This homemade Strawberry Shortcake recipe is a classic for a reason. It has a tender shortcake, perfectly sweetened whipped cream, and macerated and sliced strawberries. This is my go-to summer dessert recipe in less than an hour.
It costs $11.06 to make this recipe. The recipe makes six servings for about $1.84 per serving.
If you love strawberry desserts as much as I do, you do not want to miss out on this Strawberry Shortcake Roll Cake, Strawberry Shortcake Roll Up Cake, or this Strawberry Lasagna.
Strawberry Shortcake
I just came home from the store where I was able to buy a bunch of strawberries for 97 cents a carton! Score! Strawberries are one of my favorite fruits, so I always stock up when they go on sale this time of year.
We eat them plain, put them on top of pancakes, make Strawberry Smoothies and Strawberry Lemonade, put them in strawberry spinach wraps, and make strawberry cupcakes.
We go through our fair share of strawberries, and I don’t mind. When I start bringing multiple cartons of strawberries home, my family always asks me to make this strawberry shortcake recipe from America’s Test Kitchen. It is delicious!
In my opinion, it’s one of the best strawberry shortcake recipes out there. Homemade Strawberry Shortcake is a winning combination of flaky biscuits, sweet strawberries, and whipped cream. Each bite is Heavenly and way better than any pre-packaged store-bought version.
If you need help learning how to best store your strawberries when you buy them, check out my post on How to Make Strawberries Last Longer.
Ingredients and Cost
Per Serving Cost: $1.84
Recipe Cost: $11.06
- 3 pints strawberries – $7.26
- 6 Tablespoons granulated sugar – $0.12
- 2 cups bleached all-purpose flour – $0.18
- ½ teaspoon salt – $0.01
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder – $0.11
- 5 Tablespoons granulated sugar – $0.10
- 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter – $0.72
- 1 large egg – $0.17
- ½ cup half-and-half – $0.38
- 1 tablespoon half-and-half – $0.05
- 1 egg white – $0.09
- 1 cup heavy cream – $1.17
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar – $0.02
- 1 Teaspoon vanilla extract – $0.68
NOTE: The recipe prices are calculated by using grocery store websites. The actual cost of the recipe will vary depending on what ingredients you already have.
How To Make Strawberry Shortcake
- First, start by mixing the crushed berries with sugar in a medium-size bowl and set aside for up to 2 hours.
- Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees with the rack on the lower-middle position.
- To make the strawberry shortcake biscuits, mix the flour, salt, baking powder and 3 tablespoons of sugar in a medium bowl.
- The next step is to grate butter, with the large holes of a box grater into the dry ingredients.
- Then, toss the butter with flour to coat it. You will next use a pastry cutter to finish cutting butter into the flour.
- Next, mix beaten egg with half-and-half and pour it into the flour mixture. Using a fork, toss the mixture until large clumps form.
- Then, lightly knead on a floured surface until it comes together.
- Next, pat the dough into a 9-by 6-inch rectangle, ¾ inch thick. You will then cut 6 dough rounds with 2 ¾-inch biscuit cutter.
- After placing the dough tops 1 inch apart on a baking sheet you will brush the tops with egg white and then sprinkle sugar on top of the egg white.
- Bake until golden brown, about 12-14 minutes. Let the cakes cool while making the whipped cream.
- Whip the cream, sugar, and vanilla to stiff peaks.
- Then, cut the cakes crosswise and put a scoop of berries and cream on the cake bottom.
- Lastly, finish the strawberry shortcake off by placing the other half of the cake on top and serve immediately.
***For complete recipe instructions, see the recipe card below.
Recipe Variations
- Strawberries are the classic berry to make a shortcake dessert with but don’t let that stop you from using other fruit. Some of my favorite alternatives are raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, and cherries.
Storage and Serving Tips
SERVE: It’s best to assemble the shortcakes right before serving them because the biscuits will become soggy if they sit assembled for longer than an hour. You can keep the different components of the strawberry shortcake out for about two hours before they need to be refrigerated.
STORE: You can store the strawberry topping for 2-3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The whipped cream will keep for 24 hours in an airtight container in the fridge. The shortcakes will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.
FREEZE: The only part of this recipe that I’ve frozen with success is the biscuits. Wrap them individually in two layers of plastic wrap and foil. Then, place them in a freezer-safe zipper top bag. Freeze for 4-6 months.
DEFROST: Defrost at room temperature for 2-3 hours. After they’re defrosted, I sometimes like to warm them in the microwave for 5-10 seconds each.
Cook’s Tools
- mixing bowls
- strawberry huller
- potato masher
- box grater
- pastry cutter
- wooden ruler
- 2 3/4-inch biscuit cutter
- baking sheet
- pastry brush
Recipe FAQs
You can make each part of the homemade strawberry shortcake in advance. Also, you can make the shortcakes up to 3 days before you assemble the dessert. You can even freeze the strawberry shortcake biscuits for up to 3 months. The strawberries and whipped cream can be made the day before assembling the shortcake. Place both in separate airtight containers and store them in the fridge.
Yes! You can cut and mash the strawberries and add the sugar. Place the mixture in an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator overnight. The sugar will bring out the flavor in the strawberries. Bring the strawberries to room temperature before serving.
Common sense might tell you that a shortcake has its name because the dessert is not tall. But nope! That is not what it means. Short is an English word that means crisp. So it is biscuit-like but better because it is nice and crispy.
