Strawberry Shortcake, made with homemade flaky biscuits, sweet juicy strawberries and fresh whipped cream. This easy strawberry shortcake recipe is perfect for summer!

Homemade strawberry shortcake is a classic summer dessert, and it is so easy to make from scratch! Each irresistible bite is filled with juicy strawberries, soft, flaky biscuit and fluffy whipped cream.

Close up of strawberry shortcake on a plate, with homemade biscuit, strawberries and whipped cream.

If you’ve been searching for the best strawberry shortcake recipe, look no further. I’ll teach you how to make the BEST strawberry shortcake recipe from scratch. My homemade shortcake recipe is easy to make with simple, fresh ingredients.

This recipe starts with easy homemade biscuits that are soft, flaky and lightly sweetened. The biscuits are topped with macerated strawberries and their juices. The finishing touch is lightly sweetened whipped cream with a touch of vanilla. Believe me when I say you are not going to be able to resist this scrumptious summer dessert!

Strawberry shortcake on a plate, with a bite on a fork.

Strawberry shortcake is perfect for entertaining, since you can make each of the parts ahead. Then set out the sweet biscuits, strawberries and whipped cream and everyone can build their own perfect strawberry shortcake.

How to Make Strawberry Shortcake

To make strawberry shortcake, there are three easy steps: macerate the strawberries, make the shortcake biscuits and make the whipped cream.

Macerated Strawberries

You’ll want to start by preparing the strawberries so that they have time to release their juices. To make macerated strawberries, you combine fresh strawberries and sugar in a bowl. As the strawberries rest, the sugar brings out their natural juices and you end up with a sweet syrup coating the strawberries.

You should let the strawberries sit in the sugar for at least 30 minutes and up to 8 hours. Stir them a few times as they macerate to help distribute the sugar and juices.

The best strawberry shortcake is made with perfectly ripe organic strawberries. But if your strawberries aren’t the sweetest, macerating them will really help to bring out their sweetness. You can use more or less sugar depending on your tastes and how sweet your strawberries are.

Shortcake Biscuits

If you’ve been intimidated by making homemade biscuits, don’t be! Biscuits are actually really simple to make especially drop biscuits. I have a few tips for you to help you make biscuits that turn out soft and flaky, every time.

Use COLD butter: To make the best shortcake biscuits, you’ll want to plan ahead and freeze your butter for 30 minutes before you start. Using very cold butter ensures that you will have little bits of butter throughout your biscuit dough. These bits of butter will create steam pockets as the biscuits bake, which will make the biscuits soft, light and flaky.

You’ll take the extra cold butter from your freezer and grate it using a box grater. Then you’ll toss the grated butter into the flour mixture gently using your hands. This is so much easier than working the butter in using a pastry cutter, and it’s a more foolproof way to make flaky biscuits, too.

Use cold milk and cream: It’s important to use cold milk and cream straight from your refrigerator so that the butter stays cold in the biscuit dough. I use a combination of whole milk and heavy cream in my biscuits. The cream adds richness that you can’t get from just milk or buttermilk. The milk lightens up the recipe. It’s the perfect balance!

Laminate the dough: To laminate dough means to fold it over on itself a few times. This creates flaky layers in the biscuits. Once the dough is made, you will put it onto a lightly floured work surface and press it into a rectangle that is about 3/4-inch thick. Fold the dough in half and then press it out into another 3/4-inch thick rectangle. Repeat this process 3 or 4 times total.

Don’t twist the biscuit cutter: You want to press your biscuit cutter straight down through the dough, without twisting. If you twist you seal the edges of the biscuits, which prevents them from rising and becoming tall and flaky. If you don’t have a biscuit cutter you can use a small glass to cut out your shortcake biscuits.

Work quickly, but don’t stress: You want to work quickly when making biscuits so that the ingredients stay cold. But don’t stress about it! Baking should be fun, and your method doesn’t need to be perfect to achieve delicious results.

Fluffy Whipped Cream

To make the whipped cream, you’ll start by beating heavy whipping cream with an electric mixer. You can chill the bowl and beater to make the cream whip faster.

Be careful to not whip the cream too much at the end, because it can go from perfectly fluffy to too stiff quickly. When the whipped cream is almost done, you’ll add a little bit of powdered sugar and vanilla to sweeten it.

Serve the Strawberry Shortcake

To serve, cut the biscuits in half. Top the biscuits with the strawberries and some of their juices and the fresh whipped cream.

Classic strawberry shortcake made with a biscuit on a plate.

Make Ahead Strawberry Shortcake Recipe

Berry shortcake is the perfect make ahead dessert. You can prepare the three components ahead of time, but should wait and assemble the shortcakes right before serving.

  • You can macerate the strawberries up to 8 hours ahead of time. Refrigerate them until you are ready to serve the shortcakes.
  • You can make the whipped cream up to 24 hours ahead. Store it in your refrigerator.
  • The biscuits are best the day they are made, but can be made one day ahead. The edges will soften a bit if you make them the day before. Store biscuits at room temperature.

