Strawberry Shortcake from Scratch

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This homemade Strawberry Shortcake is the best. It has tender, buttery shortcakes, juicy, sweet strawberries, topped with fresh homemade whipped cream. This is a delicious dessert to enjoy year-round, but particularly delicious in the spring and early summer when the strawberries are extra ripe and plentiful.

Why You’ll Love This Strawberry Shortcake From Scratch Recipe

Give me all the strawberries during the spring and summer months! This easy shortcake recipe has fresh juicy strawberries, nestled between flaky layers of shortcake biscuits and topped with a dollop of homemade whipped cream! No need for store-bought shortcuts here; just enjoy the real deal with this classic Strawberry Shortcake recipe. Whether it’s a summer afternoon bbq or a cozy family dinner, this dessert is sure to be perfect for any occasion.

Ingredients Needed for Strawberry Shortcake

This recipe requires mostly pantry items you likely have on hand already. Here’s everything you’ll need:

for the shortcake biscuits–

• All-purpose flour
• Granulated sugar
• Baking powder
• Salt
• Salted butter
• Large eggs
• Heavy cream

for the strawberries–

• Fresh strawberries
• Granulated sugar

for the whipped cream–

• Heavy whipping cream
• Powdered sugar
• Vanilla extract

Variations:

• Try using buttermilk biscuits for a tangy twist.
• Substitute pound cake slices for a richer base.
• If time is short and you’re in a pinch, Cool Whip can be a substitute for homemade whipped cream, though not as flavorful.

Tips for Making the Best Strawberry Shortcake

Here are just a few tips I have found to help when making Strawberry Shortcake.

• Strawberries – if strawberries are in season, you may need less sugar to sweeten them up.
• Whipping Cream – using heavy whipping cream will give you the best results. Using half and half will cut the calorie and fat content and won’t give the stiff forming peaks that you’re looking for, for thick creamy whipped cream. You’d get soft peaks instead.
• Cold Butter – make sure your butter is as cold as possible when making the shortcakes. This will keep your shortcakes light and flaky, rather than greasy.

How to Make Strawberry Shortcake From Scratch

This is truly the best strawberry shortcake recipe! This recipe has a couple of moving parts but with my easy to follow steps you’ll be making strawberry shortcake in no time! For full recipe details, including ingredient measurements, see the printable recipe card down below. Here are step-by-step directions for making this recipe:

1. Wash, Hull and Slice Strawberries

Wash, hull and slice strawberries and place in a bowl. Sprinkle with sugar and toss to coat.  This will macerate the strawberries. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Pro Tip: Depending on how sweet your strawberries are, you just will want to adjust the amount of sugar. If strawberries are in season, you may only need 1 tablespoon of sugar.

Making the Shortcakes

Making shortcakes is pretty straightforward. Make sure to use cold butter for best results. I have also found that lining the baking sheet with parchment paper helps the bottoms of the shortcakes from getting too dark and crispy.

1. Pre-Heat Oven + Baking Sheet

Pre-heat oven. Line one light-colored baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

2. Make the Dough

Combine the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt) in a large bowl. Cut in the cold butter using a pastry cutter/pastry blender to the flour mixture until the butter is in pea-sized pieces. 

Whisk eggs and heavy cream together in a separate bowl and quickly add to the flour/butter mixture. Combine until just blended. The dough will be slightly sticky.

3. Roll out Dough + Cut

Dump the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and be sure it is well combined. Flour your hands, the top of the dough and a rolling pin. Roll the dough out to 1-inch to 1 1/4-inch thick. Using a 2-inch round biscuit cutter, cut dough into 8 circles. (You may have to re-roll scraps of dough to get a full 8).

4. Bake

Place on prepared baking sheets. Brush tops of scones with cream and sprinkle with granulated sugar, if desired. Bake until the tops are golden brown and crisp. Set aside to cool to room temperature on a wire rack.

Making the Whipped Cream

I have a post solely dedicated to all the details of making homemade whipped cream (see here if you’re into that kind of thing). But generally, it’s just one easy step. And let me tell you, strawberry shortcake is best with homemade whipped cream.

Combine all Ingredients and Whip Together

Add cold heavy cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract into a chilled bowl and whip using an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the bottom of the bowl to ensure the whipped cream is combined.

Assembling Strawberry Shortcakes

Slice shortcakes in half and top with whipped cream and strawberries.

Serve and enjoy!

Storage + Make Ahead Directions

Store any leftover strawberries, biscuits or whipped cream separately in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Luckily for us, all parts of this strawberry shortcake recipe can be made ahead of time and stored separately, which makes this homemade recipe even easier.

• Shortcakes. Make these shortcakes up to 3 days in advance. Store in an airtight container on the counter or in the fridge. You can also freeze these for up to 3 months, but make sure to thaw all the way through before serving.
• Strawberries. Mix the strawberries and sugar together up to 1 day in advance. Any more and the strawberries tend to get soggy. Store in the fridge, covered.
• Whipped Cream. Same with the whipped cream, prepare a day in advance. Any more and it can go flat. Store in the fridge, covered.

More Strawberry Desserts to Try!

If you liked this Strawberry Shortcake recipe you’d love my other strawberry recipes! Try them out when strawberries are fresh and in season.

• Strawberry Cream Cake
• Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
• Strawberry Milkshake
• Strawberry Cheesecake
• Strawberry Pretzel Salad
• Nutella Deviled Strawberries
• Strawberry Pie with JELL-O

Savor the taste of summer with each bite of this traditional Strawberry Shortcake from scratch. With simple ingredients and easy steps, it’s the perfect dessert for any occasion. Say goodbye to store-bought imposters; it’s time to make the real deal! The printable recipe card is below, enjoy friends! 🙂

If you make this recipe, I would really appreciate it if you would give it a star rating and leave your review in the comments! If you have a picture of your finished dish, post it on Instagram using the hashtag #laurenslatest and tagging me @laurens_latest.