Shortcake and pound cake are not the same thing. Although, pound cake is often used to serve with strawberries and whipped cream and then called Strawberry Shortcake. However, a shortcake is a biscuit or scone, while a pound cake is more like a sponge cake and lighter in texture than a shortcake.
More Desserts
- Puff Pastry Chocolat Croissants
- Grandma’s Crushed Pineapple Cake
- Cheesecake Factory Carrot Cake Cheesecake Copycat
- Black Forest Cherry Cake
- Lemon Pistachio Bundt Cake
- Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese
- Lemon Mug Cake
- Mixed Berry Crisp
- Raspberry Sorbet
- Fruit Pizza
Strawberry Shortcake Recipe
Equipment
- mixing bowls
- strawberry huller
- potato masher
- box grater
- pastry cutter
- wooden ruler
- 2 3/4-inch biscuit cutter
- baking sheet
- pastry brush
Ingredients
STRAWBERRY TOPPING:
- 3 pints fresh strawberries rinsed and dried
- 6 Tablespoons granulated sugar
STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE BISCUITS:
- 2 cups bleached all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 5 Tablespoons granulated sugar separated
- 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter frozen
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup half-and-half
- 1 tablespoon half-and-half
- 1 egg white lightly beaten
WHIPPED CREAM:
- 1 cup heavy cream chilled
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
MAKE THE STRAWBERRY TOPPING:
- Hull the strawberries and cut 2 pints into quarters.
- Crush the remaining pint with a potato or avocado masher.
- Place all of the strawberries in a bowl and mix in the sugar. Set the mixture aside while you make the rest of the recipe.
MAKE THE STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE BISCUITS:
- Move the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 425° F.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and 3 Tablespoons of sugar.
- Use a box grater to shred the butter into the flour mixture. Then, use your hands to toss the butter and flour together until the butter is coated.
- Then, use a pastry cutter or two forks to cut the butter into the flour. You know it’s mixed when the butter pieces are the size of split peas.
- Whisk together the half-and-half and the egg in a liquid measuring cup. Pour it into the flour mixture and stir with a fork until large dough clumps form.
- Then, flour a clean work surface and dump the dough onto the counter. Knead until it comes together and no flour bits remain. DO NOT OVER-MIX!
- Gently press the dough into a 9-inch by 6-inch rectangle that is about ¾ of an inch thick. Flour a 2 ¾-inch biscuit cutter and cut the dough into 6 rounds.
- Spread the dough rounds out onto a baking sheet, and brush the tops with egg white. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 Tablespoons of sugar.
- Bake until the shortcakes are golden brown, about 12-14 minutes. Put the baking sheet on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes.
MAKE THE WHIPPED CREAM:
- Pour the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla into a bowl of a stand mixer or into a large bowl.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or a handheld mixer, mix the cream on low until small bubbles begin to form, about 30 seconds.
- Next, increase the speed to medium and mix until the whisk attachment or beaters leave a trail, about 30 more seconds.
- Then, increase the speed to high and mix until the cream whipped smooth, thick, and almost doubled in size, about 30 seconds for soft peaks and 40 seconds for stiff peaks.
TO FINISH:
- Split or cut each of the shortcakes in half crosswise.
- Spoon ⅙ of the strawberry topping onto the bottom of the shortcake, followed by a healthy dollop of the whipped cream.
- Finally, top with the shortcake top and serve right away!
Notes
- You can store the cut biscuit dough in the refrigerator up to 4 hours in advance. Just make sure you cover the pan with plastic wrap.
- You can use the leftover scraps of dough to make 2 more shortcakes. Just briefly re-knead the dough, pat it out into a 3/4 inch tall circle, and cut with the biscuit cutter.
Nutrition
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this looks so yummy. strawberries always make me think of spring.
megan
craftycpa.blogspot.com
I love that you made your own shortcakes – I hate when people try to pull off a shortcake with store bought!! These look amazing!
This recipe would be PERFECT for my Foodie Friday linky party!! Please pop in Friday to link up!!
So delicious – with a great cup of coffee, this is my ideal start to the weekend! A great addition to brunch with friends.
Strawberry shortcake has always been one of my all time favorite desserts! I love this recipe and the individual servings! So simple for entertaining friend and family.
Love that these are homemade biscuits! Makes them that much better!!
I love these! The combination of strawberries and cream is so tried and tested, you can’t go wrong. I bet everyone at my table would love to try this recipe, thanks for sharing!
Strawberry shortcake is one of my fav summer desserts and the fact that this is homemade makes it doubly delicious!
I love strawberries and this shortcakes are so cute. Kids to enjoy them for sure. Keep it as my next party platter option.
This is one of my favorite summer recipes and one of my favorite ways to eat strawberries! So yummy!
YUM! I love this Strawberry Shortcake!
What a BERRY special shortcake recipe! Thank you for all of your great tips to make the biscuits so light and flaky. Another winner from Food Folks and Fun!
Homemade strawberry shortcake is one of my favorite desserts! 🙂 I will have to try this recipe soon.
I could eat a bunch of these! So yummy and sooo cute. Can’t wait to get to cooking now!
Oh yum! You had me at the combination of flaky biscuits, sweet strawberries, and whipped cream. Such a beautiful dessert and I love how it comes together in less than an hour.
I’ve had plenty of strawberry shortcake in my life, and I LOVED this recipe. Can’t wait to make it again!