Strawberry Shortcake Recipe

Layered strawberry shortcake on a white plate next to a fresh strawberry.

A classic Strawberry Shortcake recipe with tender, sweet biscuits, fresh strawberries, and fluffy whipped cream.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Dessert

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 15

Total Time 40

Servings - 10 servings

Calories 434kcal

Author Allison - Celebrating Sweets

Ingredients

Strawberries:

5-6 cups sliced fresh strawberries
2 tablespoons strawberry jam or preserves
2-4 tablespoons (25g-50g) granulated sugar depending on how sweet your strawberries are

Shortcake biscuits:

2 cups (250g) all purpose flour see note
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
6 tablespoons (85g) chilled unsalted butter cut into small cubes
1 scant cup chilled heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon almond extract optional
2 tablespoons heavy cream for brushing on top
2 tablespoons (30g) coarse sugar/raw sugar for sprinkling on top

Whipped cream:

1¼ cups chilled heavy whipping cream
¼ cup (31g) powdered sugar
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

Strawberries (prepare 1 hour before serving):

Heat the jam briefly in the microwave (just a few seconds) until it thins out. Combine jam, strawberries, and sugar. Cover and allow to sit for 1 hour until the strawberries are juicy. Adjust the amount of sugar to suit your taste.

Shortcake biscuits:

Preheat oven to 400°F with a rack in the the middle portion of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Sprinkle the cubed butter over the top. Using your fingertips (or a pastry cutter), work the butter into the flour by rubbing it quickly into small pieces. Proceed until the mixture resembles a sandy texture with pebble-sized pieces of butter (the pieces of butter will be irregularly shaped; that's fine).
Pour one scant cup of heavy cream, one teaspoon vanilla, and ¼ teaspoon almond extract over the flour mixture. Stir gently with a rubber spatula. Before the flour is completely mixed in, switch to mixing by hand, kneading as you go. The dough will be sticky. Be careful not to over-mix; stop as soon as no streaks of flour remain. If the dough is really sticky you can add a small sprinkle of flour, if the dough seems dry you can add a little splash of cream.
Use an ice cream scoop or measuring cup to scoop ¼ cup portions* of dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Form the dough balls into mounds that are higher rather than wider and leave a couple inches of space between each portion of dough. Brush each mound of dough with cream and sprinkle generously with coarse sugar.
Bake for 15-18 minutes, until golden brown around the edges, and light golden brown on top. If you squeeze them the center should feel soft, but not doughy. Place the pan on a wire rack to cool completely.

Whipped cream:

Using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat all ingredients until soft peaks form. I begin the mixer on low, then slowly increase it to high, stopping to scrape the bowl as needed. Refrigerate the whipped cream until you're ready to assemble.

Assembly:

Using a small sharp knife, gently cut the top of each shortcake. These are delicate, so work carefully. I do not cut them directly in half, I cut off the upper third of the shortcake.
Layer the strawberries (with some of their juices) and the whipped cream into the shortcake bottom. You can add several layers or just one layer of each. Place the top on and serve immediately.

Video

Notes

Proper flour measuring: Weigh the flour (preferred) or whisk the flour several times to lighten it, gently scoop a heaping portion, and level it off with a knife.

* Using generous ¼ cup scoops of dough will produce about 8 shortcakes. Scant ¼ cup scoops will produce closer to 9-10 shortcakes.

Wait to assemble each shortcake until you are ready to serve. The biscuits are best the day they are baked, see full post for information on making ahead.

Nutrition