Strawberry Shortcake

5 from 5 votes

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 Time1

Cook Time15

Total Time1 15

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: strawberry shortcake, strawberry shortcake recipe

Servings: strawberry shortcakes

Author: Chelsea Lords

Cost: $7.92

Equipment

Large sheet pan
Parchment paper
Pastry cutter or two butter knives
Round biscuit cutter 2 and 3/4-inch

Ingredients

Strawberries

1 pound fresh, washed strawberries 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

US - Metric

Instructions

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.
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.
Preheat oven to 425°F and line a large sheet pan with parchment paper. Set aside. In a small bowl, add 1/2 teaspoon lemon or orange zest and 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.
Combine (cold from the fridge) flour, cornstarch, sugar with zest, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl and mix to combine.
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.
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.
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)
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.
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.
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.
Bake in preheated oven at 425°F 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.
Combine 1 cup heavy cream, 3 tablespoons powdered sugar, and vanilla extract in a large bowl.
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.
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.

Video

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