Here is how to make strawberry shortcake, one of the best summer desserts.
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This post is all about how to make strawberry shortcake, a popular summer dessert.
If you’re looking for amazing summer desserts to make, then strawberry shortcake could be at the top of list.
Strawberry shortcake is an easy elegant summer dessert that is a perfect way to start the summer season. This classic dessert recipe features strawberries—one of the most popular summer fruit in season—covered in whipped cream and served between pastries.
It’s also one of the most fun desserts for summer occasions. With it’s colorful layers of strawberries, bright whipped cream, and classic biscuit layer, strawberry shortcake is one of the most popular summer desserts to dig into.
Strawberry shortcake can also be one of the best summer desserts to bring to a barbecue—just be sure to keep the dessert chilled in the refrigerator until you are ready to eat it. Your guests will love the sweet strawberries, tender pastry, and airy whipped cream layers.
Here is how to make strawberry shortcake that is a classic summer dessert.
What is Strawberry Shortcake?
Strawberry shortcake is a classic summer dessert recipe made with biscuits (or sponge cake or shortcake) that is topped with layers of sweetened strawberries and whipped cream. The strawberries are soaked in sugar and lemon juice to create a syrup and bring out the flavor of the fruit.
In this strawberry shortcake recipe, the biscuits are sliced and filled with the strawberry fruit and cream filling. The dish can be garnished with extra strawberries and whipped cream on top.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
If you love strawberries and easy summer desserts, then you’ll love making and eating this strawberry shortcake recipe because it highlights fresh, seasonal strawberries at their peak flavor.
The recipe is simple and quick to make, perfect for making a delicious and refreshing dessert that combines tender, buttery homemade biscuits with sweet, tangy strawberries and creamy whipped cream.
Strawberry shortcake is versatile, and it can be easily adapted to your own personal tastes, making it a crowd pleasing recipe for both kids and adults.
You can also make components of strawberry shortcake dessert ahead of time, so that it’s convenient for entertaining, allowing you more time to enjoy with family and friends.
Looking for more great strawberry recipes?
- How to Make Strawberry Pretzel Salad Dessert Cups
- Strawberry Refrigerator Jam
- The Best Strawberry Spinach Salad—Easy to Make + Delicious
Strawberry Shortcake Ingredients List
Here is a strawberry shortcake ingredients list. These ingredients are used to make biscuit style strawberry shortcakes that are perfect for summer parties and other special occasions.
- All Purpose Flour. All purpose flour is one of the main ingredients that is used to make the biscuits for the shortcakes.
- Granulated Sugar. Granulated sugar is used both for making the biscuits and for macerating strawberries. Sugar adds sweetness to the biscuits, and it also helps macerate the strawberries. Macerating the strawberries by combining them with sugar helps to draw out their juices and create a flavorful syrup that soaks into the biscuits.
- Baking Powder. Baking powder acts as a leavening agent to help make the biscuits rise and become light and fluffy.
- Salt. Salt brings out the flavor of the biscuits, and it helps to balance the sweetness of the other ingredients in the shortcake.
- Unsalted Butter. Butter adds richness and flavor to the biscuits, as well as helping to give them a more tender texture.
- Egg. Egg helps to bind the ingredients together to make the biscuits, and it adds moisture and richness to the biscuit dough.
- Milk or Cream. Milk provides moisture and helps to bind the ingredients together when making the biscuit dough. You can also use cream instead of milk to make a slightly richer and denser biscuit.
- Vanilla Extract. Vanilla extract adds flavor to the biscuit dough, and it enhances the overall taste of the shortcake, giving it a richer taste.
- Fresh Strawberries. Fresh strawberries provide sweetness, tartness, and a burst of fresh flavor that pairs nicely with the biscuits and cream.
- Lemon Juice. A small amount of lemon juice is added to the strawberries to help bring out their flavor.
- Whipped Cream. Whipped cream adds richness to the strawberry shortcake, and it’s light and airy texture complements the sweetness of the strawberries and biscuits.
How to Make Strawberry Shortcakes
Strawberry shortcake is an easy summer dessert to make—the hardest part is making the biscuits. This recipe makes about 6 individual servings of biscuit style strawberry shortcakes. A list of ingredients and instructions can be found below.
To make strawberry shortcake with biscuits, start by preheating your oven to 425°F and lining a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Use a pastry cutter or fork to cut cold butter into the mixture until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
In a separate bowl, whisk together egg, milk, and vanilla extract, then gradually add this mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring until the ingredients are just combined.
