Strawberry Shortcake Recipe
Yes. From the photos, this appears to be a traditional biscuit-style strawberry shortcake, made by cutting cold butter into flour, adding an egg-and-milk mixture, then shaping the dough into four large rounds by hand.The original measurements cannot be confirmed from photos alone, but this version should come very close in texture and appearance.
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Flour sifter or fine-mesh sieve
- Pastry blender or two forks
- Liquid Measuring Cup:
- Whisk
- Wooden spoon or silicone spatula
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- wire cooling rack
- Sharp serrated knife
- Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
- Serving plates
Ingredients
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter cold and cut into pieces
- 1 egg large
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 to 2 tablespoons additional milk only if needed
- Icing sugar for serving
Strawberries
- 4 cups strawberries fresh and sliced
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice optional
Whipped Cream
- 1½ cups whipping cream cold
- 3 tablespoons icing sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Prepare the strawberries
- Place the sliced strawberries in a bowl and sprinkle them with the sugar. Add the lemon juice, if using, and stir gently.
- Let the strawberries rest for at least 20 to 30 minutes. They will soften slightly and release a sweet strawberry syrup.
Prepare the oven
- Preheat the oven to 400°F or 200°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Combine the dry ingredients
- Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar, baking powder and salt, then stir everything together.
- Sifting the flour matches your first photo and helps keep these large shortcakes light rather than heavy.
Cut in the butter
- Add the cold butter to the flour mixture. Use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour until the mixture contains small, uneven crumbs.
- A few slightly larger pieces of butter are fine. They help produce tender, flaky pockets as the shortcakes bake.
Add the liquid
- In a measuring cup, whisk together the egg, milk and vanilla.
- Pour the egg mixture gradually into the flour mixture. Stir gently until a rough, shaggy dough begins to form. The dough may still look a little crumbly at first, just as it does in your photos.
- Add another tablespoon or two of milk only when the dough is too dry to hold together.
Shape the shortcakes
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently press and fold it a few times until it comes together.
- Do not knead it like bread. Too much handling can make the shortcakes firm instead of tender.
- Divide the dough into four equal portions. Shape each portion into a thick round approximately 4 inches wide and ¾ to 1 inch thick.
- Place the rounds on the prepared baking sheet, leaving space between them.
Bake
- Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, or until the shortcakes are set, lightly golden around the edges and no longer doughy in the centre.
- Transfer them to a wire rack and allow them to cool for at least 15 minutes.
Make the whipped cream
- Place the cold whipping cream, icing sugar and vanilla in a mixing bowl. Beat until soft to medium peaks form.
- Keep the whipped cream refrigerated until you are ready to assemble the desserts.
Assemble the strawberry shortcakes
- Carefully split each shortcake in half horizontally.
- Place the bottom half on a serving plate and add a generous spoonful of whipped cream. Top with sliced strawberries and some of their syrup.
- Add the upper half of the shortcake, followed by more whipped cream and strawberries. Finish with a light dusting of icing sugar.
For tender, flaky homemade strawberry shortcake biscuits, keep the butter cold and handle the dough as little as possible. The dough should look slightly rough, not perfectly smooth. Overmixing can make the shortcakes dense instead of soft and buttery.
Notes
- Keep the butter very cold when making these homemade strawberry shortcake biscuits. Cold butter creates little pockets of steam as the shortcakes bake, giving them a tender, flaky texture.
- Add the milk mixture gradually. The dough should look slightly rough and crumbly, but it should hold together when gently pressed. Avoid adding too much liquid.
- Do not overmix or knead the dough heavily. A light touch is the secret to soft, buttery shortcakes rather than dense biscuits.
- Shape the dough into four thick, rustic rounds. They do not need to look perfectly smooth. The uneven edges become lightly crisp and golden in the oven.
- Let the sliced strawberries sit with the sugar for at least 20 to 30 minutes. This creates the sweet strawberry syrup that makes classic strawberry shortcake so juicy and delicious.
- Pat very juicy strawberries lightly with paper towel before slicing if they are wet from washing. Too much extra water can dilute the natural strawberry syrup.
- Use cold whipping cream and a chilled bowl for the fluffiest homemade whipped cream. Stop beating when medium peaks form so the cream stays soft and spoonable.
- Allow the baked shortcakes to cool before splitting them. Cutting them while very hot can make the tender centres crumble.
- Assemble the fresh strawberry shortcakes shortly before serving. The strawberry juices will slowly soak into the biscuits, which tastes wonderful, but they can become soggy when left too long.
- The shortcakes can be baked earlier in the day and stored at room temperature. Add the strawberries and whipped cream only when you are ready to serve.
Nutrition
Serving: 1servingCalories: 984kcalCarbohydrates: 102gProtein: 15gFat: 59gSaturated Fat: 36gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 208mgSodium: 672mgPotassium: 485mgFiber: 5gSugar: 37gVitamin A: 2172IUVitamin C: 86mgCalcium: 340mgIron: 5mg
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