These strawberry shortcakes are closer to an authentic shortcake than most recipes I’ve seen. The shortcakes have a buttery biscuit flavor with the most wonderful, tender, almost cake-like consistency (thanks to an egg in the batter). They are truly delicious and surprisingly simple to make! We worked on this incredible strawberry dessert with Richard Hattaway, and we’ve all fallen head over heels for it. What I love most is the simple strawberry syrup, which we drizzle over the base of our shortcakes before adding whipped cream and fresh strawberries.
Key Ingredients
Strawberries: I use 2 pounds of fresh strawberries. A third of them are cooked with sugar to make a simple strawberry syrup. I drizzle this over the base of our shortcake before adding the whipped cream and strawberries. Flour: I use all-purpose flour, but soft white wheat flour (like White Lilly, Martha White, and Bob’s Red Mill Fine Pastry Flour) is also excellent. Baking Powder: I use 1 tablespoon of baking powder to make the shortcakes fluffy and tender. It’s also my secret for the best fluffy biscuits! Sugar: I use sugar in three ways: in the shortcake batter, for the strawberry syrup, and to sweeten the whipped cream. Granulated sugar, cane sugar, or coconut sugar are fine. Milk, Butter, and Egg: These are combined with flour to make the shortcakes tender and delicious. Cream: I use cold heavy cream or heavy whipping cream to make the whipped cream topping.
How to Make Strawberry Shortcake
Homemade strawberry shortcakes have three parts: the shortcake, strawberries in syrup, and whipped cream. But don’t worry, they’re all super easy to make (I promise!). The shortcakes are surprisingly simple, more like biscuits than cake. You’ll “cut in” cold butter to the flour mixture until it forms small butter crumbs. I like to use a pastry blender, but two knives or your fingers work just as well. These butter crumbs are key to creating tender, delicious shortcakes because they melt and puff in the oven. The same is true when making homemade biscuits. For baking, you can drop spoonfuls of the batter directly onto a baking sheet or use English muffin rings for perfectly round shortcakes (see photo below). I even have a tip in the recipe for making one large, family-style shortcake that you can slice and serve like a cake. While the shortcakes bake, you’ll make the strawberry syrup. Simply cook some of your strawberries with sugar until the sugar melts. Take it off the heat and gently toss with the remaining strawberries until they’re coated in the syrup, before popping them in the fridge to chill. Homemade whipped cream is easy and tastes much better than the canned stuff! Use a stand or hand mixer to beat heavy cream with sugar and vanilla until it’s thick and softly whipped. It only takes a few minutes. Now for the fun part: assembling your shortcakes! Split the shortcakes in half, drizzle a spoonful of that delicious strawberry syrup over the bottom, and top with whipped cream, strawberries, the other half of the shortcake, more whipped cream, and even more strawberries. So good! I can’t wait for you to try this strawberry shortcake recipe! For more strawberry recipes, take a look at our fresh strawberry cake or this incredible strawberry pie! For perfect rounds, I love using 4-inch English muffin rounds. If you do not have these in your kitchen, you can still bake the shortcakes freeform on the baking sheet. They spread a bit more than if you use the rounds, but they still work well! See our photo in the article showing me baking the shortcake batter in rounds vs. freeform on the baking sheet. 1 tablespoon (12g) aluminum-free baking powder 1/4 cup (50g) sugar 1/2 teaspoon (2g) fine sea salt 3 tablespoons (42g) cold butter 1 cup (236ml) whole milk 1 large egg, lightly beaten 1 ¼ cups (250g) sugar 3 tablespoons (38g) sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2Whisk the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl. 3Cut the cold butter into small pieces and work it into the flour mixture with a pastry blender, your fingers, or two knives until it resembles coarse crumbs. 4Stir in the milk and egg until the batter just comes together. 5Divide the batter evenly among the rings (about 4 tablespoons each). They will spread out, no need to spread them before baking. If you do not have the rings, spoon the batter in tall mounds directly onto the parchment paper and gently smooth the top. 6Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, turning the baking sheet halfway through. Let the shortcakes cool completely before building and serving. 2Place a third of the strawberries in a saucepan with the sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, just until the sugar dissolves. 3Pour the mixture into the chilled bowl, add the remaining strawberries, and refrigerate until chilled. 4Use a stand mixer or electric hand mixer to beat the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla extract until medium peaks form. Refrigerate until ready to assemble.
