are wonderfully flaky, and your dessert is a complete triumph:

• The Importance of Cold Ingredients: This is arguably the most crucial tip for flaky biscuits. Ensure your flour is chilled, your butter is frozen and cut into small cubes, and all wet ingredients (heavy cream, buttermilk) are straight from the fridge. When butter remains cold in the dough, it creates pockets of steam in the oven, resulting in those desirable airy, flaky layers.
• Correct Biscuit Cutting Technique: To get a proper rise and maintain firm, tall edges, press your biscuit cutter straight down into the dough without twisting. Twisting can seal the edges of the biscuit, preventing it from rising to its full potential.
• Minimal Kneading is Key: Overworking biscuit dough develops the gluten, leading to tough, dense shortcakes. Stop kneading as soon as the dough barely comes together. A light, gentle touch is best.
• Monitor Baking Time Closely: Ovens can vary. Keep a close eye on your biscuits as they bake. You’re looking for a light golden-brown color on the tops and bottoms, indicating they are cooked through but not overbaked, which can dry them out.
• Rest Baked Biscuits: Once out of the oven, resist the urge to immediately break apart your biscuits. Let them stand on the sheet pan for 5-10 minutes. This allows for carry-over cooking, ensuring the centers are perfectly done and the exterior sets beautifully.
• Folding Dough for Layers, Not Kneading: Instead of traditional kneading, we employ a folding technique. Fold the dough 4-6 times, rotating it each time. This creates multiple layers within the biscuit dough without overdeveloping gluten, giving you that beautiful flakiness. Remember, this is about creating layers, not working the dough vigorously.
• Shape Dough by Hand: For the tenderest biscuits, avoid using a rolling pin. Instead, gently pat and shape the dough into a rectangle with your hands. This minimizes gluten development and keeps the dough light and airy.

Delicious Strawberry Shortcake Variations & Serving Ideas

While the classic strawberry shortcake is a masterpiece on its own, it also lends itself beautifully to creative variations and delightful serving suggestions:

• Lemon Zest Infusion: For a bright, tangy twist, fold some homemade lemon curd into your whipped cream. This creates lemony shortcakes that are exceptionally refreshing.
• Go Big or Go Home: Hosting a crowd? This recipe is easily scalable. For a large strawberry shortcake recipe perfect for sharing, simply double all the ingredient quantities to yield 12 delicious servings.
• Quick & Easy with Bisquick®: If you’re short on time but still crave that homemade taste, you can use Bisquick® for the biscuits. Follow our recipe below for the luscious whipped cream and perfectly macerated strawberries, and refer to a reliable Bisquick recipe for the shortcake base.
• Explore Different Berries: Don’t limit yourself to just strawberries! This recipe is incredibly versatile. Replace strawberries with another berry you adore, such as sweet raspberries, tart blueberries, or juicy blackberries for a delightful seasonal twist. A mix of berries can also be wonderful!
• A Savory-Sweet Touch with Balsamic: For an unexpected gourmet twist, try adding a subtle hint of balsamic vinegar to your macerated strawberries. The vinegar enhances the sweetness of the berries and adds a sophisticated sweet-savory depth.
• Ice Cream Pairing: For an even more indulgent treat, serve your strawberry shortcake with a scoop of premium vanilla bean ice cream alongside or on top of the whipped cream.
• Individual Mason Jar Shortcakes: For a charming and portable option, layer the shortcake pieces, strawberries, and whipped cream in individual mason jars. Perfect for picnics or parties!
• Gluten-Free Adaptation: With a good quality gluten-free all-purpose flour blend (one that contains xanthan gum), you can often adapt the biscuit recipe to be gluten-free. Always ensure your leavening agents are also gluten-free.

More Irresistible Dessert Recipes to Explore

• Classic Oatmeal Cookies (or try our delightful Caramel Oatmeal Cookies)
• Candied Pecan Carrot Cake
• Creamy Vanilla Cheesecake Bars
• Festive Sugar Cookie Fruit Tarts
• Bright and Zesty Lemon Pie

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Rating: 5 out of 5 stars (Based on 5 votes)

Strawberry Shortcake

By

Chelsea Lords

The best Strawberry Shortcake: fluffy homemade biscuits topped with fresh whipped cream and juicy strawberries. So simple and delicious, you won’t believe it’s made from scratch!

