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This homemade Strawberry Shortcake recipe is made with syrupy macerated strawberries, fluffy sweet biscuits, and the dreamiest cream cheese whipped cream. The homemade biscuits bake up tender and buttery with a golden brown crust and soft interiors. Split them open, pile them high with juicy strawberries and that homemade whipped cream, and you’ve got the kind of summer dessert that tastes like it belongs at every cookout, picnic, and Sunday dinner all summer long.
It’s that time of year when fresh fruit belongs in every dessert, and honestly, strawberry shortcake will always understand the assignment. It’s one of those recipes that doesn’t need to be complicated, it just needs to be done right. So I took your classic strawberry shortcake recipe and gave it a serious upgrade. Leave the angel food cake at the store, we’re making the real deal from scratch (spoiler alert, it’s easy to make, too).
The Best Strawberry Shortcake Recipe
For starters, we’re tossing fresh strawberries with sugar, strawberry preserves, and lemon zest for a filling that’s extra jammy, bright, and full of strawberry flavor. For the tender biscuits, we’re using my buttermilk biscuit recipe with heavy cream and an egg yolk for a tall, tender, bakery-style bite. After testing plenty of biscuit recipes over the years, I’ve learned that one little yolk can make a huge difference. It adds tenderness, richness without making the biscuits heavy. And instead of plain whipped cream, we’re making a cream cheese whipped cream that’s fluffy but also sturdy enough to support those juicy strawberries.
All of these little upgrades take classic strawberry shortcake and make it even better – more strawberry flavor, softer biscuits, and a whipped cream that actually holds up. Once you make it this way, it’s going to be hard to go back to the store-bought version!
For more classic strawberry desserts, make my strawberry pound cake, strawberry crumble, and strawberry shortcake with pound cake!
Ingredient Highlights
(full list of ingredients can be found in the recipe card)
- Cake Flour gives the biscuits that classic shortcake texture – soft and tender. This will give you a softer texture than all-purpose flour due to its finer texture and lower protein content.
- Buttermilk and heavy cream go into the biscuits to create that soft, tender texture. The buttermilk adds tang and tenderness, while the heavy cream adds richness and helps the biscuits bake up fluffy instead of dry.
- Cold salted butter creates flaky biscuits. I prefer salted for extra flavor but you can use unsalted butter if you prefer. Pro Tip: Pop the butter into the freezer for 20 minutes prior to using for best results.
- Almond Extract and Vanilla Extract are added to the biscuits for that bakery-style flavor. A lot of shortcake biscuits are tasteless but not these!
- Strawberries should be ripe and sweet for the best flavor. I don’t recommend using frozen strawberries, fresh is best for this one.
- Strawberry Preserves make the filling extra glossy, jammy, and full of strawberry flavor.
How To Make Strawberry Shortcake
These step-by-step photos are here to guide you through the process. If you’re ready to get started, scroll down to the recipe card or tap “Jump to Recipe” for the full printable version with measurements and instructions.
Step 1: Macerate the strawberries. Use a sharp knife to remove the stems and slice the strawberries. Add sliced strawberries to a bowl with sugar, strawberry preserves, and lemon zest and toss until coated. Let them sit while you make the biscuits. As they rest, the strawberries will soften and release their juices, creating a sweet strawberry syrup.
Step 2: Prepare the biscuit dough. Toss the dry ingredients and cold butter together. Pinch the butter into the flour mixture until pea-sized pieces form. You can also use a pastry cutter or food processor here. Then add the buttermilk, heavy whipping cream, egg yolk, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Mix until a shaggy dough forms.
Step 3: Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently pat it together.
Step 4: Fold the dough over itself a few times to create layers, then pat it out and cut into rounds. Freeze for 30 minutes. (Pro Tip: When cutting the biscuits, press straight down with the cutter. Don’t twist. Twisting can seal the edges and keep the biscuits from rising as tall)
Ingredient Note: if you don’t have buttermilk, make your own homemade buttermilk by mixing whole milk with 1 tbsp of lemon juice. Let it sit for 5 minutes, and just like that, you’ve got buttermilk!
Step 5: Bake the biscuits. Place the biscuits on a parchment paper lined baking sheet or in a cast iron skillet. Brush the tops with heavy cream, then sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 18-22 minutes, until golden brown and puffy.
Step 6: Make the cream cheese whipped cream. Beat softened cream cheese until smooth, then add powdered sugar and vanilla. Slowly pour in cold heavy cream and whip until stiff peaks form. You want the cream to be thick and billowy, but not over-whipped. Stop once it holds its shape.
Step 7: Assemble the strawberry shortcakes. Split the biscuits in half. Spoon macerated strawberries over the bottom half, add a generous dollop of whipped cream, then place the biscuit top over the cream. Add more strawberries and cream on top and garnish with fresh mint.
Tips for the Best Strawberry Shortcakes
Don’t overwork the dough. Mix and fold gently. A little shaggy dough is better than overmixed dough.
Brush the biscuits with cream. This helps the tops brown beautifully and gives them that bakery-style finish.
Assemble right before serving. The components can be made ahead, but strawberry shortcake is best once it’s freshly assembled.
