Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: Biscuit-style shortcakes are easy to make and taste so good. You can top them with sliced peaches or crushed raspberries, too!
How long it takes: 28 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: mixing bowl, baking pan, oven, measuring cups
Servings: 6
My mom used to “force” my sister and me to pick strawberries with her every June. We complained plenty especially if it was hot (and it usually was!) but we didn’t complain when suppertime rolled around. Our reward for picking strawberries was homemade strawberry shortcake for dinner. And I really mean “for dinner.” That’s all we had. As much as we could eat. And we were totally happy with that.
Homemade strawberry shortcakes
The best summer dessert! Warm buttery shortcakes, crisp on the outside and tender inside, topped with lustrous juicy red strawberries and a cloud of lightly sweetened whipped cream — this is the stuff dreams are made of. Nothing says summer quite like strawberry shortcake.
Classic recipe. This “from scratch” shortcake recipe is very similar to the shortcakes my mom made. With lots of homemade whipped cream and as many perfectly ripe strawberries as you like, this strawberry shortcake recipe is what shortcakes are supposed to be. If the only “shortcake” you’ve ever eaten is angel food cake or those packaged sponge cakes, you’re in for a real treat!
Shortcakes vs. biscuits. Not too sweet, rich with butter, these shortcakes are similar to biscuits or even scones. The texture is similar, crumbly and soft on the inside but with a lightly crunchy outside. However, shortcakes are a bit sweeter than biscuits. In addition, shortcakes aren’t rolled out like biscuits usually are so they are easier to make.
How To Prep Strawberries
While this recipe is for shortcakes, you’ll need to know how to prepare the strawberries, too.
Lightly rinse a quart of strawberries, hull (remove the leaves), and slice or lightly crush the strawberries with just a little sugar, a couple of tablespoons. Do this an hour or so ahead of time so the berries have time to macerate. The juices will be released and the berries will absorb some of the sugar.
Ingredient Notes
- Flour – Use all purpose white flour for a traditional shortcake, or use white whole wheat flour for a more hearty shortcake. We haven’t tested it, but a 1:1 gluten-free replacement flour should work as well.
- Sugar -These cakes are very lightly sweetened so they don’t overpower the sweetness of the strawberries.
- Baking Powder – Baking powder provides the leavening. Shortcakes are a type of quick bread.
- Salt – Just a bit of salt helps to balance the flavors.
- Butter – Use unsalted butter, softened. If you’d like to use salted butter, reduce the amount of salt slightly.
- Buttermilk – You could use regular milk but buttermilk adds lots of buttery flavor and it helps make the shortcakes light textured (like buttermilk biscuits or buttermilk pancakes).
How do you make shortcake biscuits from scratch?
It really couldn’t be easier. Simply mix the dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl.
Add the butter and cut it into the dry ingredients until the mixture looks like fine crumbs and holds together when you press it between your fingers.
Pour in the milk and stir it in, just until the dry ingredients are moistened. The batter/dough will be really sticky. If it seems too dry or stiff, add a bit more milk.
Scoop out big spoonfuls, making mounds on a baking pan. It’s not fancy at all, just plop it on there. Your shortcakes are ready to bake!
Hopefully you have your berries all ready. While the shortcakes bake, whip the heavy cream until it forms soft peaks, and find some pretty dishes.
To Assemble Strawberry Shortcakes
Take the shortcakes out of the oven and slice them horizontally, arranging each half in a shallow dish or plate. If you’d rather make layers like the photos, that’s fine, too.
Spoon plenty of berries over the halves.
- Top with a big dollop of whipped cream.
- Serve right away. This is a dessert that you have to eat as soon as the berries hit the shortcakes.
Recipe Variations
- Flavor enhancements: Add a teaspoon of vanilla or a teaspoon of orange or lemon zest to the shortcakes.
- Add texture. Sprinkle the tops of the shortcakes before baking with coarse sugar, such as sanding sugar or turbinado sugar for a nice crunchy texture.
- Use a different kind of milk. Replace the buttermilk with regular milk or nondairy milk. We tested this recipe using different types of milk and found that the shortcakes weren’t quite as light but still delicious.
- Try different fresh fruit. Fresh strawberries aren’t the only fruit that tastes great on shortcakes. Try sliced fresh peaches or nectarines, lightly crushed raspberries, blueberries or a combination of berries. If you like things on the sweeter side, try topping the shortcakes with homemade peach sauce or blueberry sauce.
- Hot fudge sundae shortcakes: Instead of whipped cream, layer homemade (no churn) vanilla ice cream in the shortcakes. Top with a generous drizzle of hot fudge sauce.
Get a head start. Measure out the dry ingredients in a large bowl and cut in the cold butter. Cover, and store mixture in refrigerator for up to three days. When ready to bake, simply pour in the buttermilk and make shortcakes.
