If you’re looking for an easy, classic Strawberry Shortcake recipe to make all summer, you’ve found the right place. Strawberry Shortcake is one of those desserts that I just don’t think should be messed with. It has everything right: Fresh and sugary strawberries, a fall-apart shortcake that you can break with a spoon, and not-so-sweet whipped cream. If I’m looking for a summer dessert to come back to again and again, a Strawberry Shortcake like this is going to be it.
Strawberry Shortcake also has a deeply nostalgic place in my heart. Growing up, I always said Fourth of July was my favorite holiday. It’s a big food holiday, and we’d always have some version of strawberries in sugar around. I’m not sure how this led to me thinking Strawberry Shortcake was a must-have dessert for summer gatherings, but I do! There are some things that just feel like summer, and this easy Strawberry Shortcake recipe is one of them.
Table of contents
- First, let’s talk about Strawberry Shortcake
- Ingredients you will need for the shortcake dough
- How to make the perfect shortcakes for Strawberry Shortcake
- What is citrus sugar?
- Why I don’t cook my strawberries in Strawberry Shortcake
- How to assemble a classic Strawberry Shortcake
- How to prepare this recipe ahead of time
- Looking for similar recipes?
- Watch the recipe here
First, let’s talk about Strawberry Shortcake
A classic homemade Strawberry Shortcake is way easier than you think! What I love about shortcake dough is unlike biscuits, we aren’t going for mile-high layers (if you want those, check out this recipe here). Shortcakes are meant to fall apart as soon as you scoop into them, and to do that, you want to work the dough as little as possible. The great news for you? That just means less work!
I also think that cooking strawberries for a Strawberry Shortcake recipe is a crime. It’s hot out, do you think I would demand both your oven and your stove? Instead I just like to gently mix the strawberries with sugar, letting them release their natural juices and get all sweet on their own. It also is the perfect balance with the classic shortbread and fluffy whipped cream.
Strawberry Shortcakes are perfectly balanced for a reason. All the elements to be simple and quick, and you’ll definitely taste the different if you put in the touch more time to make the homemade version!
Ingredients you will need for the shortcake dough
Shortcake dough is a fun little ratio, 2 cups flour, 1 cup buttermilk, 1/2 cup butter. After you have that memorized, all the other elements are just details! Here is everything you make to make this super-simple shortcake:
- 280 grams all-purpose flour, 2 cups, plus more for dusting
- 30 grams granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 113 grams salted butter, 1/2 cup, chilled
- 240 grams whole buttermilk, 1 cup, plus more for brushing
How to make the perfect shortcakes for Strawberry Shortcake
The best shortcakes are the ones that are so tender they nearly fall apart in your hands. You get this tenderness from:
- Working the dough as little as possible
- Big pockets of butter
Both of these things are easy to achieve! I like to cube in the butter so that I know once I flatten the cubes into disks, I’ll have nice layers of butter just waiting to fold into the shortcake dough. After that, it’s just a case of making sure we don’t over-mix the dough!
You’ll know when the dough is over-mixed. It will get a gummy, tacky consistency, which means you’ve gone too far. What you are looking for is a loose, crumbly consistency where the dough *just* holds together. Feel free to add some flour to your work surface when you cut the shortcakes. This will make it easier to gently handle the dough, and it will help lock in any butter that might peak out from the shortcakes!
What is citrus sugar?
Citrus sugar is something that you might have seen before in some of my muffins. And it’s exactly what it sounds like! Citrus zest + sugar!
But while it’s simple in nature, you do need to think about it a bit. I like to use turbinado sugar because it has big sugar granules that break into the lemon zest and make a really vibrant, flavorful sugar. This sugar also caramelizes really nicely on top of baked goods, so it feels like your getting a lemon sugar coating.
To make citrus sugar, just add the citrus zest into a bowl of sugar and mix with your hands. Use a bit of pressure to really mix the zest in, and as soon as it’s fragrant and all citrus-smelling, you know you’ve done something right.
Why I don’t cook my strawberries in Strawberry Shortcake
Strawberry Shortcakes are such a classic summer dessert, that I really like to keep the summer fruit as vibrant and as close to fresh as possible! I have nothing against cooking down strawberries for a shortcake recipe, I just don’t really see the need to.
