Strawberry Shortcake: a delicious recipe for a bright dessert

With their fresh berry flavor and lighter-than-air texture, there's nothing quite like whipping up a batch of homemade strawberry shortcakes. These delicious treats are simpler and quicker to make than your classic strawberry cake and feature delicious layers of biscuits, sweetened strawberries, and homemade whipped cream.

Shortcakes are sweet desserts made from leavening agents and have a higher level of fat (traditionally, they were made with shortening) compared to other cakes. Strawberry shortcake is a fantastic dessert you can make in spring and summer when strawberries are in season. Enjoy them with a cup of tea in the afternoon or as a light dessert when the weather is warm.

How to Make Strawberry Shortcake

Making homemade strawberry shortcakes is incredibly easy to do. To start, toss the strawberries in sugar and set them in the fridge until you're ready to use them.

How to Make the Biscuits

Next, prepare the biscuits. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until they're well-combined. Chop in the cold butter until the dough takes on a coarse, crumbly texture. Stir in the buttermilk and mix until a shaggy dough forms. Grab some flour and dust it over your work surface, then turn out and roll the dough into a ball.

Take a rolling pin and roll out the dough, fold it so each side meets the center, then roll it out again. Repeat this step 3 times – this will give your biscuits a lovely flaky texture. Cut out the biscuits and place them on a baking tray, making sure they're all touching. Bake the biscuits for 18 to 22 minutes, then remove them from the oven to cool.

How to Make the Whipped Cream

While the biscuits bake, beat the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla together to make the homemade whipped cream.

Assembling Your Strawberry Shortcakes

Once the biscuits have cooled, cut them in half, add a layer of strawberries and whipped cream, and serve! Easy homemade strawberry shortcakes are so irresistibly good, you might find it hard to have just one!

Tips for Making the Best Strawberry Shortcake

Use fresh strawberries for your strawberry shortcakes – nothing beats the flavor.

Don't overmix the dough. It should just come together.

You can make the biscuits for your strawberry shortcakes up to 3 days in advance. The strawberries may be prepared 1 day ahead of time.

If you don't have buttermilk, use milk or heavy cream.

Chill your flour before using it – it helps when you're mixing up the dough for the biscuits.

You can also bake the biscuits in a cast-iron skillet.

How to Store Easy Homemade Strawberry Shortcake

Once assembled, your strawberry shortcakes will last 1 to 2 days in the fridge.

How to Make Strawberry Shortcake

Toss the strawberries with ¼ cup sugar. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Preheat your oven to 400F.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Add the butter and cut into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter until coarse crumbs form. Add in the buttermilk. Fold the ingredients until a shaggy dough forms.

Lightly flour a work surface. Work the dough, then using a rolling pin, roll it out to a ¾-inch thick rectangle.

Fold each side so they meet in the center, then turn the dough and flatten it out again. Repeat 3 more times.

Using a biscuit cutter, cut the dough to form 10 to 12 biscuits.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the biscuits on the tray so they're all touching. Brush the biscuits with heavy cream and garnish with coarse sugar. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, or until golden brown.

Remove from the oven and allow the biscuits to cool for 15 to 20 minutes.

While the biscuits are cooling, beat heavy cream, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and vanilla until soft peaks form. Make sure the bowl you use to make the whipped cream is completely clean. This will help the peaks to form.

Cut the biscuits in half, add the strawberries and whipped cream, and serve.