Strawberry Shortcake Recipe

Name: Strawberry Shortcake Recipe
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 1½ pounds strawberries (hulled and sliced (675g)); ⅓ cup granulated sugar ((67g)); 4 cups all-purpose flour ((480g)); ¼ cup granulated sugar ((50g)); 1 tablespoon baking powder; ½ teaspoon baking soda; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 cup cold unsalted butter (cubed (226g)); 1¼ cups cold buttermilk ((300mL)); 1 large egg; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 2 tablespoons cold heavy cream (for brushing on top); 2 cups heavy whipping cream ((480ml)); ¼ cup granulated sugar ((50g)); 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

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Strawberry shortcake is a classic dessert for good reasons! Composed of a melt-in-your-mouth flaky biscuit topped with a generous dollop of cloud-like whipped cream and sweetened fresh strawberries, it’s simple yet so delicious. I think it’s one of the best ways to take advantage of the season’s bounty of fresh berries! My strawberry shortcake recipe is so easy to make from scratch you’ll never buy it from a store again.

While strawberry shortcake is best eaten right when it’s assembled for the best flavor and texture, you can make parts of it in advance to save a little time. I have all the details in the Make-Ahead Tips section! And if you’re looking for more dessert recipes, try my cream puffs, mini cheesecakes, or strawberry tart.

Ingredients

Macerated Strawberries — macerating strawberries simply involves mixing sliced fresh strawberries with sugar and leaving them to marinate for a while. The sugar sweetens the berries and helps to draw out the berry juices for a syrupy fruit topping.

Flour — you need 4 cups of all-purpose flour for the buttermilk biscuits.

Sugar — granulated sugar, also called white sugar, adds a little sweetness to the biscuit recipe and is used for making the strawberry topping.

Leavening — a combination of baking powder and baking soda helps the sweet biscuits rise for fluffy shortcakes.

Unsalted Butter and Salt — cold unsalted butter is a must for this recipe! It produces the iconic flaky texture in biscuits. Adding salt separately ensures they have the perfect flavor.

Buttermilk — use full-fat buttermilk for the most tender shortcakes. If you don’t have buttermilk, I share a quick recipe in the FAQ section for how to make buttermilk at home.

Egg — a large egg helps give the biscuit structure and richness.

Vanilla — delicately scenting the biscuits with vanilla extract is what really turns these biscuits into a delicious dessert treat!

Heavy cream — brushing the tops of the biscuits with heavy cream helps the biscuits achieve a lovely golden brown color.

Whipped cream — whipped cream is so easy to make from scratch with cold, heavy whipping cream, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract.

How to Make Strawberry Shortcake

Set of two photos showing sugar added to strawberries and combining dry ingredients in a bowl with butter.

1. Make the macerated strawberries by placing them in a bowl and sprinkling them with sugar. Mix and cover and place the bowl in the fridge so the juice can be drawn out of the berries while you bake the biscuits.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. In a measuring cup or medium bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk, and vanilla and set aside. Add the cubed unsalted butter to the flour mixture and work it in with your hands or a pastry cutter until the butter is in small, crumbly pieces, about the size of peas.

Set of two photos showing wet ingredients added to dry and then flattening the dough.

3. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture and mix using a fork or spatula. A shaggy dough will form.

4. Turn the dough out onto a clean surface sprinkled with flour to prevent sticking. Work the dough just until it holds together, and pat it down to 1-inch thickness.

Set of two photos showing a biscuit cutter cutting out a piece of dough and then brushing the top with cream.

5. Use a floured 3-inch biscuit cutter or round cookie cutter to cut out 8 shortcake biscuits. You can reform the scraps to make more shortcakes if you want.

6. Place the biscuits about 1 inch apart on a large prepared baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the tops with the cream and sprinkle with sugar for a crunchy topping, if desired. Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. Transfer the biscuits to a wire rack and cool completely.

Set of two photos showing whipped cream being made and a strawberry shortcake being assembled.

7. Make the whipped cream by beating the cold heavy whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla extract in an electric mixer (hand mixer) or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment on medium-high speed until soft peaks form.

8. Assemble each strawberry shortcake. Split the biscuits in half. Add a dollop of whipped cream and a pile of juicy berries to the bottom half of the biscuit. Place the top half of the biscuit on top of that, pile with more whipped cream and strawberries, and serve immediately.

Three plates of strawberry shortcakes beside a bowl of strawberries with one plate in focus.

Use Cold Butter For The Best Shortcakes

You need cold butter to make the biscuit dough. The butter melts and steams while the biscuits bake, which will give you perfectly flaky biscuits. If your kitchen is warm, cut the butter into cubes and freeze it for 10 minutes before working it into the flour so it is very cold when you start.

Make-Ahead Tips

Make and freeze unbaked biscuits: Once the biscuits are cut out, place them on a lined baking sheet and freeze until they are solid, about 2 hours. Either tightly wrap the tray in several layers of plastic wrap or place the biscuits in an airtight freezer container and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake the biscuits from frozen as directed, adding a few extra minutes to the overall baking time.
Freeze baked biscuits: Once the biscuits have cooled completely, wrap each one in plastic wrap and aluminum foil and store in a freezer bag or freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature for a few hours or overnight in the refrigerator.
Macerate the strawberries: You can mix the sugar and strawberries up to 24 hours in advance and store them in the refrigerator. I recommend adding a little squeeze of lemon juice to the strawberries to help keep them fresh for several hours.

A strawberry short cake topped with whipped cream and strawberries.

Pro Tips For The Best Strawberry Shortcakes

Mix the strawberries and sugar at the very beginning. This will give the sugar time to draw the liquid out of the berries, making them extra juicy.
You can cut the butter into the dough using a food processor if desired. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine. Then add the cubed butter. Pulse 3 or 4 times just to break down the butter pieces. Pour in the buttermilk mixture and pulse a few more times just until the dough starts to get shaggy (it will still be crumbly). Turn it out on the counter and work it together into a single ball as directed in the recipe.
For taller biscuits, place the biscuits close to each other on the baking sheet, but not touching. Leaving about 1 inch between them is perfect. Doing so actually helps them rise taller during baking, versus if you spread them out farther apart.
Biscuit cutter tip: Press straight down with the cutter and don’t twist. Twisting seals the edge and prevents the biscuits from rising well.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use whole milk instead of buttermilk?

While you can use whole milk instead of buttermilk to make the biscuits, I do think buttermilk makes the biscuits extra tender and flavorful. If you don’t want to buy a whole carton of buttermilk and you have whole milk on hand, you can make an easy substitute with just 2 ingredients.

To make homemade buttermilk, combine 1 cup of whole milk along with a tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar. Stir, set aside for 10 minutes, and voila! The buttermilk substitute is ready!

Can I use frozen strawberries?

Strawberry shortcake is best with fresh strawberries, but you can use frozen strawberries in a pinch. The berries will be quite soft once thawed and much juicier. I recommend thawing them first, draining off about half of the liquid, then adding the sugar.

How should I store leftovers?

Once assembled, strawberry shortcake should be enjoyed immediately. If you have leftovers, store the components separately. The strawberries and whipped cream must be refrigerated. The macerated berries will keep for about 24 hours. And while whipped cream will keep for 2 days, it will deflate and begin to yellow in that time. Store leftover biscuits in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

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If you’ve tried this strawberry shortcake recipe, then don’t forget to rate it and let me know how you got on in the comments below. I love hearing from you!