Strawberry Shortcake
Sweet macerated strawberries layered between tender, flaky homemade shortcake biscuits and clouds of freshly whipped cream. This timeless summer dessert celebrates the simplicity of peak-season strawberries.
Desserts · Prep 20 min · Cook 16 min · Serves 6 · Easy · By Tina · Published
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
- 0.25 cup granulated sugar, divided
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 0.5 tsp salt
- 6 tbsp cold butter, cubed
- 1.5 cups heavy cream, divided for biscuits and whipping
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp powdered sugar, for whipped cream
- 1 tsp lemon juice
Summer in Three Layers
Strawberry shortcake is the dessert I wait for all year. When those first perfect strawberries show up at the farmers market, this is the very first thing I make. It is not complicated -- just flaky biscuits, macerated berries, and clouds of whipped cream -- but the combination is absolute magic.
The Biscuit That Makes It
Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in cold butter until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces. Stir in cold cream until a shaggy dough forms. Pat out to about 2 cm thick and cut into rounds.
Bake at 220°C/425°F for 12-15 minutes until tall, golden, and flaky. While they bake, hull and slice your strawberries and toss them with sugar. Let them sit for at least 20 minutes until they release their gorgeous ruby juices.
The Assembly
Split a warm biscuit, spoon the juicy strawberries and their syrup over the bottom half, add a generous cloud of whipped cream, and cap with the top. This is not the time for restraint.
Tina's Tips
- Cold butter is essential -- it creates steam pockets in the oven that make the biscuits flaky
- Macerate the berries for at least 20 minutes -- the sugar draws out natural juices that become the sauce
- Do not over-whip the cream -- it should be billowy and soft, not stiff
- Bake biscuits the same day -- they are best within hours of coming out of the oven
- Use heavy cream whipped with just a touch of vanilla -- no stabilizers, no shortcuts
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