Nothing says summer like perfectly ripe strawberries and smooth cream. Add in a homemade biscuit and you have one of my all time favourite desserts. Biscuits straight out of the oven topped with cold strawberries and freshly whipped cream? Sounds like a midsummer night’s dream. Strawberry shortcake is the perfect treat to enjoy on your back porch on a warm summer night. Unless you live in Texas. We don’t sit outside in the summer.
One of the key reasons strawberry shortcake is synonymous with summer is the irresistible allure of fresh strawberries. Summer is when these ruby-red gems are at their peak, bursting with natural sweetness and juiciness. It’s also when they’re full of the most nutrients. That’s why eating with the seasons is an excellent practice. If you eat what’s in season, it will be fresher, more nutrient dense, and cheaper to boot! It’s a practice I recommend everyone adopts. With the invention of refrigeration and modern transportation, we’ve grown accustomed to having whatever we want right at our fingertips. This is a modern luxury, however. Our ancestors ate what was growing in their area at any given point of the year–asparagus in spring, tomatoes in summer, squash in the fall.
This cadence naturally leads to a varied diet that best supports our nutritional needs (by no coincidence! Creation is a marvel) and facilitates a diverse palette. Rather than rotating through the same 10 recipes every week, you can look forward to an entirely new menu each season. I have a lot of fun trying to come up with new, unique recipes to showcase the season’s ripest crops.
And, my family looks forward to special recipes like this strawberry shortcake, made more-so by the fact that we don’t enjoy it year round. It’s an extra special summer treat we savour every bite of while we can.
To make Classic Strawberry Shortcake, start by preparing the strawberries. The combination of ripe, succulent strawberries and a touch of sugar creates a naturally sweet and fragrant topping for your shortcake. If you’re cutting them the same day you plan to enjoy this dessert, be sure to smash a few of them with a fork. This helps them release their juices faster, creating that yummy strawberry syrupy goodness. (An additional tip, I recommend washing your strawberries as soon as you bring them home, and storing them in a container like the one you see in the photo for a longer shelf life).
To make the shortcake, which is really more of a biscuit, sift together flour, sugar, salt and baking powder in a large bowl. Then cut in cold butter cubes with a fork or pastry cutter. Once the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, add in the heavy cream, and a splash of vanilla extract if you’re feeling fancy, and knead until a soft dough forms. Then roll out on a lightly floured surface to 1/2″ thickness and cut away! You can have a lot of fun with these. You can go with the classic round shape if you’re feeling traditional, or you can use any cookie cutter you have to make unique biscuits! For this recipe, I used my Texas shaped cookie cutter. Don’t forget to brush them with butter when they come out of the oven!
What’s a strawberry shortcake without a generous dollop of freshly whipped cream? It adds a luscious, creamy element that balances out the sweetness of the strawberries and the shortcake. Plus, it’s incredibly satisfying, especially on a hot summer day. Take it from me–the few extra minutes it takes to whip your own cream make all the difference!! It’s one of the easiest ways to elevate your homemade desserts. Plus, you can avoid all the nasty added ingredients in Cool Whip like corn syrup and preservatives.
Simply place heavy cream in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment and beat on high until peaks begin to form. Then add in a splash of vanilla extract and 1/4 cup of powdered sugar if you want sweet cream. Beat to combine. (Alternatively, you can use an electric hand mixer or a whisk and a workout.) Separate the two biscuits, place a generous spoonful of strawberries between them, and top with whipped cream and additional berries. Enjoy 🙂
Classic Strawberry Shortcake
Ingredients
- 1 pint strawberries
- 1/4 cup sugar or more to taste
- 450 g flour or 4 cups
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder
- 1/2 cup butter cold + cubed, plus more for brushing
- 3 cups heavy cream divided
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Slice strawberries. In a medium sized bowl, mix sliced strawberries with sugar. Start with a scant 1/4 cup of sugar and add more to taste. Set aside, covered, for about half an hour to develop flavor.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, 3 tablespoons of sugar, salt and baking powder.
- Add 1/2 cup of cubed butter, and cut into dry ingredients with a pastry cutter or fork until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add 1 1/4 cups cream, and mix to a soft dough. Knead the dough for one minute on a lightly floured surface, then roll out to about 1/2-inch thickness. Using a 3-inch biscuit cutter (or the cookie cutter of your choice), cut an even number of biscuits – 2 per serving.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place half the biscuits on the baking sheet. Brush with butter. Top with remaining halves. Brush tops with heavy cream. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Beat the remaining cream until it thickens. Add vanilla and powdered sugar. Beat again just until thick. If you prefer a sturdier whipped cream, you can continue beating until stiff peaks form.
- Serve shortcakes with berries in the middle, and top with additional berries and whipped cream. Enjoy!
Notes
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