Our homemade strawberry shortcake recipe is a classic dessert! Delicious, homemade biscuits topped with strawberries and cream. Perfection!
You might also like our fresh strawberry pie recipe---it's the best around! Our EASY strawberry freezer jam would be amazing on shortcake, too!
Is there anything better than fresh strawberries and cream? Yes, yes, there is. Pile that all on a homemade biscuit and you have a classic dessert---strawberry shortcake. During college, I worked at a restaurant and learned how to make lots of delicious desserts. Homemade strawberry shortcake was a popular treat, made with biscuits baked daily by the restaurant.
Why I Like This Recipe
- 3-ingredient biscuits. Have you tried my 3-ingredient butter biscuits? They are SO easy to make and turn out perfect every time! They are PERFECT for making strawberry shortcake.
- Simple ingredients. Once you make the biscuits, you'll only need a few more ingredients to make this delicious dessert. You can make your own whipped cream or use a store-bought whipped topping. You'll also need fresh strawberries and a bit of sugar. That's it!
- Easy make-ahead dessert. This is an easy dessert to prepare ahead of time. The biscuits can be made the day before, and the strawberries can be sliced and sprinkled with sugar ahead of time as well.
What Others Are Saying
Love the ease of this recipe. My kids loved them! Thank you.---Sheila
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Tips and Tricks
- Use self-rising flour. Self rising flour is a blend of flour, baking powder and salt. The perfect ratio, blended together, that takes the guess work out of perfectly flaky biscuits. You can make your own self-rising flour, but I prefer to buy a bag. It's inexpensive and already sifted together with the leavening agents. 3 cups will make 12 buttery biscuits when mixed with milk and butter.
- Use cold butter. Why cold butter? Can I use room temperature? NO! Cold butter is essential for flaky biscuits, just as it is for flaky pie crust. We want the butter to melt during the baking process, not before. That's what makes the biscuits flaky and layered.
- Don't twist the biscuit cutter when cutting into shapes. Cut biscuits using a 3" biscuit cutter. Press the biscuit cutter directly down and then up. No need to twist---this makes for a clean cut biscuit with level tops.
- Place biscuits close together in the pan. Don't space the biscuits out on a baking sheet. Bake them in a baking dish with taller sides, like a 9x13 glass or metal baking dish. Place the biscuits close together, and as they bake, they'll puff up nice and tall.
- Frozen strawberries. Fresh strawberries are preferred for this recipe, but if they are out of season, you can use a container of sliced frozen strawberries with sugar that you pick up from the grocery store. Let thaw, then spoon over biscuits.
Strawberry Shortcake Ingredients
- Biscuits: Some use a sweet cake or sponge cake, angel food cake is delicious as well, but traditional shortcake is typically made from biscuit-like cake that isn't as sweet. Homemade biscuits work perfectly.
- Strawberries: Fresh strawberries are best, but sliced frozen strawberries would work in a pinch.
- Sugar: A small amount of sugar adds sweetness and draws out the delicious juices from the berries.
- Whipped cream: You can use homemade whipped cream or store-bought. I used store-bought whipped topping for mine.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How To Make Homemade Strawberry Shortcake
Step 1: Place flour and ½ cup of COLD butter (cut into small pieces) in a large mixing bowl. Use a pastry cutter (pastry blender) to blend flour and butter in the large bowl until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Step 2: Add milk.
Step 3: Mix the dough using a Danish dough whisk or spoon. Dough will be thick and dense.
Step 4: Knead dough on a floured surface just until everything comes together and soft dough forms. Roll dough out ½"-¾" thick.
Step 5: Cut biscuits using a 3" biscuit cutter. Press biscuit cutter directly down and then up. No need to twist---this makes for a clean cut biscuit with level tops.
Press leftover dough together and continue to cut out biscuits. I usually get 12 (3") biscuits from one recipe when rolled out ¾" thick.
Step 6: Place biscuits in a greased 9x13" baking pan or on a greased cookie sheet. Place biscuits close together so that they are touching. This will help them rise nice and tall. Bake for 18 minutes. Tops should be golden.
Step 7: Slice up a pound and a half of strawberries (about 4 cups) and sprinkle with ¼ cup of sugar. Give everything a stir and let it sit for 10 minutes. It won't take long for the sugar to start drawing out the juices from the strawberries!
Step 8: Slice a biscuit in half and layer with berries and whipped cream. So delicious and fresh!
Store leftover biscuits in an airtight container. To soften biscuits on day 2 or 3, simply microwave for 6-8 seconds.
Strawberry Shortcake FAQs
Fresh strawberries are always preferred, but if they are not in season, you can use a container of frozen strawberries and sugar that can be found in the freezer section of a grocery store.
Homemade whipped cream is delicious and can be made from heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar. You can also use store-bought whipped cream or whipped topping.
For 3-ingredient biscuits, you must use self-rising flour. If you don't have any on hand, you can make your own using 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, and ¼ teaspoon salt.
More Strawberry Recipes To Make
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Strawberry Shortcake
Ingredients
- 3 cup self rising flour
- ½ cup COLD butter
- 1 ½ cups milk
- 1 ½ lbs. strawberries sliced (about 4 cups)
- ¼ cup sugar
- whipped cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Use a pastry cutter to blend flour and ½ cup (1 stick) of COLD butter until it resembles coarse crumbs.
- Stir in milk using a danish dough whisk or spoon.
- Knead dough on a floured surface just until everything comes together and soft dough forms.
- Roll dough out ½"-¾" thick using a rolling pin.
- Cut biscuits using a 3" biscuit cutter. Press biscuit cutter directly down and then up. No need to twist---this makes for a clean cut biscuit with level tops.
- Press leftover dough together and continue to cut out biscuits. I usually get 12 (3") biscuits from one recipe when rolled out ¾" thick.
- Place biscuits in a greased 9x13" baking pan or on a greased cookie sheet.
- Place biscuits close together so that they are touching. This will help them rise nice and tall.
- Bake for 18 minutes. Tops should be golden.
- Combine sliced strawberries and sugar. Let stand 10 minutes.
- Slice biscuits in half. Spoon strawberries and whipped cream over biscuit, add the second layer and repeat.
Brandy says
Hi everyone! Brandy here, and for years I always used a sweet cake or biscuit for strawberry shortcake. It really isn't necessary. These yummy biscuits are buttery, and the cream and berries add plenty of sweetness. So good!