Why dirty another pan or start another step when strawberries are just as jammy and juicy when they are freshly sliced and mixed with a bit of sugar? Fresh strawberries also add a nice balance to the recipe, which I think is needed when you have a few elements in the mix!
How to assemble a classic Strawberry Shortcake
The best way to assemble a strawberry shortcake is to start with a halved shortcake first. I like to put these either in a shallow bowl (easier for any mess!) or plate (prettier!).
To prevent the strawberries making the shortcake soggy, I add the whipped cream first in a big dollop. I like to put a small well in the center of the whipped cream, so the strawberries have somewhere to land.
From there, it’s all about piling on the strawberries! Sometimes strawberries in sugar leave a bit of their juices at the bottom of the bowl, so I like to scoop that up too and drizzle it on top.
And voila! Shortcakes!
How to prepare this recipe ahead of time
This is a great party recipe, so here’s how I prepare it ahead of time:
The shortcakes can be baked on-site. Just follow the recipe all the way up to where you place them on the baking sheet. Wrap up the baking sheet with cling-wrap and the uncooked shortcakes can live in the fridge for a little over a day. Then when you are ready to bake, brush them with the buttermilk and top with the citrus sugar and bake as normal!
The strawberries and whipped cream can also be prepared a day ahead. Just prepare them according to recipe instructions, keep them in their original bowls. Wrap or cover the bowls tightly and store them in the fridge. Both elements will be ready when you are!
Looking for similar recipes?
Here are a few of my summer favorites!
And that’s it for these Strawberry Shortcakes!
Of course, if you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.
And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you.
Watch the recipe here
The video may not fully represent the recipe. For best results, follow the instructions as written.
Strawberry Shortcake
Equipment
- 1 bench scraper
- 1 rasp-style grater
- 1 half sheet pan
- 1 sheet of parchment paper
- 1 hand mixer or whisk
Ingredients
For the shortcakes
- 280 grams all-purpose flour 2 cups, plus more for dusting
- 30 grams granulated sugar 2 tablespoons
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 113 grams salted butter 1/2 cup, chilled
- 240 grams whole buttermilk 1 cup, plus more for brushing
For the strawberries
- 73 grams turbinado sugar 1/3 cup
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 450 grams fresh strawberries 1 pound
For the whipped cream
- 240 grams heavy cream 1 cup
- 15 grams granulated sugar 1 tablespoon
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the 2 cups of flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder and 2 teaspoons kosher salt.
- Cube the 1/2 cup of cold butter into 1-centimeter sized pieces and add to the bowl. Toss to coat them in the flour, then use your fingers to pinch the cubes into flattened disk pieces.
- Add the 1 cup of buttermilk. Working quickly, use a fork to whisk the mixture together until it is just combined (there might still be a bit of flour at the bottom, which is totally fine). Pop this in the fridge.
- Set a rack to the center of the oven and preheat to 425°F.
- While the dough is chilling, make the citrus sugar. Add the 1/3 cup of turbinado sugar to a small bowl and add the 1 teaspoon of lemon zest. Mix this together with your fingers, pressing a bit until the lemon zest is fragrant.
- Slice the strawberries and add them to a large bowl. Add in 1/4 cup of the citrus sugar and mix. Reserve the rest of the citrus sugar for the shortcakes.
- Add the strawberries to the fridge and remove the shortcake dough.
- Move the shortcake dough to a floured work surface. Working with it as little as possible, gently press the dough together a few times until it is just combined. The less you work with it, the more tender the dough will be. Pat a bit of flour over any butter pieces that might be popping out.
- Pat the dough down into a 1-inch thick circle. Flour a 3-inch round cutter and slice the dough into six shortcakes. Transfer them to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Brush the tops of the shortcakes with buttermilk and sprinkle them with the remaining citrus sugar.
- Bake the shortcakes for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
- While the shortcakes are baking, add the 1 cup of heavy cream to a large bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon of lemon zest. Use an electric mixer or whisk to beat until stiff peaks form. Set this in the fridge.
- When the shortcakes are out of the oven, let them cool for 5-10 minutes. Until they are warm but not hot. Halve them, add a big scoop of whipped cream and a pile of strawberries. Serve right away!
Can the shortcakes be frozen before baking?
