STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE IS THE MOST CLASSIC WAY TO USE UP YOUR SUMMER STRAWBERRIES
Strawberry shortcakes are such a simple yet perfect summer dessert. When fresh strawberries are at their peak, they release their sweet juices that were made to be soaked into a homemade biscuit. The fresh whipped cream brings it all together for a treat that isn’t overly sweet, and light enough for a hot summer’s day. The beauty of strawberry shortcake is in the balance—keep reading on for all my top tips for making this staple summer recipe:
All about the strawberries:
Because they take center stage in this dessert, you're going to want to use fresh, sweet strawberries. To amplify their natural sweetness, combine your strawberries with sugar and lemon juice, and let them sit for at least 10 minutes or up to 1 day ahead in the fridge. The rest time will give the sugar a chance to break down the strawberries and create a juicy strawberry syrup.
The biscuits:
While strawberry shortcake recipes can very, many use biscuits, which is what I chose to use in this recipe. I used my recipe for the best-ever homemade biscuits here, topping them with a sprinkle of turbinado sugar for that extra sweet touch. While these are the perfect biscuits for strawberry shortcake, if you're looking for a shortcut, checkout these Bisquick strawberry shortcake biscuits.
Strawberry shortcake variations:
It wouldn't exactly be a strawberry shortcake anymore (obviously) without strawberries, but you can give the shortcake treatment to almost any fresh fruit if you're making this out of strawberry season. For other summer fruit shortcakes, check out this lemon-blueberry shortcake. Break out the apples, pears, and brown sugar in the fall, and when winter rolls around, try pomegranate and grapefruit shortcake.
Have you made this yet? Let us know how it went in the comments below!
Yields: 6 servings
Prep Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 1 hour
Ingredients
Biscuits- 2 1/2 c.
(300 g.) all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp.
baking powder
- 1 tbsp.
granulated sugar
- 1 tsp.
kosher salt
- 1/2 c.
(1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2" cubes
- 1 c.
buttermilk, plus more for brushing
Turbinado sugar, for sprinkling
- 2
pints strawberries, hulled, sliced
Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 tbsp.
granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 c.
heavy cream
- 2 tbsp.
confectioners' sugar
Directions
Biscuits- Preheat oven to 425°. In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Add butter and, using your hands, work butter into flour until pea-size pieces form. Add buttermilk and stir with a rubber spatula until dough comes together.
- On a clean surface, form dough into a rectangle about 1" thick. Starting on a long side, fold dough into thirds, like folding a letter. Using a rolling pin, gently pat back to a 1"-thick rectangle. Repeat folding process, working fast so butter doesn't melt.
- Pat dough to a 1"-thick rectangle. Using a 3 1/2" round biscuit or cookie cutter, quickly press down (don’t twist!) to cut out rounds. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing about 1/2" apart. Bring together dough scraps and cut out more rounds (you should have about 6).
- Brush tops of biscuits with buttermilk and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Freeze until cold, about 10 minutes.
- Bake biscuits until tops are golden brown, about 20 minutes.
In a medium bowl, toss strawberries, lemon juice, and sugar until combined. Let sit at room temperature at least 10 minutes, or cover and refrigerate up to 1 day.
Whipped Cream & Assembly- In the large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat cream and confectioners' sugar on medium-high speed until soft peaks form.
- Split biscuits in half. Top bottom half with whipped cream and strawberries, spooning over any juices from strawberries. Close with second half. Top with a little more strawberries and cream.