Strawberry shortcake is the quintessential dessert of summer. A dessert that counts as a breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack food. It’s never better than with sun-ripened, in season berries, real whipped cream (with a little vanilla, maybe?) and shortcakes made from scratch. I have numerous memories of watching my mom make shortcakes on the kitchen counter when I was little. It was comforting to watch as well as a salivating prelude of the deliciousness to come.
The shortcakes are a finicky sort. Just like biscuits, if they are manhandled or over-mixed they will act the petulant pastry and be tough and hard. Make each of the 5-10 kneads count and try not to do more than that. The butter amount can be adjusted to your tastes but don’t you think it weird that butter is only one letter shy of the word better? So it can be presumed that butter (and more of it) is better. You’re welcome for that inside secret.
There is some skill to the strawberries too. If berries cut to the same approximate size excites you, which it does me, by all means do it. If you don’t care, no one else will. The secret is cutting them before hand so after sprinkling them with sugar, the sliced berries will release juice. That is the part I always try to snag before it’s gone – truly, authentic strawberry juice.
And put all together, the sweetness of the berries, the buttery, flaky goodness of the shortcakes, all drenched in the dream that is real whipped cream is nothing short of perfection.
Ingredients
- • 2 cups flour
- • 1/2 tsp salt
- • 1 tsp baking powder
- • 3/4 tsp soda
- • 1/4 cup sugar
- • 1/4-1/2 cup butter
- • 2/3 cup buttermilk
- • berries, cut
- • sugar, to taste
- • heavy cream
- • powdered sugar, to taste
- • vanilla, to taste
Instructions
- Cut up the berries and sprinkle with sugar. Stir to coat.
- Whip the heavy cream until it thickens. Add sugar and vanilla to taste.
- Stir together flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and sugar.
- Cut the butter into the flour mixture until crumbly.
- Add in buttermilk and stir gently with a fork.
- Knead gently 5-10 times max. Do not over work the dough.
- Pat or roll out to 1/2 inch thick on a lightly floured surface
- Cut into biscuits and place on ungreased baking sheet.
- Bake at 400F for 15 minutes until golden brown, making sure to check them with 5 minutes remaining.
- Then stack the shortcakes, strawberries and whipped cream.
Yum! I want this right now. Beautiful, beautiful pics, Amy!
About how many shortcakes does this make? Making this recipe for a wedding shower tomorrow and trying to decide if I should double it.
It depends, Ashley, on how thick you roll them. I don’t know off hand how many it makes. Maybe 8? 10? Sorry!!
I rolled out to a half inch thickness and used a 2-inch biscuit cutter. That yields 12 – 13 pretty ones and one cobbled together from scraps for the cook!
Thanks Ashley! The size of the biscuit cutter effects the number too. The one I use is a little bit bigger. You’ve got my mouth watering for shortcake now!! Enjoy!
These look AMAZING! I’m making this for my church in the morning….. I need to feed like, ummm, like 30-40 ppl…. Whats the best way to do that?
Thanks!
Yum!! I would say try to make one batch and see how many you get. Then go from there! Sounds delish!