Knead the dough lightly on a floured surface, then pat it into a 1-inch thick circle. Cut out rounds or squares of dough to make biscuits, and then place them on the baking sheet.
Bake the biscuits for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the biscuits are cooked through and golden brown. Place the biscuits on a cooling rack to cool before assembling the shortcakes.
While the biscuits bake, macerate the sliced strawberries by coating them with a ¼ cup of sugar and a small amount of lemon juice. Macerating the strawberries helps to bring out their sweetness.
Once the biscuits are cool, split each biscuit in half, spoon some macerated strawberries onto the bottom half of each biscuit, top the strawberries with whipped cream, and place the other half of the biscuit on top of the whipped cream. Repeat these steps until each strawberry shortcake is assembled.
Serve the strawberry shortcakes immediately after assembling them. Or store each of the prepared ingredients separately in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve them, and assemble the shortcakes just before serving them.
Can Strawberry Shortcake Be Made Ahead of Time?
Sometimes the best summer desserts are those that can be made ahead of time and assembled just before you are ready to serve them. Strawberry shortcake is one such make ahead summer dessert—the key is the store the ingredients separately after you make them.
First off, the biscuits: You can bake the biscuits for the strawberry up to a day ahead and then let them cool completely. Once they’re cool, store the biscuits in an airtight container at room temperature until you’re ready to assemble the strawberry shortcakes.
When it’s time to serve, reheating the biscuits in the oven at 350°F for about 5 to 7 minutes can freshen them up for serving. Be careful not to overheat the biscuits, since this can dry them out.
For the strawberries: Core and slice the strawberries up, and then macerate them with a bit of sugar and a small amount of lemon juice. This not only enhances their natural sweetness but also creates an amazing syrup that infuses every bite with flavor. Store the strawberries in an airtight container in the fridge, until you are ready to assemble the strawberry shortcakes.
For the whipped cream: If making your own whipped cream, you can make it a few hours ahead of time and store it in the fridge. (If time allows, homemade whipped cream is best when it’s whipped up just before serving it. But it still tastes good when made a few hours ahead of time.) If using store bought whipped cream, then keep it chilled in the refrigerator until you are ready to assemble the shortcakes.
When it’s time to serve, set out the ingredients, split the biscuits into halves, spoon those delicious strawberries onto the bottom half, add a dollop of whipped cream, cover the the whipped cream with the top of the biscuit, and voila!
You now have an easy summer dessert that looks and tastes like it was made fresh, even if most of the work was done ahead of time. And you’ll have a bunch of happy campers who are ready to eat!
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Biscuit Style Strawberry Shortcakes
Here is how to make biscuit style strawberry shortcakes, a classic and easy summer dessert recipe that is perfect for summer parties.
Strawberry Shortcake with Biscuits
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ pounds fresh strawberries cored and sliced
- ¼ cup granulated sugar for macerating the strawberries
- Juice of half a lemon
- Whipped cream for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, ¼ cup of sugar, baking powder, and salt. Whisk until the ingredients are well combined.
- Add the cold butter to the bowl, and use a pastry cutter or a fork to cut the butter into the mixture until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, and vanilla extract until the ingredients are combined and have a light texture. Then add the egg mixture to the flour mixture, and stir until the ingredients are just combined.
- Turn the biscuit dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it gently a few times until the dough just comes together.
- Pat the dough into a circle about 1 inch thick. Then use a biscuit cutter to cut out rounds of dough, or cut the dough into squares.
- Place the biscuits onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving a little space between each biscuit.
- Bake the biscuits for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the biscuits are fully cooked and golden brown. Once the biscuits are done baking, let them cool slightly before assembling the shortcakes.
- While the biscuits are baking, add the sliced strawberries to a bowl with with ¼ cup of sugar and the freshly squeezed juice of a half lemon.
- Let the strawberries sit at room temperature for about 15 to 20 minutes to macerate. (If making the strawberries to serve later, then cover the bowl and refrigerate the strawberries until ready to serve.
- To assemble the strawberry shortcakes: Once the biscuits are cool, split each one in half horizontally. Spoon some of the macerated strawberries onto the bottom half of each biscuit, and then top the strawberries with a dollop of whipped cream.
- Place the other half of the biscuit on top of the whipped cream. Serve the strawberry shortcakes immediately
This post was all about how to make strawberry shortcake.
Credits
- Featured photos by vm2002 via Canva.com
- Photos and images are for illustration purposes only.