Classic Strawberry Shortcake Recipe (With Step-by-Step)

Prep Time:

35 mins

Cook Time:

20 mins

Total Time:

1 hr 15 mins

Servings:

8

Strawberry shortcake is the ultimate summer dessert, and with this shortcake recipe from decorvow, it’s more delicious than ever. It all starts with buttery, homemade biscuits that bake up pillowy and tender, providing the perfect base for juicy strawberries and fresh whipped cream. Before baking, you’ll brush them with an egg wash to help them brown and add a sprinkling of sanding sugar for a sparkling, crackly finish. If you can, use fresh, in-season berries from a farmers market or ones you’ve picked yourself—they will have better flavor than those from the grocery store. Make this recipe for a cookout, summer birthday, or any night that a craving for this classic dessert strikes.

Dos and Don'ts for Flaky, Tender Biscuits

Do use cold butter: Like pie crust, biscuits rely on cold fat for flakiness. Those small bits of butter produce steam in the hot oven, creating tiny gaps of air that make for a light and tender crumb.

Don't overmix: When adding the wet ingredients into the flour mixture, mix gently with a fork until the dough just begins to come together. It will still be quite loose and crumbly but will become more cohesive when you pat and fold it in the next step.

Don't twist the cutter: After pressing the biscuit cutter down, lift it straight up without twisting, which can seal the edges and make for squat, dense biscuits.

Do reuse scraps: You'll be left with quite a few scraps after cutting out the first round of biscuits. Rather than letting them go to waste, gather them up, then pat and fold them gently like you did in step 4. Don't reuse them after that though, or you'll risk the dough becoming tough.

Sanding sugar is more coarse than granulated sugar and is used to add a finish to these biscuits. If you don't have any on hand, use granulated sugar instead. It won't provide the same texture, but will still add a welcome sweetness and touch of crunch.

Why Macerate Berries (and How to Do It)

For shortcakes glistening with sweet, juicy, berries, it's crucial to macerate your fruit. This draws liquid out of the berries, making them softer and more tender while creating a delicious, flavorful syrup that takes this dessert over the top.

You can macerate using liquid like citrus juice or wine, but the most common way is by tossing the berries with sugar and letting them sit for at least 15 minutes and up to an hour (the longer the better). Give them a stir occasionally to ensure all the fruit comes in contact with the sugar, then cover and refrigerate until you're ready to serve.

Directions

Ingredients for making strawberry shortcake including strawberries eggs flour milk butter and a lemon displayed on a surface — Jacob Fox

Prep the berries:

Toss the strawberries with lemon juice and sugar to combine. Let macerate at room temperature for 1 hour.

Jacob Fox
Preheat oven, mix dry ingredients, and cut in butter:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Whisk to combine flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut the butter into the flour mixture until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Jacob Fox
Mix cream and egg; add to flour mixture:

Mix together 1 1/4 cups heavy cream and 1 egg. Add to flour mixture and stir with a fork just until dough starts to come together but is still crumbly.

Jacob Fox
Pat and form dough:

Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and pat into a 6-by-9-inch rectangle, about 2 inches thick. With a short side facing you, fold the bottom third up as you would a business letter, followed by the remaining third. Pat into a square.

Jacob Fox
Cut out biscuits:

With a 2 1/2-inch round cutter dipped in flour, cut biscuits from dough and place them, evenly spaced, on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Gather dough scraps together, fold once, and gently pat into a square, then cut out remaining biscuits.

Jacob Fox
Brush with egg wash:

Whisk remaining egg and 1 tablespoon cream, then brush egg wash over tops of dough rounds. Sprinkle each with about one teaspoon of sanding sugar.
Bake and cool:

Bake until tops are golden brown brown, rotating sheet halfway through, about 25 minutes. Transfer biscuits to a wire rack and let cool slightly.

Jacob Fox
Whip cream and assemble shortcakes:

When ready to serve, whip cream in a chilled bowl until soft peaks form. Split biscuits in half and place a bottom half on each plate. Top generously with berries and their juice, then top with dollops of whipped cream followed by remaining biscuit halves. Scatter a few more strawberries on top and around plates.

Jacob Fox

Storing Leftovers

Strawberry shortcakes will soften as they sit, so we don't recommend storing the assembled desserts for long. However, you can store the individual components for dessert the next day:

Biscuits: Store leftover biscuits in a resealable bag at room temperature for up to two days. Reheat them, wrapped loosely in foil, in a 350-degree Fahrenheit oven for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Berries: Macerated berries can be refrigerated for up to two days. They'll become softer the longer they sit but will still be good to eat (and deliciously juicy).

Whipped cream: Store whipped cream in an airtight container for up to one day; it will begin to deflate after that. If needed, refresh it by adding a splash of fresh cream and whisking until thick and fluffy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you make this recipe with frozen strawberries?

We don't recommend making this dessert with frozen strawberries. While frozen fruit is great for crisps and crumbles, it isn't ideal for recipes where fresh fruit is front and center, like these shortcakes. Instead, swap in a different fruit, such as raspberries or peaches, if the strawberries are less than stellar.
Why are my biscuits tough?

If your biscuits are tough, you may have overworked the dough. This causes excess gluten to develop, which isn't ideal when a light, flaky result is desired. Alternatively, your butter may have been too warm, which can cause the biscuits to bake dense rather than tender.
Can you make this recipe with gluten-free flour?

This recipe was developed with wheat flour, and we haven't tested it with a gluten-free alternative. However, you can make a similar dessert by swapping in our gluten-free angel food cake for the biscuits. Prepare the strawberries and whipped cream according to the recipe, then pile them over slices of angel food cake just before serving.

5 More Summery Strawberry Desserts to Try

Updated by

Esther Reynolds

Explore more:

Classic Strawberry Shortcake

Dos and Don'ts for Flaky, Tender Biscuits

Why Macerate Berries (and How to Do It)

Directions

Prep the berries:

Preheat oven, mix dry ingredients, and cut in butter:

Mix cream and egg; add to flour mixture:

Pat and form dough:

Cut out biscuits:

Brush with egg wash:

Bake and cool:

Whip cream and assemble shortcakes:

Storing Leftovers

Frequently Asked Questions

5 More Summery Strawberry Desserts to Try

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