Prep Time:
1 hour

Cook Time:
15 minutes

Total Time:
1 hour 15 minutes

Servings:
6 strawberry shortcakes

Video

Equipment

• Large sheet pan (15″ x 21″)
• Parchment paper
• Pastry cutter or two butter knives
• 2 and 3/4-inch biscuit cutter

Ingredients

Strawberries

• 1 pound fresh strawberries, washed, tops removed and thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar

Shortcakes

• 1 lemon or orange, optional, for zest
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg, optional
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into small cubes
• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons heavy cream, cold, divided
• 1/3 cup buttermilk, cold
• 1 to 2 tablespoons white sparkling sugar, optional

Whipped Cream

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Measure flour and place it in the fridge. Cut butter into small cubes and place in freezer. It’s very important that the ingredients are as cold as possible.
2. Thinly slice (cleaned, completely dried, and stems removed) strawberries. Place in a large bowl and add 3 tablespoons sugar. Stir and set aside. Stir occasionally as you prepare the rest of this recipe.
3. Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C) and line a large sheet pan with parchment paper. Set aside. In a small bowl, add 1/2 teaspoon lemon or orange zest and 1/4 cup granulated sugar (skip this step if not adding zest). Rub the zest and sugar together with your fingers until the zest is broken down, fragrant, and ingredients are well integrated.
4. Combine (cold from the fridge) flour, cornstarch, sugar with zest, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl and mix to combine.
5. Remove the frozen, cubed butter from the freezer and put on top of the dry ingredients. Using a pastry cutter (or 2 butter knives), cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center of this bowl.
6. Pour buttermilk and 1/2 cup heavy cream (straight from the fridge) into the well of dry ingredients. Use a wooden spoon to gently stir until combined. Do not overmix or overwork this dough.
7. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and use your hands to gently work the dough together. (If it’s too sticky, add a bit more flour; avoid adding too much flour, as you’ll get dense biscuits)
8. Once ingredients have formed a ball, fold dough in half. Gently flatten dough to a wide rectangle (see picture). Flatten using hands, never a rolling pin. Rotate dough 90° and fold in half again. Flatten with your hands again. Fold in half, flatten, rotate the dough. Repeat this process for a total of 4–6 times, being careful to not overwork the dough or make it too warm. It should always remain as cold as possible.
9. Flatten dough to 1-inch thick and lightly dust a 2 and 3/4-inch round biscuit cutter with flour. Making close cuts, press the biscuit cutter straight down into the dough (don’t twist or swivel it), then place the cut out biscuits less than 1/2-inch apart on the prepared sheet pan. Repeat, then rework the dough to 1-inch thickness to get another biscuit or 2 until you have 6 biscuits.
10. Brush with additional 2 tablespoons heavy cream and sprinkle generously with sparkling sugar (or granulated sugar). Place the pan with the biscuits in the fridge for 20 minutes.
11. Bake in preheated oven at 425°F (220°C) for 15–20 minutes or until tops and bottoms of shortcakes are a light golden brown and shortcakes are cooked through. Remove from oven and let stand (without breaking them apart) for 5–10 minutes.
12. Combine 1 cup heavy cream, 3 tablespoons powdered sugar, and vanilla extract in a large bowl.
13. Using an electric mixer, beat ingredients on low speed until combined. Gradually increase speed to high and beat until stiff peaks form. Watch carefully to avoid overbeating, which will cause the cream to break.
14. Slice the cooled shortcakes in half (fine if they are still warm, just not hot) and place the bottom half (cut side up) on a plate. Top with a generous spoonful of whipped cream, strawberries, and the other half of the biscuit. Spoon a little bit of whipped cream on top of the top biscuit. Serve as soon as assembled.

Recipe Notes

Storage: Store leftover cooled biscuits in an airtight bag in the fridge with strawberries and whipped cream in separate airtight containers. Best if eaten within a day.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 serving
|
Calories: 503 kcal
|
Carbohydrates: 63 g
|
Protein: 7 g
|
Fat: 25 g
|
Saturated Fat: 15 g
|
Cholesterol: 91 mg
|
Sodium: 604 mg
|
Potassium: 247 mg
|
Fiber: 3 g
|
Sugar: 26 g
|
Vitamin A: 1001 IU
|
Vitamin C: 45 mg
|
Calcium: 210 mg
|
Iron: 2 mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.