Name: Classic Strawberry Shortcakes Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 2 pints strawberries, (halved, then sliced); 1/3 cup granulated sugar; 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour ((White Lily Flour recommended)); 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder; 1/4 teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 3 tablespoons granulated sugar; 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, (chilled); 1/2 cup heavy cream, (chilled (or whole buttermilk)); extra cream for lightly brushing tops of biscuits; turbinado sugar for sprinkling; lemon zest; extra flour for dusting; 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream; 3 tablespoons granulated sugar; 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract; pinch of salt; zest of 1/2 lemon

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Classic Strawberry Shortcakes are a summer must! Tender golden shortcakes that taste like sweet biscuits piled high with mountains of juicy, red strawberries and strawberry syrup with pillows of fresh whipped cream on top are just what your cookouts and backyard get togethers need.

If strawberry treats are what you’re craving, you’ll also love my Fresh Strawberry Pie and Farm Style Buttermilk Strawberry Muffins!

Tender shortcake, fresh strawberries in syrup with homemade whipped cream and lemon zest served on a blue plate.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

You are going to love how real homemade shortcakes taste! They’re flaky. They’re tender. They’re like a fluffy, sweet version of golden buttermilk biscuits with crisp sugared tops. They are nothing like the store bought stuff (spongey dessert shells- what is that??).
Even though this is a completely from-scratch recipe, it’s EASY to follow and it doesn’t take a long time. There’s even a video in the recipe card.
You’ll be the celebrated summer hostess with the know-how to make real deal strawberry shortcakes that are absolutely to die for.
Cool, refreshing freshness– between the fresh berries and a bit of lemon zest in the whipped cream, Classic Strawberry Shortcakes simple, light and refreshing.

Traditional strawberry shortcakes with mountains of fresh berries, whipped cream and a sprig of mint as a serving suggestion.

What’s the Difference between Cake & Shortcake?

Shortcakes aren’t called shortcakes because they’re short. “Short” is an English cooking term dating to at least the 16th century that means “crisp,” a crisp bake from fat in the recipe.

For shortcakes, that fat is butter. And for crisp, think about biscuits with crisp tops and bottoms with soft biscuit-y insides.

Additionally, shortcakes are more pastry than cake. That’s why this recipe recommends White Lily flour. White Lily is a soft, light flour made completely from winter wheat. Winter Wheat has a lower protein content than other wheats and flours which results in less gluten when mixed with liquids. That means you get light, pillowy baked goods when you use it.

It is THE, and I do mean THE flour for biscuit making in the southern United States. If you can’t buy it where you live, you can have shipped to you via Amazon. It really is more than worth it.

Recipe Ingredients & Overview

Ingredients to make strawberry shortcake with text overlay to label ingredient items.

I’ll walk through an overview of ingredients & steps in these next sections along with helpful tips!

Look for specifics at the end of the post in t he recipe card.

fresh strawberries
all purpose flour (White Lily Flour is recommended.)
baking powder
baking soda
salt
sugar
unsalted butter
heavy cream
pure vanilla extract
lemon zest, turbinado sugar, fresh mint

Recipe Additions & Substitutions: Instead of using heavy cream in your shortcakes, use chilled whole buttermilk for a complete southern strawberry shortcake experience!

Frozen strawberries are not recommended for this recipe.

I add lemon zest to the whipped cream, on the tops of the shortcakes and as garnish. It adds an amazing amount of fresh coolness to this recipe which is perfect for the summer months. You could leave it out, but I think you would be sad about it later.

How To Make Classic Strawberry Shortcakes

A collage of making fresh strawberry sauce and starting the dough for shortcakes

In a large bowl, mash about ⅓ of the sliced strawberries with a potato masher. This will help create a thicker syrup when the berries are mixed with sugar.

Add the rest of the sliced berries to the bowl. Top with sugar. Stir well to coat all of the strawberries. Cover and set them aside to allow the sugar time to break the berries down and releases their juices.

Making Traditional Shortcakes

Mix the Dry Ingredients. In a large glass bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar with a fork.