Recipe FAQs
- Can I Use All-Purpose Flour Instead of Cake Flour? Yes! Cake flour gives the biscuits a softer, more tender texture, but all-purpose flour will still work. The biscuits may be slightly sturdier and a little less delicate, but they’ll still be delicious. If using all-purpose flour, be careful not to overmix the dough so the biscuits stay tender.
- Can I make strawberry shortcake ahead of time? Yes, but I recommend storing each component separately. The biscuits can be baked ahead and stored at room temperature, the strawberries can be macerated and refrigerated, and the cream cheese whipped cream can be made ahead and chilled. Assemble the shortcakes right before serving.
- How do I keep strawberry shortcake from getting soggy? Assemble the shortcakes right before serving. The strawberries are juicy, which is exactly what makes them so good, but the syrup will soften the biscuits as they sit. For the best texture, keep the biscuits, strawberries, and whipped cream separate until you’re ready to serve.
More Classic Summer Desserts
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Strawberry Shortcake
Equipment
- Pastry Cutter (optional)
- hand mixer (optional)
- Box Grater (optional)
Ingredients
Macerated Strawberries
- 1 1/2 lbs (680 g) Strawberries, (stems removed, cut in half)
- 1/3 cup (67 g) Sugar
- 2 tbsp Strawberry Preserves, (optional, but highly recommended)
- Lemon Zest, (from one lemon)
- 2 tbsp (30 g) Lemon Juice
Shortcake Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups (438 g) Cake Flour
- 1 1/2 tbsp Baking Powder
- 1/4 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/3 cup (67 g) Sugar, (more for topping)
- 1/4 tsp Nutmeg
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1 cup (227 g) Salted Butter, (cold, grated or cut into chunks)
- 2/3 cup (160 g) Buttermilk, (cold)
- 1/2 cup (120 g) Heavy Cream, (cold), more for brushing on top of the biscuits
- 1 (18 g) Egg Yolk
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 tsp Almond Extract
Cream Cheese Whipped Cream
- 4 oz (224 g) Cream Cheese, (room temperature)
- 1 cup (125 g) Powdered Sugar, (more for dusting on top of the biscuits)
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2 cups (480 g) Heavy Cream, (cold)
Instructions
- Start by making the macerated strawberries. Letting them sit is what makes them nice and syrupy! Remove the stems and cut the top/white part off of the strawberries. Then slice and add to a large bowl with sugar, strawberry preserves, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Toss until the strawberries are evenly coated. 1 1/2 lbs Strawberries 1/3 cup Sugar 2 tbsp Strawberry Preserves 2 tbsp Lemon Juice Lemon Zest
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, nutmeg, and kosher salt until combined. 3 1/2 cups Cake Flour 1 1/2 tbsp Baking Powder 1/4 tsp Baking Soda 1/3 cup Sugar 1/4 tsp Nutmeg 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- Grate cold butter or cut it into chunks and add to the flour mixture. Use your fingers, a pastry cutter, or a food processor to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture looks crumbly with pea-sized pieces of butter throughout. The butter is adequately mixed in when you can grab the mixture and squeeze it in your hand and it stays together (instead of falling apart). Tip: Cold butter is key for fluffy biscuits. If your kitchen is warm, pop the butter in the freezer for 15-20 minutes before using. 1 cup Salted Butter
- In a separate bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk, heavy cream, egg yolk, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and gently mix until a shaggy dough forms. The dough should look slightly sticky and rough, not smooth. There may be a few dry bits at the bottom of the bowl, and that’s okay. 2/3 cup Buttermilk 1/2 cup Heavy Cream 1 Egg Yolk 2 tsp Vanilla Extract 1/2 tsp Almond Extract
- Lightly flour your work surface, then turn the dough out onto the floured surface. The dough will be sticky, so flour your hands and the top of the dough as needed. Gently pat the dough together into a rectangle. Fold the dough over itself 2-3 times, then pat it out to about 3/4-inch to 1-inch thick. The dough should hold together but still look a little rustic. You should see small pieces of butter throughout.
- Use a 2.75 inch round biscuit cutter to cut out the shortcakes. Press straight down, then lift straight up. Do not twist the cutter. Place the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them close together for taller biscuits or slightly apart for crispier edges. Place into the freezer for 30 minutes, this helps the butter firm back up so the biscuits bake up tall, fluffy, and tender instead of spreading too much.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Brush the top of the biscuits with heavy cream then sprinkle sugar on top. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until the biscuits are puffed, golden brown on top, and baked through. Let them cool before assembling.
- Make the cream cheese whipped cream. Add the softened cream cheese to a large bowl and use a hand mixer to beat until smooth and creamy, about 30 seconds. Add the powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth. With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour in the cold heavy cream. Once added, increase the speed to medium-high and whip until stiff peaks form. 4 oz Cream Cheese 1 cup Powdered Sugar 2 tsp Vanilla Extract 2 cups Heavy Cream
- Slice each biscuit in half. Spoon a generous amount of macerated strawberries over the bottom half, then add a dollop of cream cheese whipped cream. Place the top half of the biscuit over the whipped cream, then add more strawberries and whipped cream on top if desired. Dust the tops of the biscuits powdered sugar and serve immediately.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
