An Old-Fashioned Strawberry Shortcake consisting of a flaky biscuit, sweetened whipped cream and fresh strawberries. Such a simple recipe which produces those classic shortcakes your grandmother may have served!
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Old-Fashioned Strawberry Shortcakes with Flaky Biscuits and Macerated Strawberries
This recipe takes the classic approach starting with flaky, buttery, homemade biscuits.
Use the freshest, reddest strawberries you can find. I add strawberry shortcakes to the bakery menu starting in June - our strawberry season. Most of us can get good strawberries year round - but nothing beats the taste of a strawberry picked yesterday at a local farm.
Tips for Making the Strawberry Shortcakes
Follow these simple steps below and you will have a tasty dessert in no time!
Macerate the Berries
- Slice and macerate the strawberries by tossing in granulated sugar and letting rest for at least an hour. The sugar will draw moisture out of the strawberries and dissolve to make a sweet sauce to drizzle over your shortcake. This process will also soften your berries resulting in a more palatable texture for the dessert.
Make the Biscuits
- Use cold, unsalted butter cut into cubes approximately ⅓ of an inch. Eliminate the salt in the recipe below if you use salted butter.
- Whisk or sift your dry ingredients together (flour, sugar, salt and baking powder). This recipe uses a lot of baking powder and you want it well distributed.
- Add the butter cubes to the dry ingredients and toss to coat. Begin cutting the butter into the dry ingredients using your hands or a pastry cutter. Break the butter down into smaller pieces and coat each piece with the dry ingredients. Continue working the butter into the flour mixture until there are still bits of butter about the size of a pea.
- Add 11 fluid ounces (1 ⅓ cup) of heavy cream to the bowl and toss with a rubber spatula. Work dough briefly with your hands until it starts to come together.
- Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface. Knead briefly until no dry crumbs remain.
- Roll dough to ½ inch (dust work surface and/or rolling pin with flour if the dough begins to stick).
- Cut biscuits using a 3" round pastry cutter. You may also cut the biscuits into 2 ½ inch squares by using a knife or bench scraper.
- Roll out remaining scraps of dough and cut additional biscuits.
- Place half of the biscuits on a baking pan lined with parchment paper (or lightly butter the pan).
- Brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter. Place the other half of the biscuits on top of the biscuits in the pan and brush with melted butter.
- Bake at 400° F for 12 - 15 minutes. Biscuits will be well risen and a dark brown when finished.
- Cool biscuits completely before assembling the shortcakes.
Assemble the Shortcakes
- After the shortcakes are completely cool, pull the two pieces apart you baked on top of each other. Place the bottom of each shortcake on a serving plate.
- Whip 8 fluid ounces (1 cup) of heavy cream with 3 tablespoons of confectioners' sugar. Whip until stiff peaks are formed.
- Spoon a few strawberries and sauce (from macerating berries) over the bottom biscuit. Place a dollop (approximately 2 tablespoons) of the whipped cream on top of the strawberries. Place the top biscuit over the whipped cream. Place another dollop of whipped cream on the top biscuit and place a few more berries and sauce over the whipped cream.
- Enjoy your old-fashioned strawberry shortcakes!
📋 Recipe
Classic Strawberry Shortcakes Recipe
An Old-Fashioned Strawberry Shortcake consisting of a flaky biscuit, sweetened whipped cream and fresh strawberries.
Equipment
- 3" Biscuit Cutter, Round
- Stand Mixer or hand mixer
- Bowls, measuring cups and spoons
- Baking pan
Ingredients
Macerate Strawberries
- 1 Pint Fresh Strawberries
- ¼ Cup Granulated Sugar
Biscuit
- 4 Cups All-Purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon Granulated Sugar
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 5 teaspoons Baking Powder
- ¾ Cup Unsalted butter (cold and chopped in ⅓ inch pieces)
- 1 ⅓ Cups Heavy Cream
- ¼ Cup Unsalted butter melted
Assembling Strawberry Shortcake
- 1 Cup Heavy Cream
- 3 Tablespoons Powdered Sugar
- Macerated Strawberries and Juice
Instructions
- Prepare a baking sheet pan by lining with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat (alternatively lightly butter pan).
Macerate Strawberries
- Wash and remove stems from strawberries. Cut into ¼ slices and place in a bowl.1 Pint Fresh Strawberries
- Toss strawberries in granulated sugar. Cover bowl with a kitchen towel and set aside while preparing biscuits.¼ Cup Granulated Sugar
Biscuits
- Preheat oven to 400℉ (205℃)
- In a large bowl, sift or whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.4 Cups All-Purpose flour, 1 Tablespoon Granulated Sugar, 5 teaspoons Baking Powder, ½ teaspoon Salt
- Add butter pieces to dry ingredients. Using a pastry blender or your hands, work butter into the dry ingredients. Continue to work the butter until there are still bits of butter about the size of a pea.¾ Cup Unsalted butter
- Add 1 ¼ cup of heavy cream to the bowl and toss with a rubber spatula. Work dough briefly with your hands until it starts to come together.1 ⅓ Cups Heavy Cream
- Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on the work surface. Knead briefly until no dry crumbs remain.
- Roll dough to ½ inch (dust worksurface and/or rolling pin with flour if the dough begins to stick).
- Cut biscuits using a 3" round pastry cutter.
- Roll out remaining scraps of dough and cut additional biscuits.
- Place half of the biscuits on the prepared sheet pan.
- Brush tops of the biscuits lightly with melted butter. Place the other half of the biscuits on top of the biscuits in the pan. Brush lightly with melted butter.¼ Cup Unsalted butter
- Bake for 12 - 15 minutes. Biscuits will be well risen and a dark brown when finished.
- Cool biscuits completely before assembling the shortcakes.
Assemble Strawberry Shortcakes
- Pull biscuits apart. Place the bottom of each shortcake on a serving plate.
- Place heavy cream and powdered sugar in a mixing bowl. Whip until stiff peaks are formed.1 Cup Heavy Cream, 3 Tablespoons Powdered Sugar
- Spoon a few strawberries and some syrup over the bottom biscuit. Place a dollop (approximately 2 tablespoons) of the whipped cream on top of the strawberries. Place the top biscuit over the whipped cream. Place another dollop of whipped cream on the top biscuit. Place a few more berries and sauce over the whipped cream.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
Calories: 717kcalCarbohydrates: 65gProtein: 9gFat: 49gSaturated Fat: 31gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 139mgSodium: 613mgPotassium: 231mgFiber: 3gSugar: 13gVitamin A: 1737IUVitamin C: 35mgCalcium: 219mgIron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Monidipa Dutta says
Wow! Thanks for sharing this delightful recipe! I gave it a try, and it was a hit! The combination of fluffy shortcakes and fresh strawberries was a real treat. Your instructions were easy to follow, making the baking process enjoyable. Looking forward to exploring more of your recipes. Thanks again for this sweet treat!
Ramil Hinolan says
If you are looking to indulge in a classic and timeless dessert, this recipe is for you.
Beth says
This is one of the best strawberry shortcake recipes I've made in a long time. It has all that bright, rich flavor, BUT it also has that rustic charm that I really need in my shortcake.
Julie says
I agree with the other commenter that this is such a refined version of strawberry shortcake. Your recipe is amazing, and I will be adding it to my next menu for entertaining! Thanks for sharing!
Alice Mola says
This is such an easy recipe to make but looks so refined! The plating really makes it, and I love any dessert with strawberries and cream. Happy to have the video tutorial so I can make sure my biscuit dough is at the right place.
Andriana says
Thanks for the instructions. Tried and and the fam really liked it.