When strawberries are in season you NEED to make this strawberry shortcake recipe! They have the perfect balance of textures from the biscuit, Chantilly cream, fresh berries, and of course, the taste is delicious! Its a classic show-stopping dessert that works for any occasion. You won’t believe how easy it is to make these individual homemade strawberry shortcake from scratch. Everything from the biscuits and whipped cream is made from kitchen staples so you can make a batch of these whenever you’ve got some fresh strawberries on hand.
If you’re looking for more individually served desserts to make this into a party, you need to try my Cream Puffs and my Mini Cheesecakes. No need to slice and serve anything!
What You Need to Make this Recipe
Strawberries – when selecting strawberries, keep in mind that once they’ve been picked, the ripening process stops. This means if you pick underripe berries, they don’t ripen in your fridge. Select the brightest-looking berries you can find for maximum sweetness!
Butter – this is the one time we don’t want room temperature butter. Make sure your butter is super cold so the butter can melt inside of the biscuits as they bake. The steam that forms inside your biscuits as the butter melts is what makes them airy and flakey.
Buttermilk – the buttermilk should be cold as well. If you don’t have buttermilk, see my post on how to make buttermilk at home.
Sugar – a key ingredient for all three components of this recipe, do not skip the granulated sugar or swap it for powdered sugar or a sugar substitute. You will not get the exact same results with the substitutes.
How to Make Strawberry Shortcake
1. Add the sugar into a bowl of cut strawberries, mix, cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar before working in the cold cubed butter.
3. Add in egg, buttermilk, and cream.
4. Combine everything before rolling the dough out onto a clean surface, around 1 inch thick.
5. Use a floured 2 ½-3 inch biscuit cutter to cut the shortcakes out.
6. Brush the top of the biscuits, not sides, with cream and sprinkle with sugar before baking.
7. Make the whipped cream.
8. Assemble the strawberry shortcake.
Pro Tips for Making this Recipe
- Don’t roll those shortcakes out too thin! They need to be almost an inch thick.
- Place the cakes right next to each other on the baking sheet. Doing so will help them rise higher.
- Mixing some room temperature mascarpone into your whipped cream will give it a thicker consistency if you want your strawberry shortcake to stay nice and high.
- Using powdered sugar instead of granulated sugar will stabilize your whipped cream a bit end extends the life of your shortcakes.
- If you live somewhere warm, you can freeze your cubed butter for around 15 to 20 minutes beforehand so they hold up better as you work it into the biscuit dough. You want to make sure the butter isn’t fully melted into your dough.
- If you have leftover whipped cream, store it tightly wrapped in the fridge. You can beat the leftover whip cream again the next day to fluff it back up.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are macerated strawberries?
To macerate strawberries means adding sugar to cut up strawberries, which sweetens them but also draws out the liquid and concentrates the flavor. Your berries will be delicious and won’t weep as much in the deserts you add them to.
Can this be made in advance?
You can make the biscuits a day in advance and keep them in an airtight container on the counter. The whipped cream should be made just before serving to be at its fluffiest but it will hold up for an hour or two in the refrigerator. The strawberries can be macerated anywhere from 30 minutes before to the night before if kept in the fridge.
Do you refrigerate strawberry shortcake?
These cakes are best served right after assembly but you can make them an hour ahead and refrigerate if ABSOLUTELY necessary. The problem is that the whipped cream will get soaked up into the biscuits. The best idea is to make the components ahead and set up a shortcake bar if you’re running short on time or if you just want to have a fun activity for your guests!
How do I freeze this?
Only the biscuits can be frozen as the whipped cream and strawberries won’t hold up well. You can make a double batch of the biscuits and freeze half of the biscuits for another day. Wrap them up tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw fully before using them in the shortcakes.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this Strawberry Shortcake recipe then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Strawberry Shortcake
Equipment
- Baking Sheet
- Rolling Pin
- 2 ½-3 inch Biscuit cutter
- Brush
Ingredients
For the Macerated Strawberries:
- 1 ½ pounds strawberries
- ⅓ cup sugar (67g)
For the Shortcakes:
- 4 cups all-purpose flour (480g)
- ¼ cup sugar (50g)
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup butter cold and cubed (226g)
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup cream plus more for brushing on top (70mL)
- 1 cup buttermilk (240mL)
For the Whipped Cream:
- 2 cups cream
- 3 Tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla
Instructions
For the Macerated Strawberries:
- Wash, hull, and slice the strawberries
- Place strawberries in a large bowl then sprinkle with sugar, mix, cover, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
For the Cakes:
- In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar then whisk together. If using a food processor then pulse the ingredients together.
- Whisk together the egg, buttermilk, and cream in a bowl or liquid measuring cup and set aside.
- Add the cold cubed butter to the dry mixture then work it in with your hands until you have a crumbly mixture with lentil to almond-sized pieces of butter. If using a food processor then pulse a few times until butter is broken into large crumbs.
- Pour the milk mixture on top of the flour mixture and mix (or pulse) until a shaggy dough starts to form.
- Dump the dough out onto a clean surface generously sprinkled with flour. Work the dough just until it holds together then pat down to an inch in thickness. Use a floured 2 ½-3 inch biscuit cutter to cut the shortcakes out. Press straight down with the cutter and don’t twist; twisting seals the edge and prevents the shortcake from rising. Push together the scraps and cut the remaining shortcakes.
- Transfer to baking sheets lined with parchment paper or Silpat. Brush tops, not sides, with cream and sprinkle with sugar.
- Bake at 425F for about 15 minutes or until golden and puffed up.
- Remove cakes from the oven and allow them to cool.
For the Whipped Cream:
- Mix cold cream, sugar, and vanilla in an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment on high until thickened.
For the Assembly:
- Cut the shortcakes down the middle then add a dollop of whipped cream and pile with strawberries then add the top on and finish with another dollop of whipped cream and more strawberries.
Video
Notes
- Don't roll those shortcakes out too thin! They need to be almost an inch thick.
- Place the cakes right next to each other on the baking sheet. Doing so will help them rise higher.
- Mixing some room temperature mascarpone to your whipped cream will give it a thicker consistency if you want those shortcakes to stay nice and high.
- Using powdered sugar instead of granulated sugar will stabilize your whipped cream a bit end extends the life of your shortcakes.
- If you live somewhere warm, you can freeze your cubed butter for around 15 to 20 minutes beforehand so they hold up better as you work it into the biscuit dough. You want to make sure the butter isn't fully melted into your dough.
- If you have leftover whipped cream, store it tightly wrapped in the fridge. You can beat the leftover whip cream again the next day to fluff it back up.
Nutrition
