Strawberry shortcake is summery Americana at its very finest. A celebration of a little bit of skill (those perfectly tender buttermilk biscuits) and fresh summer strawberries, our strawberry shortcake recipe is classic through and through. Though the ingredients are simple (just biscuits, strawberries, sugar and whipped cream) the results are divine. Who says no to strawberry shortcake? If you’re serving this to company (and it’s great for that, because you can prep a lot of it ahead of time) be ready to serve everyone seconds, and maybe even thirds. And if you want to get a little creative, check out our equally glorious Mixed Berry Shortcake too.
What Is Shortcake?
A shortcake isn’t a cake that’s lacking in height. Instead, the word “short” in shortcake refers to the fat that’s used in the sweet biscuit! ‘Short’ is a British word that means crisp, (per the Chicago Tribune) and the butter in this tender biscuit is what makes it “short,” with a perfectly crisp and golden crust and flakey layers ready to catch every last drop of strawberry juice.
Tips For Making Perfect Shortcake
- Make sure the buttermilk and butter is COLD. Sometimes we dice the butter and pop it back in the fridge to get every corner totally chilled.
- Use a kitchen scale for measurements, if you can. Baking is science, and it’s always better to measure your ingredients with a gram scale if you’ve got one.
- Don’t overmix the biscuit batter. Follow our instructions closely and try not to work the dough more than it needs. Dough that’s a little shaggy is OK!
How To Buy + Store Strawberries
While you don’t have to worry about tracking down any specific kind for making strawberry shortcake, do buy the best-looking strawberries you can find!
- Check as best you can for the color of the berries. If they’re packed in a clear container, turn it upside down and gently look for any mold spots or blemishes on the fruit.
- The berries should be bright red, without much (if any) visible white flesh. If you see a lot of white on the berries, they’re not ripe yet.
- Do not rinse the strawberries until you’re just about to eat them (but do rinse them then!). Strawberries are tender and a little sensitive, they don’t like to be wet. Store them in the fridge unwashed, until it’s time to make shortcake!
- If you’re making this recipe in the late spring or summer, head to the farmers market, where you’ll find the very best strawberries. If not, grocery store strawberries will work just fine.
3 Favorite Types of Strawberries
- Here in the Pacific Northwest, small Hood Strawberries are prized (and obsessed over) for their deep red color and incredible sweetness. They melt in your mouth, and if you see them, grab them! The season is short, usually just a few weeks long.
- Albion strawberries are bigger and more firm than Hoods, and they’re sweet. They’d be a great pick for making strawberry shortcake ahead of time, because they’ll hold up in the sugar longer. Many people grow Albions at home, and if you’ve got a strawberry patch in your own backyard, there’s no better way to showcase your harvest than this summery dessert.
- Seascape strawberries are another popular variety to eat and also to grow at home. They’re sweet and delicious, and they give fruit all season long, so they’re the gift (or plant) that keeps on giving. They’d be delicious in this shortcake recipe!
How To Make Strawberry Shortcake Ahead Of Time
- The buttermilk biscuits: These will keep for at least a day. Let them cool and then store them in an airtight container on the countertop.
- The sugared strawberries: How far ahead of time you can prep the strawberries depends on their ripeness. If the berries are very very ripe (yum!) you could mix them with the sugar up to an hour before you want to serve the strawberry shortcake. If your berries are really firm, you could probably do it up to 2-3 hours ahead.
- The whipped cream: Though some people use tricks like confectioners sugar or sour cream to make whipped cream last longer, for this recipe we love to do the whipped cream at the last minute. It just has that pillowy, airy, sort of ethereal elegance that makes this shortcake recipe feel perfect, and we hate to mess with it. Plus, it only takes a quick minute, especially if everything else has been prepped! If you really want a 100% make-ahead recipe, Mixed Berry Crisp might be what you need.
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