Grate the Butter. Grate the butter into the flour mixture using a box grater or other type of grater. Use a fork to toss and mash the butter into the flour. Both of these methods keep you from touching the butter. This is important because the heat from your hands can cause the butter to soften.

Create the Dough. Make a well in the bottom of the butter & flour mixture and add the heavy cream to the well. Use your fork to lightly mix the ingredients together to create a shaggy/ loose dough. Not all of the flour has to be completely incorporated.

Layer the Dough. Turn the loose dough out onto a floured surface. Gather up the dough pieces and press together, turning it over 1-2 times and gently/ lightly patting it down into a rectangle. Cut the rectangle into quarters. Stack the quarters on top of each other. Pat down into a rectangle again. Cut into quarters. Repeat process one more time, patting dough into 1- 1 ½ inch thick rectangle.

Cut the Shortcakes. Dip a 2 inch biscuit cutter into flour. Press cutter straight down into the dough WITHOUT twisting. Place biscuits on a baking sheet 1-2 inches apart. Re-group the dough scraps into a rectangle and cut biscuits until all the dough is used.

Chill & Bake. Freeze for 15 minutes. Remove from freezer. Brush tops with extra cream, sprinkle with turbinado sugar and lemon zest. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes.

A strawberry shortcake from overhead, showing the fresh berries, whipped cream and garnish.

Homemade Whipped Cream

While the biscuits are baking, whip heavy whipping cream with a mixer at high speed until soft peaks begin to form. Add sugar, vanilla, and lemon zest and finish whipping until you get stiff peaks. Refrigerate until you’re ready to assemble your cakes.

Assembling Strawberry Shortcakes

Cut open your shortcakes and lay them open faced on a serving plate.
Add a spoon or two of whipped cream on the bottom half of the shortcake, then a spoon or two of strawberries and their syrup on top of the cream, letting the syrup run down the sides.
Place the top of the shortcake on the berries (don’t press) and repeat with more cream and more berries.
Garnish with fresh mint and a bit of lemon zest.

A bite of strawberry shortcake on a fork to show texture and how it is served.

Tips for Success

Fluff, Spoon, Level. When measuring flour, I “fluff” the flour in the canister to “unpack” it. Then I use a spoon or a small measuring cup to lightly “spoon” the flour out of the canister and into the measuring cup I’m using. Lastly, I “level” it off with the back of a knife for the best measurement possible without weighing it.
Level All of Your Ingredients. To make sure you’re not adding too much or too little of an ingredient you should always use the back of a knife to level off dry ingredients in measuring spoons AND cups.
Don’t overwork the dough. To create light and tender shortcakes you need a light touch. This is a pastry, not a bread that requires kneading.
Additionally, the heat from your hands will melt the butter in your dough when it’s handled too much. It’s important that the butter melt in the oven (not on the counter top) where it will create little air pockets in the dough that will push the dough up, creating tall, pillowy biscuits.
Use chilled butter and heavy cream (or buttermilk) to get the best rise.
Chill your cut biscuits in the freezer to make sure that butter is as cold as can be when it goes into the oven.

Fun Serving Ideas

Serve these Classic Strawberry Shortcakes just as they are for the perfect summer treat or add in a variety of berries for more summer goodness. Blueberries and blackberries are our favorites. Shortcakes are even quite delicious with peaches instead of strawberries.

You can never go wrong with adding a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side (or maybe instead of whipped cream).

Set up a Strawberry Shortcake Bar with all of these options and let guests build their own shortcakes for a fun get together!

Making Ahead, Freezing & Storing

To make this Classic Strawberry Shortcakes recipe ahead of time, simply make the shortcakes and freeze in a single layer. Brush the tops of the shortcakes with cream, add sugar and zest and bake while still frozen. Make the berries and the cream the day of serving.

Store any leftover strawberry sauce, shortcakes or whipped cream separately in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

The strawberry sauce and the shortcakes can be frozen separately for up to 2 months.

More Sweet Summer Desserts to Love