Homemade Strawberry Shortcake
Lightly sweetened biscuits topped with sweet, juicy strawberries and homemade whipped cream. This Homemade Strawberry Shortcake is easy to make and so delicious!
Does anything scream summer more than homemade strawberry shortcake? Okay, maybe a few things do but this easy homemade dessert definitely tops the list!
I’ve had a few requests for an easy strawberry shortcake recipe recently so I decided to get to work on one. I wanted a shortcake recipe that was sweet but not too sweet and made completely from scratch.
This recipe delivers all of that and it’s actually fairly easy to make! Plus, how perfect would this strawberry shortcake be for your next cook-out or summer get together?
How To Make Strawberry Shortcake From Scratch
There are three components to this homemade strawberry shortcake recipe: strawberries, biscuits, and homemade whipped cream. Now, this may seem like quite a bit but I promise each step is fairly easy!
Strawberries
You’ll be using 2 pints of fresh strawberries for this recipe. You can either slice the strawberries or chop them up, either option works fine! Once you’ve prepped the strawberries, you’ll pour some sugar on top of them and stir until all of the strawberries are coated with the sugar. I typically use about 1/3 cup of granulated sugar when I prep the strawberries, but if your strawberries are sweeter you can reduce the sugar to 1/4 cup. Feel free to taste the strawberries and see if you think they need more or less sugar.
Then, just cover the bowl of strawberries and set them aside for 30 minutes to an hour. I suggest prepping the strawberries first so they have time to get nice and juicy while you make the biscuits and whipped cream.
Shortcake Biscuits
To make the shortcake biscuits, you’ll start with some all-purpose flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. There’s 1/4 cup of sugar in these biscuits so that they’re slightly sweet, but not too sweet since they’ll be topped with strawberries and whipped cream.
You’ll whisk together the dry ingredients, then add some cold cubed butter and cut it in. I would suggest using a pastry cutter if you have one, here’s one similar to the one that I use, or you could use two forks instead.
Once the butter is cut into the dry ingredients, pour in some cold half and half and mix until the dough starts to come together. The mixture may seem a little crumbly at first, but once you work it together a little with your hands it will come together just fine.
Scoop the dough onto a lightly floured surface, pat it down into a rectangle that’s about 1/2-inch thick, and use a biscuit cutter to cut out circles. Make sure that when you cut out the biscuits that you press the biscuit cutter straight down and back up. You want to avoid twisting the cutter because it can seal off the edges of the dough and prevent your biscuits from rising.
Place the biscuits on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and brush them with a little half and half or heavy whipping cream.
Homemade Whipped Cream
I used my favorite homemade whipped cream recipe for this shortcake. It’s just a simple mixture of heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and a little vanilla extract. You’ll simply combine everything in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer and mix until stiff peaks form (when you lift the beaters out of the bowl the whipped cream stands up and doesn’t fold over).
It also helps to chill your mixing bowl and the beaters for 10 minutes in the freezer before getting started. This will help the whipped cream mix up quicker and increase the volume as well.
Once the biscuits have cooled, cut them open, pile on some juicy strawberries, fresh whipped cream, and enjoy! P.S. Don’t skimp on the strawberry juice at the bottom of the bowl, you’ll thank me later.
Baking Tips for Homemade Strawberry Shortcake
- If your strawberries are a little sweeter, feel free to reduce the sugar for the strawberries slightly.
- There is one tablespoon of baking powder in this recipe and I promise it’s not an error! You want a good amount of baking powder so that the biscuits rise quite a bit.
- Make sure that your butter and dough is cold at all times. You want cold pieces of butter in your dough so that when you put it into the oven, the butter melts and creates steam pockets, which gives you that soft, light, airy texture in your biscuits. If you feel like your butter or dough is a little too warm, place it in the freezer for 5-10 minutes to ensure that it’s nice and cold then continue with the recipe.
- When you cut out the biscuits, avoid twisting the cutter. Simply press the biscuit cutter straight down and then back up. Twisting the cutter can seal off the edges of the dough and prevent your biscuits from rising.
Homemade Strawberry Shortcake
Ingredients
For the strawberries:
- 2 pints fresh strawberries stems removed and sliced (or chopped)
- 1/3 cup (65 grams) granulated sugar
For the shortcake biscuits:
- 2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 2/3 cup (160ml) half and half*
For the whipped cream:
- 1 cup (240 ml) heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 cup (30 grams) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
To make the strawberries:
- Combined the sliced (or chopped) strawberries with the granulated sugar in a large mixing and mix until all of the strawberries are coated with the sugar. Cover tightly and set aside for 30 minutes-1 hour.
To make the shortcake biscuits:
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the cubed cold butter and cut it into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter or fork until you have small pea-sized crumbs.
- Pour in the half and half and mix until the dough starts to come together. It may be a little crumbly at this point, this is okay.
- Scoop the dough onto a lightly floured surface and pat it down into a 1/2-inch thick rectangle. Using a 2.5-inch biscuit cutter, cut out 6 biscuits, then re-roll the scrap pieces of dough and cut out 2 more biscuits. Make sure not to twist your biscuit cutter when you cut the biscuits.
- Place the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet and brush the tops of each one with half and half or heavy whipping cream.
- Bake at 400°F for 16-20 minutes or until the tops of the biscuits are lightly golden brown and cooked through in the middle. If the biscuits begin to brown too much before they're finished baking, cover with a piece of foil until they're finished.
- Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
To make the whipped cream:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or in a large mixing bowl using a hand-held mixer, add the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Start mixing on low speed, then increase the speed to medium-high until stiff peaks form.
To assemble the shortcakes:
- Once the biscuits have cooled, slice each one in half, top with 1/2 cup of strawberries and 1/4 cup of whipped cream. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
To prepare ahead of time: Strawberries may be prepared up to 1 day in advance, cover tightly and store in the refrigerator. The biscuits are best served the same day they are prepared, but you can prepare them 1-2 days in advance, store in an airtight container at room temperature, and warm in the microwave or oven before serving. Whipped cream can be prepared 2-3 hours in advance, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Love strawberries? Try my Strawberry Cream Scones next!
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