Classic Strawberry Shortcake

No ratings yet

Classic strawberry shortcake with real whipped cream, buttery biscuits, and sweet summer strawberries. A nostalgic East Coast favourite.

Prep Time25

Cook Time15

Resting Time30

Total Time1 10

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Canadian

Servings: servings

Calories: 545kcal

Preheat the oven to 450ºF (230ºC) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Arrange one oven rack in the middle and the other on the bottom.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
If using room temperature butter, cut it into the flour with a pastry cutter or two butter knives until coarse pieces form, then place the bowl in the freezer for 30 minutes. If using frozen grated butter, stir it into the flour and proceed immediately.
Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture and pour in the milk. Gently stir until a coarse, crumbly dough forms.
Lightly flour a work surface, then turn out the dough. Knead it 20 times, or until most dry bits are incorporated and the dough holds together. Dust with flour and roll the dough to about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick.
Use a 3 inch (7.5 cm) biscuit cutter to cut out as many biscuits as possible. Place them on the prepared baking sheets with space between each. Gather and re-roll scraps to cut out more biscuits.
Brush the tops with milk and sprinkle with coarse sugar if using. Bake the biscuits for 13 to 15 minutes until golden on top and bottom. Cool on a wire rack.

While the biscuits bake, quarter the strawberries and place them in a bowl. Add the sugar and lemon juice, stir well, and let sit until the sugar diissolves, about 30 minutes.

To make the whipped cream, combine the cream, sugar, and vanilla in a mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until soft-medium peaks form.

To assemble, split a cooled biscuit in half and place the bottom on a plate or in a bowl. Spoon strawberries and their syrup over the bottom half, then top with a generous amount of whipped cream. Place the top of the biscuit over the cream and spoon more berries and cream on top. Serve immediately.

Gently mix the dough with a fork to avoid overworking it. I love my Danish dough whisk for all types of dough and batter.

If your biscuit cutter is smaller or larger than 2 ½ inches, adjust the number of servings accordingly.

Store biscuits in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Refrigerate strawberries and whipped cream separately for up to 2 days.

Freeze baked or unbaked biscuits for up to 1 month. Bake unbaked biscuits straight from frozen. Thaw baked biscuits at room temperature or warm them in a 300°F (150°C) oven.