Easy Strawberry Shortcake from Scratch
User Reviews
5
Easy Strawberry Shortcake from Scratch
Description
The strawberries are tossed with sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest to macerate and release their juices, creating a bright, sweet topping. The biscuits are prepared by combining lemon zest, flour, baking powder, and salt, then cutting in very cold butter until pea-sized pieces form. Buttermilk and honey are added to form a shaggy dough that bakes at a high temperature to a light golden, tender biscuit with bright lemon notes. Chilled heavy cream is whipped with sugar and vanilla to Chantilly cream that adds a light, smooth texture and sweetness. Served assembled, the biscuits provide a sturdy but tender base absorbing some berry juices, while the strawberries and cream add freshness and richness in every bite.
This dessert works well for celebrations or casual meals, and the individual components may be prepared in advance. The biscuits can also be frozen before baking for convenience. If buttermilk is unavailable, homemade variations using vinegar or lemon with milk can substitute effectively.
Overall, the dessert captures a classic shortcake experience with a lemon lift in both biscuits and berries, highlighted by smooth whipped cream.
Ingredients
Macerated Strawberries
- 2 pounds strawberries rinsed, stems removed, and quartered
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar 50g
- lemon juice juice of 1 medium lemon
- lemon finely grated zest of 1
Biscuits:
- lemon finely grated zest of 1
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 350 g
- 2 tbsp baking powder 28 g
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter 115g, very cold and cubed
- 1 cup buttermilk 250mL, cold
- 3 tbsp honey 64g
- 2 tbsp heavy cream 30g, for brushing
- turbinado sugar for the top of biscuits
Chantilly Cream
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream 360mL, cold
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Strawberries
- Combine the strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a medium-sized mixing bowl and toss together to combine.
- Set aside to macerate while you make the biscuits.
- Biscuits
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
- Whisk the lemon zest, flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large mixing bowl or pulse together in the bowl of a large food processor.
- Add the cold cubed butter and cut into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter or by pulsing several times in the processor until the butter is about the size of peas. Some larger bits of butter are perfectly fine. If you used a food processor, carefully dump the mixture into a large mixing bowl.
- Pour 1 cup of cold buttermilk into the dry ingredients, then add the honey. Stir everything together with a silicone spatula until just about combined. The dough will look very shaggy and be very crumbly. If it's not, add a tablespoon of flour at a time and stir it in until the dough is shaggy, crumbly, and no longer wet.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and gently mold it into a rectangle using your hands. Cut the rectangle into fourths and stack the quartered dough onto each other. Smash down evenly using your hands. Use a rolling pin to press the dough back into a rectangle about one and a half to two inches thick.
- Repeat that step one to two more times. If the dough is feeling warm (the butter is melting onto your hands and getting hard to work with), place the dough into the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes until it firms back up.
- Gently roll the dough out with a rolling pin until it’s about 1 inch thick. Cut into 3-inch circles using biscuit cutters. Re-roll any scraps until you have used up as much dough as you can.
- Arrange the biscuits in a 10-inch cast iron skillet or close together on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Make sure they’re just touching, not smushed against each other, or they won't rise tall.
- Brush the tops of the biscuits with heavy cream. Sprinkle the top of them generously with the turbinado sugar.
- Bake in the preheated oven until the bottoms of the biscuits are deeply golden and the tops are lightly brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Remove to a wire rack and let cool for about five minutes before assembling.
- Chantilly Cream
- Combine the heavy cream and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or in a large mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer) and beat on medium-high speed just until stiff peaks form, about a minute and a half.
- Assemble
- Split the biscuits in half crosswise. Spoon strawberries over the bottom half and top with a dollop of whipped cream. Finish with the top biscuit.
Notes
- If you don’t have buttermilk, sour one cup of whole milk with a splash of white vinegar or lemon juice, letting it sit five minutes before use.
- You can prepare the biscuits, strawberries, and Chantilly cream a day in advance for easier assembling.
- Freeze unbaked biscuits for up to three months and bake directly from frozen without thawing.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 6shortcakes
Amount Per Serving
Calories 641 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1g | |
| Calories | 641kcal | 32% |
| Carbohydrates | 92g | 31% |
| Protein | 11g | 22% |
| Fat | 27g | 42% |
| Saturated Fat | 16g | 80% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 9g | 53% |
| Trans Fat | 1g | 50% |
| Cholesterol | 77mg | 26% |
| Sodium | 1064mg | 44% |
| Fiber | 6g | 24% |
| Sugar | 39g | 78% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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