Strawberry shortcakes are, for sure, the most Spring-ish dessert I can think of. If you can find wild strawberries, or at the very least, really flavorful ones from a farmers market, this is nothing short of heavenly. The sweet, flaky biscuits, the tangy sweet strawberries, the billows of creamy whipped cream. This dessert is truly a treat for the eyes, with contrasting colors, textures, and flavors all adding up to perfection.

Making strawberry shortcake is much easier than you might think. Biscuits are simple to make, as long as you don’t overwork them, they will be lovely and flaky. Whipped cream is as simple as holding a hand mixer. And, tossing strawberries with sugar to macerate them and bring out their juiciness and sweetness takes no time at all.

The idea of layering two uncooked biscuits rounds one on top of the other before baking, with a light slick of melted butter in between the two, came from the amazing recipe writer Nancy Harmon Jenkins, who used this technique in her biscuit recipe for strawberry shortcakes in The New York Times. In 1986! This makes them pull apart more easily but also gives them another subtle layer of butteriness.

Strawberry shortcakes are THE dessert to make in the Spring. If you can find wild strawberries, or at the very least really flavorful ones from a farmers’ market, this is nothing short of heavenly.

Tweet This

Strawberry Shortcake Ingredients

For the Biscuits:

• All-purpose flour
• Sugar
• Baking powder and baking soda – Makes the biscuits rise.
• Lemon zest – Adds a nice lemony note to the biscuits.
• Unsalted butter – Make sure your butter is cold.
• Milk or half-and-half – If you use milk, use whole milk for richness.

For the Strawberry Shortcakes:

• Strawberries – If you can make these with truly in-season and local strawberries, your strawberry shortcake will be nothing short of amazing.
• Sugar – Just a few tablespoons bring out all of the natural sweetness and juiciness of those berries.
• Whipped cream – The recipe includes a homemade whipped cream made from heavy cream, sour cream, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla extract. The addition of sour cream to the whipped cream comes at the suggestion of my friend pastry chef Mandy Maxwell. I think it’s genius — it adds more richness and body to the whipped cream and gives the whole thing a whole other layer of lushness.

Strawberry Shortcake Biscuit Tips

• The biscuit dough is quite crumbly, which is by intention. As long as it can hold together when you pat it into a rectangle, there is enough moisture in it.
• When you cut the biscuits, cut them as close together as you can, with as little dough left behind on the cutting board as possible. Yes, you can roll the scraps up and cut out another couple of circles, but the more you handle the dough the less tender it becomes, so try and get as many biscuits out of the original rectangle as possible.
• The tops of the biscuits are brushed with a bit more half-and-half or milk, and sprinkled with sugar before they go into the oven, resulting in a beautifully browned and slightly crunchy top. If you can find coarse or demerara sugar, use that. The raw sugar you see in the market is perfect.
• Make biscuits with some height to them, at least 1/2-inch per layer, as you will be cutting them horizontally and then filling them with strawberries and cream.
• If you dip the biscuit cutter in flour in between each biscuit cutting, it will help prevent sticking.
• If you chill the mixing bowl first, the cream will whip up faster.

How to Make Strawberry Shortcake

1. Prepare the biscuit dough: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Mix the biscuit dough ingredients and turn the mixture onto a lightly floured surface. Pat it out into a rectangle about 1/2-inch thick.

2. Cut the biscuits: Use a 3-inch biscuit cutter to cut out biscuits, cutting them as close together as possible. Dip the biscuit cutter in flour in between each biscuit to prevent sticking. Press the biscuit cutter down and pull it straight up without twisting, which will hinder their rising as they bake. Gather the scraps and cut a few more circles. You should have 12 discs of dough in total.

3. Bake the biscuits: Brush a baking sheet with some of the melted butter. Transfer half of the biscuits to a baking sheet, and brush the tops with more melted butter. Place the rest of the biscuits on top of the brushed biscuits, and brush the top with a bit more of the melted butter. Sprinkle sugar over the shortcakes. Bake for 15 minutes, until golden brown, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

4. Macerate the strawberries: Slice the berries and combine them with 2 tablespoons of the sugar up to an hour ahead of time. This pulls out the natural juices and then forms something of a syrup.

5. Make the whipped cream: Place the heavy cream, sour cream, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla in a clean bowl (if you chill it first, the cream will whip up faster) or the bowl of a standing mixer outfitted with the whisk insert. Beat the cream with a whisk or mixer on high speed to beat the cream until it starts to form stiff peaks. Stop beating at this point — overbeating can cause the cream to separate. Refrigerate until ready to use.

How to Assemble Strawberry Shortcake

I like a double-decker strawberry shortcake…

1. Biscuit plus strawberries: Cut the biscuits in half, then top with strawberries and whipped cream.

2. Add the next layers: Top with the second half of the biscuit and more strawberries and whipped cream.

3. Serve.

Ok, I’ll say it; these look gorgeous.

FAQs

Make Ahead Strawberry Shortcakes

• The biscuits can be made several hours ahead. They can even be made a day ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature, but biscuits are best the day they are made.
• The strawberries can be macerated at room temp for a few hours or in the fridge for up to 8 hours.
• The cream can be whipped a few hours ahead and kept in the fridge.

More Classic Dessert Recipes

• Best Banana Cream Pie
• Simple Butterscotch Pudding
• Creamy Rice Pudding
• Devil’s Food Cake
• Atlantic Beach Pie