Finally, it’s here; strawberry season! Hands down there’s nothing sweeter than juicy, fresh ripe strawberries picked from the farm! There’s nothing the strawberry can’t handle; dropped in salads, sliced on savoury tarts, topped on ice cream sundaes, the options are endless! But there’s one classic that should never change; old-fashioned strawberry shortcakes that are flaky, buttery biscuits, topped with whipped cream!
Strawberry shortcakes are a summer favourite for all. It’s easy to make the biscuits ahead of time, ready for whenever you are! All you have to do is slice your strawberries, whip the cream and then have fun assembling with your family and friends.
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar, powdered sugar and coarse sugar
- Unsalted butter
- Whipping cream
- Vanilla extract
- Fresh strawberries
- Fresh mint
- Baking powder
- Salt
Strawberry Shortcake Tips
- Have biscuits made ahead of time for an easy go-to dessert. Freeze biscuits for up to a month and reheat in the oven when ready to serve.
- Use fresh whipping cream whenever possible! With a dessert as simple as strawberry shortcakes, you want to have the best and top-quality ingredients, especially when there are only a few ingredients in the entire dessert!
- Use as much or as little sugar as you like. If you don’t have farm-fresh strawberries they might not be juicy or as flavourful so add a little sugar to your strawberries to bring out those juices and flavours!
Build Your Own Shortcake
This is the kind of dessert that can be fun for everyone to create their own special version. Why not have a ‘build your own‘ strawberry shortcake buffet? Add a variety of toppings and let your guests decide! You can add more options like;
- Local ice-cream
- Different kinds of berries, like raspberries and blackberries
- Herbs; basil, mint, edible flowers
- Sprinkles for the kids
- Sponge cake and biscuit options
Have fun, get creative and enjoy all that summer produce offers!
Happy summer baking friends! 🙂
Old Fashioned Strawberry Shortcakes
These are old fashioned strawberry shortcakes with buttery biscuits, sugared strawberries and light fluffy whipped cream. This recipe is great for a crowd!
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 10 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: Canadian
Ingredients
Biscuits
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 Tablespoons sugar, plus extra for dusting the tops of the biscuits
- 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter (cold), cut into cubes
- 1 cup heavy cream, plus extra for glazing
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Strawberry Filling/Topping
- 2 – 4 cups strawberries, roughly chopped
- 1 Tablespoon sugar (optional)
Whipped cream:
- 1 – 2 cups whipping cream
- 1 Tablespoon powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Fresh mint for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425˚F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl stir the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar together.
- Add butter cubes and cut into flour using a pastry cutter, until small crumbs form.
- Make a well in your flour-butter mixture, add the cream and vanilla, and stir until a shaggy dough is formed.
- Turn dough onto clean work surface and bring dough together by folding the dough onto itself. This dough is on the dry side, keep folding until dough just comes together.
- Flatten the dough out approx. 1/2 – 1 inch thick and cut circles out with a round cookie cutter. Gather any scraps and gently press them together to make a few extra biscuits.
- Place biscuits on your lined baking sheet, brush with cream, and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
- Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool on wire rack.
- While your biscuits are in the oven, chop the strawberries and place them in a medium-sized bowl, stir in the sugar if using (this helps to bring out juices from the strawberries if they aren’t ripe).
- Whip the whipping cream with a mixer and add powdered sugar and vanilla. Whip until soft peaks form.
- To serve, slice a cooled shortcake in half, add a large dollop of whipped cream, pile with berries, and garnish with fresh mint.
- Enjoy.
Notes
This recipe can be easily doubled for a large crowd.
Store biscuits in an airtight container for 2 days or freeze for a month.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 336
- Sugar: 7.1g
- Sodium: 241mg
- Fat: 21.2g
- Saturated Fat: 13.1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 33.4g
- Fiber: 1.6g
- Protein: 4.1g
- Cholesterol: 65mg
Keywords: Strawberry Shortcake, Summer, Dessert
FAQ’s
Although it’s possible to use frozen strawberries for strawberry shortcake I would advise against it. The beauty of this dessert is in the fresh ripe strawberries that are plump and juicy. When you use frozen strawberries you’ll have soggy berries and a lot of juice. Frozen berries are best used when either baked or blended. So it’s better to use frozen strawberries in your favourite smoothies or pies but not your shortcakes!
Undressed biscuits will last 2-3 days stored in an airtight container and can be reheated as needed. Once you dress a strawberry shortcake with whipping cream and strawberries it is to be eaten the same day.
You can make a strawberry shortcake with either biscuits or with cake. The more old fashioned way is to make the shortcakes with buttery, flaky biscuits that are topped with cream and fresh strawberries. The other version is using a simple vanilla cake or sponge cake to then top with cream and berries.
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I love the biscuits! My family are firm believers in angel food cake but for me it never quite seems right. The soft fluffy centre and crunchy crust of the biscuit paired with the strawberries and cream makes sense to me. My mouth is watering just thinking about trying them!