Strawberry Biscuit Sheet Cake

1. Biscuit: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a bowl, combine flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add buttermilk; stir until just combined.

2. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface; knead once or twice to help it come together. Pat into a 10-by-7-inch rectangle, about 3/4 inch thick. Cut length‑wise into thirds, then crosswise into fourths to create 12 equal pieces. Using a spatula, transfer to a 9 1/2-by-12 1/2-inch rimmed baking sheet or other pan, arranging pieces to roughly re-create original rectangle but leaving 1/2 inch between them.

3. Brush tops with cream; sprinkle generously with sanding sugar. Bake, rotating sheet once, until golden brown and cooked through, 25 to 28 minutes (gaps should be gone, so you have a single but easily separable biscuit). Let cool on sheet 10 minutes, then carefully lift with 2 large spatulas onto a wire rack. Let cool almost but not quite completely, about 1 hour.

4. Berries and cream: Meanwhile, combine strawberries, granulated sugar, salt, and lemon juice; let stand, stirring occasionally, until juicy, about 30 minutes. Beat cream with vanilla and confectioners’ sugar on mediumhigh speed to stiff peaks.

5. Carefully slide biscuit onto a serving platter. Spoon 2 cups whipped cream over biscuit; top with 3 cups berry mixture, drizzling with some juices. Sprinkle with berry powder; serve immediately, with remaining whipped cream and berries on the side.

Cook's Notes

To bring out the best in the fruit, we tossed it with sugar, lemon juice, and a generous pinch of salt. This trick also intensifies sliced peaches, plums, or nectarines—all are fantastic substitutes for the strawberries in this recipe.