Homemade Strawberry Shortcake is the essence of summer and is meant to be enjoyed throughout the summer. It consists of 3 ingredients: fresh sweet strawberries, flaky sweet biscuits, and homemade whipped cream. The biscuit recipe is made with butter and half-n-half giving the biscuits a cake-like texture perfect for holding the sweet juicy strawberries. If you want to impress your family with an easy and delicious dessert than give this recipe a try.
This recipe is one of my favorites and I'm so happy to share it with you. I love, love Oregon strawberries, and I wait anxiously every year for the start of strawberry season in Oregon (which starts in late April or early May). The berries are sweet and juicy and so delicious. I buy them every week for eating and baking. Strawberry shortcake is also a favorite because this is the dessert I make every year for Mother's Day.
About This Recipe
This Strawberry Shortcake recipe starts with sweet buttery homemade biscuits. The biscuits are made with butter and half-n-half which gives them a cake-like texture perfect for soaking up all that strawberry juice. The whipped cream is lightly sweetened and billowy and the strawberries are bright red, juicy, and sweet.
This shortcake is easy to assemble and the combination of cream, fruit, and buttery shortcake makes the most amazing mouthful. For extra indulgence spread the warm biscuits with soft butter before topping with strawberries.
And if you came to this recipe because you like strawberries too, consider trying these recipes:
- Strawberry Almond Cake
- Strawberry Filled Vanilla Cupcakes
- Homemade Strawberry Soda (made with homemade Strawberry Simple Syrup)
Strawberry Shortcake Ingredients
Homemade strawberry shortcake is so easy to make. Here is some information about the key ingredients to make the best version possible:
- Fresh Strawberries: Use in-season fresh strawberries for the best results. The berries should be naturally sweet and red in the center. The sweeter the strawberries the less sugar you'll need for the berries.
- Homemade Sweet Biscuits: Use this recipe for sweet shortcake biscuits. These biscuits are tender, flaky, and sweeter than regular biscuits making them perfect for dessert. The recipe uses a folding method which ensures they rise nise and high.
- Heavy Cream: For the best results, whip up some heavy cream right before serving the strawberry shortcake. The cream is sweetened based on your tastes. I use powdered sugar because the cornstarch in the sugar helps stabilize the whipped cream. If you don't have powdered sugar, use granulated sugar.
Use Fresh Strawberries for Strawberry Shortcake
For the best flavor use in-season local strawberries, even if you have to wait a few weeks for them to arrive. The strawberry filling consists of just two ingredients: fresh sliced strawberries and sugar. The sugar draws the moisture out of the strawberries creating a delicious sweet syrup that soaks into the sweet shortcake biscuit. This process is called maceration, it softens and sweetens the fruit
Make the strawberry filling before you make the biscuits to give the strawberries time to develop the liquid. Taste the berries before the sugar is added. Naturally sweet strawberries need less sugar, so you may end up using half the sugar called for in the recipe.
Sweet Shortcake Biscuits (Use Cold Butter)
Use this recipe for Shortcake Biscuits for the strawberry shortcake. This shortcake recipe uses a combination of butter and half-n-half to make a flaky biscuit that has a tender crumb that is more cake-like, making it perfect for dessert.
Make sure the butter and half-n-half are cold when adding them to the dough. Cold butter is key to achieving those flaky layers.
Use a biscuit cutter to cut out the biscuits, do not use a glass or some other device with rounded edges. Biscuit cutters have a sharp edge that will produce a clean cut that allows the biscuits to rise.
Homemade Whipped Cream
Homemade whipped cream is easy to make and has just 3 ingredients: heavy cream, powdered sugar, and pure vanilla extract. I prefer slightly sweetened whipped cream so I use 3 tablespoons of powdered sugar for 2 cups of heavy cream. You can use more or less to your tastes.
Make the whipped cream right before serving the strawberry shortcake and ideally, while the biscuits are still warm.
Place the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extra in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Whip on medium speed until soft peaks form.
How to Assemble the Strawberry Shortcake
After the biscuits are baked, let them cool slightly and serve them while still warm. Split the biscuit in half, spoon strawberries and some of the juice over the biscuit, then add whipped cream and more berries. Top with the other biscuit half and add more whipped cream and strawberries.
The biscuits are best served warm, but you can wait until completely cooled. See the biscuit recipe for information on how to store leftover biscuits.
Which Strawberries to Use for Strawberry Shortcake
I'm a big believer in using local in-season fruit. Local fresh strawberries are the best option for this strawberry shortcake recipe. Here are some strawberry varieties that are great for strawberry shortcake:
- Hood Strawberries - small and sweet with a short season in early June
- Albion - these berries are large and firm and available for several months of the year
- Mary's Peak - a new variety from Oregon, these berries are medium-sized and sweet
Here is a list of strawberry varieties by state so you can find your new favorite.
To prepare the berries, wash them off with a spray of water. Don't soak them in water or they will become waterlogged. Dry the berries off and then slice them thick or thin depending on how you like them. Place the strawberries in a large bowl and add the sugar.
If you make this seriously delicious strawberry shortcake please leave a rating and a comment below. If you have questions email me and I'll be happy to help.
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Fresh Strawberry Shortcake with Homemade Biscuits
Ingredients
Strawberries
- 6 cups (750 grams) fresh strawberries sliced
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) sugar
Sweet Shortcake Biscuits
- 2 cups (292 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 3 tablespoons (38 grams) granulated sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 tablespoons (113 grams) unsalted butter cold and cut into cubes
- 1 cup (240 ml) half-n-half
- 2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter melted
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Whipped Cream
- 2 cups (480 ml) heavy cream chilled
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Place the stand mixer or handheld whisk attachment in the refrigerator for the whipped cream.
For the Strawberries
- When adding sugar to the strawberries, start with less than the recipe calls for and add more sugar based on the desired level of sweetness.
- Combine the sliced strawberries and the sugar in large bowl and stir together. Place the fruit in the refrigerator and allow the berries to macerate.
Shortcake Biscuits
- Use this recipe to make the biscuits. The biscuits are best served warm with the strawberry filling and whipped cream.
For the Whipped Cream
- Place the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and pure vanilla extract in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on medium speed until soft to medium peaks form. Watch the cream the entire time to avoid overbeating it.
Assemble the Shortcakes
- To make a shortcake, cut a biscuit in half and spoon strawberries on top of the biscuit. Then top with whipped cream and more strawberries. Top with the other biscuit half and add more strawberries and whipped cream.
Barbara Rigney says
I have never added sugar to a biscuit dough.
I will definitely try this, it’s sounds delicious
Rose says
If you don’t have halt and half can you use buttermilk instead
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Rose
If you don't have half and half you can use whole milk or stir together 3/4 cup whole milk and 1/4 cup heavy cream. I haven't tested this recipe with buttermilk, but I assume it wouldn't have the same cakey texture.