Easy-to-make biscuits, fresh strawberries, and a quick homemade whipped cream some together for summer’s best dessert, Strawberry Shortcake.
(This recipe for Strawberry Shortcake was originally published in July 2009, but was updated with new photos and content in 2019).
It doesn’t get much summery than fresh strawberry shortcake. Despite attempting about a million other strawberry recipes, I always seem to go back to strawberry shortcake for a few simple reasons:
- It’s so ridiculously easy to make. You can always make the biscuits in advance and let the strawberries macerate in the fridge and then assemble the dessert right before serving.
- It’s portable! If you make the biscuits and mix the strawberries ahead, it’s easy to pack up and bring with you to a summer party or BBQ.
- There’s no better way to showcase fresh summer strawberries. This is probably the main reason I make it so much. Instead of making desserts that mask the freshness of the strawberries or combine too many other flavors, strawberry shortcake truly lets the strawberries shine. The biscuits and whipped cream are delicious, but they don’t overwhelm and definitely let the strawberries be the stars of the show.
There are lots of different ways to make strawberry shortcake, but in my mind, simple is best and this is my go-to recipe.
STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE RECIPE
I recommend prepping the strawberries first since you’ll want them to have time to marinate in the fridge. I’ve let the strawberries macerate for an entire day before, but have also given them just 30 minutes (sometimes you just need a last minute strawberry shortcake!) and they’re still delicious. But for the best results, I recommend letting them sit in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
Toss the strawberries with a little bit of sugar and some triple sec. You can also use cointreau or orange juice. And if you have none of these, it’s not the end of the world as the sugar can make a big difference all on its own. Plus, chances are if you’re making this in the middle of summer, your strawberries will already be quite delicious!
Now start on the biscuits. Put the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a food processor and pulse until combined. If you don’t have a food processor, you can do this in a big bowl and use a pastry cutter or your hands to mix.
Add the pieces of chilled butter and pulse about 10-12 times until the mixture resembles coarse meal with some pea-sized pieces of butter mixed in. In a separate bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup cream, eggs and 1 Tbsp vanilla. Pour this over the flour mixture and pulse until large clumps begin to appear, about 25-30 times. There’s your biscuit dough!
Gently pack the dough into a 1/2 cup measuring cup, invert and tap onto a baking sheet. The dough should make 8 biscuits.
Bake the biscuits at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes, until they’re lightly golden. Let them cool a bit on a baking rack.
Now, make the whipped cream. Yes, I highly recommend making your own whipped cream instead of using it out of the can. I promise it’s SO much better and worth the little bit of effort you have to put in. OK, if you don’t have a stand mixer or a hand mixer, it’s kind of a lot of effort (really, just arm strength, which I don’t have a lot of), but if you have either of those appliances, homemade whipped cream will be yours in no time at all.
Just beat the heavy cream until soft peaks form. And then mix in 2 Tbsp sugar and 1 Tbsp vanilla. Perfection!
You’re ready to assemble your strawberry shortcakes. First, you’ll need to carefully cut the biscuits in half horizontally. I recommend using a serrated knife and being very careful as the biscuits can get a bit crumbly. Spoon some strawberries and a little bit of their liquid over the biscuit. And top with whipped cream.
I mean, how simple is that? There are just three elements to this strawberry shortcake and that’s exactly how it should be. The strawberries truly shine alongside the mild biscuits and whipped cream.
Strawberry shortcake really is the perfect summer dessert for absolutely any occasion. It’s fun to serve at home, but like I said, it’s also a really great dessert to make in advance and bring with you to a summer celebration.
It’s also perfect for a warm night when you really want dessert, but can’t handle anything too heavy. I could probably eat this all year round, winter included.
If only strawberries were always this delicious. I want to live in a world where strawberries are this red and juicy all year round and strawberry shortcake is served every night!
What’s your favorite way to serve strawberries?
If you like this yummy fresh strawberry dessert recipe, check out my White Chocolate Strawberry Ice Cream and my Fresh Strawberry Milk. I also love this Berries and Cream Dessert from Celebrating Sweets!
Strawberry Shortcake
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs strawberries, cleaned, hulled, and chopped into quarters
- 3/4 cup, plus 1 Tbsp granulated sugar, divided
- 1 1/2 Tbsp triple sec or cointreau (can also use orange juice)
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 12 Tbsp unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces
- 2 cups heavy cream, divided, plus more for brushing biscuits
- 2 large eggs
- 2 Tbsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Place strawberries in a medium bowl and toss with 3 Tbsp sugar and triple sec/orange juice. Cover and let chill in the fridge until you're ready to use them.
- Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
- Place flour, baking powder, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt in a food processor and pulse until combined.
- Add the pieces of butter and pulse about 10-12 times until the mixture resembles coarse meal with some pea-sized pieces of butter mixed in.
- In a bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup cream with eggs and 1 Tbsp vanilla. Pour this over the flour mixture and pulse until large clumps begin to appear, about 25-30 times.
- Gently pack the dough into a 1/2 cup measuring cup, invert, and tap onto a baking sheet. The dough should make 8 biscuits. Lightly brush biscuits with a little bit of cream.
- Bake biscuits for about 20 minutes, until they’re lightly golden. Let cool on the pan for a few minutes before moving to metal racks to them cool for another 15 minutes.
- Place remaining 1 1/2 cups heavy cream in the large bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer and beat until soft peaks form. Add the remaining 2 Tbsp of sugar and Tbsp of vanilla and beat to combine.
- Using a serrated knife, gently cut the biscuits in half horizontally. Spoon strawberries and some of their liquid over the biscuit and top with whipped cream.
Yummmm! Strawberry shortcake is my favorite!
That looks JUST like a strawberry shortcake I got out to dinner a few weeks ago, and was wondering how to recreate it! I think I found my answer! Thanks for sharing this!
Looks delicious!!
i've always taken the easy way out and used those pillsbury biscuits, but this is so easy! DELICIOUS!
Strawberry shortcake is my favorite (we had it this weekend too!) and yours looks incredible – yum!!
Yummmm.
Your strawberry shortcakes look so fabulous! MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM,….!!!!
Completely agree- whipped cream from a can is terrible- but fresh whipped- insanely good!!!!
You're tempting me with all of these strawberry desserts, especially since I have a quart of super ripe strawberries in the refrigerator.
i LOVE strawberry short cake!!! your biscuits are so cute too 🙂
I LOVE strawberry shortcake!!! and i agree homemade whipped cream is so much better than store bought (esp cool whip which is just vegetable oil)
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