Easy strawberry shortcake is a dazzling summer dessert, that can be ready in just 30 minutes. It features some delicious macerated strawberries spooned over a sweet scone-style biscuit and topped with whipped cream. So easy and ridiculously delicious!
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What’s better than a quick, homemade, dessert recipe to use up your strawberries when they are in season? This strawberry shortcake is entirely made from scratch, with just a bunch of simple ingredients everyone has at home. The result? A sweet and tender, flaky biscuit, served in individual portions and filled with some delicious strawberries. Add a spoonful of whipped cream, a hint of mint or basil, and you have it all!
Strawberry shortcake: a cake or a biscuit?
We call this dessert “shortcake”, which has me wonder: is it a cake or a biscuit? This is actually a good question, and if you happen to google “strawberry shortcake” you will see results for both cake and biscuit recipes. Truth is, there is no strict rule about it, and a homemade strawberry shortcake can be either one or the other, i.e. a basic cake filled with strawberries and whipped cream, or an individual dessert with a biscuit base. I went for the second version, which is by far my favorite.
What is the difference between a shortcake and a biscuit? If you look at their appearance, they are exactly the same. Both Southern-style biscuit and shortcake feature a rich, flaky and buttery texture, and are prepared the same way. My recommendation however is the following: egg is essential for a shortcake recipe, while it’s just a possible add-on for a biscuit, Southern-style, that can be prepared with or without egg indifferently.
Tips for making shortcake from scratch
Now let’s make the shortcake dough together. I know this can be a little intimidating at first if you never attempted the recipe yourself. To picture it, imagine a basic scone recipe: the less you work the dough, the better. Making shortcake is indeed very simple, as long as you follow these essential tips:
- Use well chilled butter. This is mandatory for recipe success, and bring shortcake its rich, flaky texture. I usually dice the butter in advance, then place it back in the fridge until ready to use.
- Use cold buttermilk. The use of buttermilk adds some moisture to the dough, and using it cold insures that butter will remain cold as well.
- Be gentle when working the dough. Don’t ever overwork the dough; every step of the recipe should be prepared with care.
- Don’t twist the biscuit cutter (or glass) when cutting the dough. Instead, place the biscuit cutter on top of the dough and press gently with a flat hand to ensure biscuit will rise high enough.
By following these steps above, you are guaranteed to have a perfect flaky shortcake with a rich, buttery texture.
Prepare the strawberry shortcake filling
To make strawberry shortcake filling, I use both fresh and cooked strawberries to play with juicy flavors without compromising on the natural sweet taste of strawberries. The strawberry mixture is actually pretty simple, prepared with just a little bit of sugar. My tip for success: don’t skip the resting time, which will allow the strawberries to soften and cool down a bit, preventing the whipped cream to melt right away when in contact with strawberries.
Talking about whipped cream, I make it very simple here, by simply whipping the cream to soft peaks. No additional sugar is necessary, as whipped cream will actually cut the sweetness of the already sweetened dessert.
Tips to plate your homemade strawberry shortcake
I like to brush the upper part of the biscuit with some honey butter, that you can easily make yourself by combining softened butter and honey. Super simple! Note however that this is totally optional but if you don’t like your shortcake too sweet, you can skip the honey butter glaze.
Now the fun part: let’s assemble strawberry shortcake! It couldn’t be easier. Just cut individual shortcake in half, lengthwise. Then, spoon the cooled macerated strawberries and top with whipped cream. Additional fresh strawberries are always welcome, the higher the better!
A little final touch? Add some fresh mint leaves, or alternatively basil leaves, to your strawberry shortcake. It will bring some additional freshness to the dessert and make it more subtle in flavors. No more talking, it’s now time to dig in. I hope you enjoy!
More strawberry recipes you’ll love:
- Strawberry Cheesecake Blondies
- Easy Strawberry French Toasts
- French Strawberry Tart with Pastry Cream
- Meringue Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
- Strawberry Rolls with Lemon Glaze
- Madeleine Strawberry Charlotte Cake
More American recipes you may like:
- Easy Fluffy American Pancakes
- American Apple Pie
- American Pecan Pie
- Best Ever Buttermilk Banana Bread
- Easy Carrot Cake
Easy Strawberry Shortcake
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 8-10 biscuits 1x
- Category: Desserts
- Cuisine: American
Easy strawberry shortcake is a dazzling summer dessert, that can be ready in just 30 minutes. It features some delicious macerated strawberries spooned over a sweet scone-style biscuit and topped with whipped cream. So easy and ridiculously delicious!
Email me this recipe
We’ll send it straight to your inbox, along with weekly food inspiration!
Ingredients
For the shortcakes:
- 2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- A pinch of salt
- ½ cup (1 stick/115g) very cold butter*, diced
- 1 large egg**
- 1 cup (240 ml) homemade buttermilk***
For the honey butter:
- 1/2 cup (50g) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 1 pinch sea salt
Other ingredients:
- About 1 pound (450g) fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- 1 cup (240 ml) heavy whipping cream
- Fresh mint leaves or basil leaves
Instructions
For the shortcakes:
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C) and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
- Add pea-sized pieces of butter throughout the dough, then pour in the buttermilk and egg and mix just until the ingredients are combined. The dough will be sticky but don’t keep working it. You should be able to see the butter pieces in the dough.
- Turn the dough out onto a generously floured surface and knead 10-15 times. If the dough is super sticky just sprinkle on some additional flour.
- Pat the dough out to 3/4 – 1 inch (2-2.5 cm) thickness and cut with a biscuit cutter or glass.
- Place the biscuits onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown on top.
- For the honey butter, combine softened butter with honey and sea salt in a bowl, then lightly brush the honey butter on top of the biscuits.
Berries and assembly:
- Cook half of the strawberries (keep the other half fresh) with sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally, until berries are softened and mixture is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Let cool.
- Using an electric mixer, beat cream to soft peaks.
- Split shortcakes and fill with berry compote, whipped cream mixture, and additional fresh strawberries with mint or basil. Serve immediately.
Notes
* The key to success ro this recipe is the use of very cold butter. The best option is to dice butter and place it in the fridge again until ready to use.
** You can also try the recipe without eggs, the texture will be lighter and fluffier but it works fine too.
*** To make homemade buttermilk, place 1 Tablespoon of fresh lemon juice or apple cider vinegar in a measuring cup. Pour milk until you reach the one-cup lever, stir and let sit for 5 minutes. Easy!
Did you make this recipe?
Lastly, if you make this Easy Strawberry Shortcake, be sure to leave a comment and give this recipe a rating, letting me know how you liked it. And of course, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Thank you and enjoy!
Supriya Kutty
What amazing recipe this is, Thank you so much for this amazing article with the simplest recipe, will surely prepare and let you know how it cooked and also sharing it with friends and family for their reference as well.