Sure thing, I wouldn’t extend the freezing time past five days though, and thaw them to fridge temperature before baking!
A lot of the butter melted onto the baking sheet when I baked the shortcakes. What did I do wrong?
This is a common thing that happens with biscuit/scone/shortcake dough, so don’t stress! Next time just make sure your dough is as cold as possible, and as you cut the shortcakes, use excess flour to dust any butter pockets that are exposed (which sometimes happens, othertimes you won’t see any). I also find popping the cut shortcakes in the fridge for 5-10 minutes right before baking also helps if you’re worried!
My shortcakes turned out hard…Love the flavor…should we bake at 425 or 350?
Hmmm this sounds like a measurement issue! Did you measure the flour by cups or grams? You can also get an oven thermometer to make sure your oven is calibrated correctly. Unfortunately turning the temperature down to 350 will create a blonde and gummier shortcake, we tested at multiple temps and 425 is best!
Mine also turned out hard and I didn’t measure by grams, instead by cups. I also went wrong by patting the dough maybe a bit shorter than 1 inch so they came out shorter and harder. Going to try again! You are spot on about the flavor! Delicious
Made it tonight and it was fabulous! Thank you!
So so happy you liked it!
Hi!
Would it be possible to make this gluten free?
Hi there! While I personally haven’t tested it with gluten free flour, I know a lot of people find luck using the King Arthur Baking GF Flour 1:1 blend as a good sub!
I tried this with Cup4Cup and turned out great!
So happy you liked it!
If you were to make this ahead of time, where would you pause and what would happen next? For example, fridge vs freezer. How long can the strawberries or whipped cream sit, etc?
Hi Erica,
There’s a note on this in the blog post! You can either bake to completion and store everything separately, or store the dough. There are also notes on how long everything can sit 🙂
Every recipe I make of yours turns out perfectly. I’ve been craving strawberry shortcake and this hit the spot!!
WOW this comment made me so happy!! I’m so thrilled you liked it!
I made these for the 4th of July and they were perfect!! My family and I loved them.
So glad you made them!! And I’m happy they were a hit <3
I just made these and overall delicious but is the butter supposed to be salted? I used salted butter plus salt as indicated and the shortcakes tasted saltier than expected.
Hi Melissa! I totally get your concern – I like salted butter as a standard across the blog because I think it acts as a flavor assurance for all recipes (unsalted butter always tastes a bit lacking to me, and the added salt in salted butter is usually not enough to impact a final recipe’s outcome). However, if you think your shortcakes erred a bit on the salty side, you can absolutely feel free to cut down on the added salt in the future, since I don’t think switching to just unsalted butter would be enough of an adjustment. Also (and this is on me for not putting it in the blog post!), if you use a salt other than Diamond Crystal kosher salt, the granules could be more dense, causing a saltier result. If you are using another salt brand, such as Morton’s, it’s best to use half of what my recipes call for when they say Diamond Crystal kosher salt. Phew! A long-winded answer, but I hope it helps!
I made these vegan by swapping in vegan butter and using almond milk + 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar to make “buttermilk”. I’m sure they’d be great with vegan whipped cream, but I didn’t have any so I paired them with the strawberries and a scoop of Ben & Jerry’s vegan strawberry cheesecake ice cream.
The shortcakes were SOOOO good. The citrus sugar on top was delicious and paired perfectly with the strawberries. I loved this recipe and will definitely make them again!
Shortbread was too crispy at the bottom and not very tender despite measuring in grams and barely working the dough mixture. Whipped cream and strawberries were delicious. Not my favorite shortbread recipe. Butter melted out (resulting in the too crispy bottoms) despite keeping the biscuits in the fridge until ready to bake.
Hi Maryen! I’m sorry this didn’t work for you. I fear that you might have not worked the dough enough (baking is a funny science that way!) so that there may have been butter pockets peeking out, which will have led to the butter seeping out, which takes moisture from the biscuit and will also give you that drier result! If you ever are looking for a biscuit-like recipe that requires less working the dough, this recipe is a great option! https://justinesnacks.com/apricot-strawberry-polenta-shortcakes/
Love the biscuit recipe! Citrus flavors were amazing!!
So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for taking the time to leave such a kind rating and review!