Homemade strawberry shortcake on a plate with a flaky biscuit, juicy strawberries and fluffy whipped cream.

More Tips for  Making Strawberry Shortcake

  • The recipe calls for 2 Tablespoons of baking powder for the biscuits and yes, you really do need this much! This helps the biscuits to become tall and flaky.
  • Before baking, brush a little bit of heavy cream on the tops of the biscuits. This will help the tops to brown. I also like to sprinkle a little coarse turbinado sugar on the tops.
  • When you serve the shortcake, be sure to spoon a little of the strawberry juices over the shortcakes along with the strawberries. The macerating juices soak into the biscuits and add even more delicious strawberry flavor!
  • You can use other kinds of berries, such as blueberries, raspberries or blackberries in this shortcake recipe. For a festive red, white and blue 4th of July dessert, use a combination of strawberries and blueberries.
  • It is easy to make this strawberry shortcake recipe healthier. When making the biscuits, I’ve replaced half of the all purpose flour with white whole wheat and didn’t even notice a difference! You can also use whole wheat pastry flour. You can use more whole milk and less heavy cream in the biscuits. You can also replace the granulated sugar with coconut sugar.

More Berry Dessert Recipes

Close up of strawberry shortcake on a plate, with homemade biscuit, strawberries and whipped cream.
5 from 1 rating

Strawberry Shortcake

Servings: 10 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Author: Kristine Roseblatt
Strawberry Shortcake, made with homemade flaky biscuits, sweet juicy strawberries and fresh whipped cream. This easy strawberry shortcake recipe is perfect for summer!
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Ingredients

For the Strawberries

  • 7 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, or to taste

For the Biscuits

  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons baking powder, yes, Tablespoons!
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter, frozen for 30 minutes (3/4 cup equals 12 tablespoons or 1 1/2 sticks of butter)
  • 3/4 cup cold heavy whipping cream, plus more for brushing tops of biscuits
  • 3/4 cup cold whole milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • turbinado sugar, (coarse sugar), optional

For the Whipped Cream

  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 2 teaspoons powdered sugar, or to taste
  • 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions
 

Macerate the Strawberries

  • Combine the sliced strawberries and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar in a bowl. Stir to distribute the sugar.
  • Set the strawberries aside for 30 minutes (or up to 8 hours in the refrigerator) to allow the strawberries to release their juices. Stir occasionally.

Make the Biscuits

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
  • Use a box grater to grate the COLD butter after it has been in the freezer for 30 minutes. Add the grated butter to the bowl with the flour mixture and toss gently with your hands.
  • Combine the 3/4 cup heavy cream, 3/4 cup whole milk, and vanilla in a liquid measuring cup. Pour into the dry ingredients and use a fork or your hands to mix gently until the dough starts to come together. Try not to over-work the dough.
  • Transfer the dough to a floured work surface. Press the dough into a rectangle that is about 3/4-inch thick. Fold the dough in half and again press it into a 3/4-inch thick rectangle. Repeat this 2-3 more times.
  • When you have pressed the dough into a 3/4-inch thick rectangle for the last time, you are ready to cut out your biscuits. Press a 3-inch biscuit cutter (or upside down glass) straight down into the dough without twisting. Cut out as many biscuits as you can and place them on the parchment-lined baking sheet. It is ok if the biscuits are close together.
  • Reshape the dough scraps to cut out more biscuits.
  • Brush the tops of the biscuits with a little bit of heavy whipping cream. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar, if desired.
  • Bake for 13-16 minutes, or until biscuits are golden on top.

Make the Whipped Cream

  • Optional: Chill your mixing bowl and beater in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes to help the cream whip faster.
  • Using an electric mixer, beat the 1 cup heavy whipping cream on medium-high speed until it is has medium-soft peaks. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat on low speed to combine.

To Serve the Strawberry Shortcake

  • To serve, slice the biscuits in half. Top with strawberries and some of their juices and whipped cream.

Notes

  • When making the biscuits, you can replace half of the all purpose flour with white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour.
Make Ahead:
  • You can macerate the strawberries up to 8 hours ahead. Refrigerate them until you are ready to serve the shortcakes.
  • You can make the whipped cream up to 24 hours ahead and store it in your refrigerator.
  • The biscuits are best the day they are made, but can be made one day ahead. The edges will soften a bit if you make them the day before. Store biscuits at room temperature.
Calories: 479kcal, Carbohydrates: 47g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 30g, Saturated Fat: 19g, Cholesterol: 95mg, Sodium: 262mg, Potassium: 496mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 14g, Vitamin A: 1080IU, Vitamin C: 59.5mg, Calcium: 178mg, Iron: 2.4mg
Nutrition information is an estimate.
Cuisine: American
Course: Dessert
Author: Kristine Roseblatt
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