Strawberry Shortcake
Maceration is the most important step — sliced strawberries tossed with a spoonful of sugar and left to sit release their juices into a natural syrup. The shortcake itself is a tender, lightly sweetened biscuit — split while warm, piled with berries, and capped with softly whipped cream.
Dessert · Summer, Fruit • 30 min
Ingredients
- For the strawberries:
- 1½ pounds fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- For the biscuits:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
- ¾ cup cold buttermilk
- 1 large egg, for egg wash
- For the whipped cream:
- 1½ cups heavy cream, cold
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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Steps
- Toss sliced strawberries with sugar and lemon juice in a bowl. Let macerate at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, stirring once or twice.
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
- In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in cold butter with a pastry cutter until the mixture looks like coarse meal with some pea-sized pieces.
- Pour in cold buttermilk and stir with a fork just until the dough comes together. Turn onto a floured surface and gently pat into a ¾-inch-thick rectangle. Fold in half, pat down again, and repeat once more — this creates flaky layers.
- Cut into 6 rounds with a 3-inch biscuit cutter (or a glass). Do not twist the cutter — push straight down. Place on the prepared baking sheet.
- Brush tops with beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 12–15 minutes until tall and golden brown. Cool on a rack for 5 minutes.
- Whip heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla to soft peaks. Split warm biscuits in half, spoon on strawberries and their syrup, and top with a generous cloud of whipped cream.
Tips & Variations
Make Ahead
Macerate strawberries up to 4 hours ahead and keep at room temperature. Biscuit dough can be cut and frozen on the baking sheet, then transferred to a freezer bag — bake from frozen, adding 2–3 minutes. Whip the cream just before serving.
Storage
Store components separately: biscuits at room temperature for 1 day, strawberries refrigerated for 2 days, cream whipped fresh. Assembled shortcakes don't keep well — the biscuits get soggy.
Substitutions
Mixed berries (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries) work beautifully. For a dairy-free version, use plant-based butter and a thick coconut cream whipped topping. Gluten-free flour blend works in the biscuits with slightly less rise.
Reviews
Reviews coming soon! In the meantime, let us know what you think of this recipe.
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