Shortcakes are best eaten immediately but if you have any left over, store completely cooled shortcakes in a zip top bag or container. There’s no need to refrigerate them. They’ll keep two to three days. Shortcakes can be frozen for up to three months.
To reheat, preheat your oven or toaster oven to 350°F. Place the shortcakes on a baking pan and reheat for five to seven minutes. Frozen shortcakes will take a bit longer.
Fruit Desserts
Easy Shortcakes Recipe – for Strawberry Shortcake
Ingredients
Shortcakes
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup buttermilk, more if needed
For Strawberry Shortcake
- 1 quart strawberries, rinsed and hulled
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- Whipped cream
Instructions
- Prepare strawberries. Slice or mash slightly and mix with 2 tablespoons sugar.1 quart strawberries, rinsed and hulled, 2 tablespoons sugar
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Prepare mid-sized baking sheet by lining with parchment paper or greasing lightly.
- In medium bowl, mix flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, and salt.1 ½ cups all purpose flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt
- Cut in butter with a fork or fingers, until mixture resembles fine crumbs and holds together when lightly pressed.3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- Add buttermilk, stirring lightly until all ingredients are moistened. Do not over mix. If mixture seems too dry, add more buttermilk, a tablespoon at a time. Drop by ⅓ cupfuls on baking sheet, making six shortcakes.¾ cup buttermilk, more if needed
- Bake for 18 minutes or until golden brown on bottom and slightly browned on top. Remove shortcakes from baking sheet and cool slightly on wire rack.
- Split each shortcake in half crosswise with a serrated knife and serve immediately, topped with sliced strawberries and whipped cream.
Notes
- Nutrition information is for shortcakes only.
- Extra flavor: Add 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or a teaspoon of orange or lemon zest to the shortcake batter.
- Add a crunchy top: Sprinkle the tops of the shortcakes before baking with coarse sugar, such as sanding sugar or turbinado sugar for a nice crunchy texture.
- Milk alternatives: Replace the buttermilk with a different type of milk, such as whole or lowfat milk, or nondairy milk. The shortcakes won’t be quite as light but are still delicious.
- Try other fruits: Strawberries aren’t the only fruit that tastes great on shortcakes. Try sliced fresh peaches or nectarines, lightly crushed raspberries, or a combination of berries.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
Best recipe I have ever used for shortcake biscuits just perfect. Thanks a bunch. Miss Ra-Lee
That makes me so happy! Thank you for leaving a review!
I made the shortcake biscuits and they were awesome. I printed the recipe and will use it for other recipes too
Thank you
So glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
Easiest yet for me – did not use so much flour and left over rewarded ( not in microwave) delicious for breakfast
So glad you liked them! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review!
Being a chef, I love to find and make recipes from the internet. This is THE best shortcake recipe I have ever made or tried!!! That includes a long-time family recipe for shortcakes!
The buttermilk is essential! I find that I have to make 2 batches. One for the dessert for company? One for guests and for me to have with honey or raspberry jam and beverage of choice. The flavor is fantastic! I highly recommend this to all.
Wow, that is quite a compliment! I’m so glad you liked them – thank you for taking the time to leave a review!
These would have been perfect but I put them in for the recommended 18 mins at 400 and the bottoms burnt. Will take them out sooner next time or turn the heat down lol
Thanks for the feedback! Some ovens definitely run hot. Also – what shelf of the oven did you use? If you use a lower shelf they may brown more quickly on the bottom.
I mae these with cashew milk and they puffed up just fine.
Good to know, thank you!
My shortcakes tasted wonderful — but turned out much flatter and I’m wondering what I did wrong. I sensed I maybe didn’t need quite the full 1 cup of milk? Any advice? (although the family that ate these devoured them and came back for more!)
Hmm, did you use milk or buttermilk? We did find that milk worked, but buttermilk does yield a slightly softer, fluffier (and therefore thicker) shortcake.
I used milk ‘soured’ with vinegar…which isn’t quite as good as real buttermilk. suspect that was the reason. They were so yummy, next time I will make sure to get real buttermilk!
That is a great shortcut but is probably why they were a little flatter, but I’m glad you still enjoyed them! I might have to do some extra testing on these just to be sure. Such a hardship. ;)
Okay, so many similar recipe’s for shortcake, but these are THE BEST I’ve ever made!
Everybody loved them! I often use plain milk when a recipe calls for buttermilk, but
The buttermilk is a game changer! These are buttery, soft, scone -like…everybody ate
2 so I had to quickly make another batch, which was a cinch. I think Evonne who said
hers were delicious but flat, said she used One Cup of buttermilk, but the recipe calls
for only 3/4 & maybe a TBSP or 2 if it’s dry. I think that was the problem. Anyway, I
can’t wait to try more of your recipe’s. Thank you!
Your comment made me so happy! I’m glad you liked the recipe. I agree, buttermilk really makes a difference in this one!
sounds perfect
It’s such a great summer dessert!