The Best Classic Strawberry Shortcake
Ingredients
- Shortcakes
- 1 cup heavy cream
plus more for brushing
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
plus more for dusting, see Cook's Note
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
plus more for sprinkling
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 stick unsalted butter
cut into 1-inch cubes and frozen, 8 tablespoons
- Filling
- 1 pound strawberries
hulled and sliced
- 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Directions
- 1
For the shortcakes: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- 2
Whisk the heavy cream, sour cream and vanilla in a small bowl; refrigerate until ready to use. Pulse the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt in a food processor until combined. Add the butter; pulse until the mixture looks like fine meal. Pour in the chilled heavy cream mixture and pulse until just combined.
- 3
Lightly flour a work surface and dump the dough onto it. Pat out the dough 1/2-inch thick. Cut out as many biscuits as you can with a 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter. Then pat the remaining dough out to 1/2-inch thick again. Cut more biscuits; you should get 12.
- 4
Put 6 of the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the tops generously with cream, then top each cream-brushed biscuit with one of the remaining biscuit rounds. (This makes it easier to split once they are baked.) Brush the top of each biscuit stack with more heavy cream and sprinkle 1 teaspoon granulated sugar on each biscuit.
- 5
Bake the biscuits until golden and puffed, about 30 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
- 6
Meanwhile, for the topping: Toss the strawberries and 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar in a medium bowl.
- 7
Just before serving, beat the heavy cream, sour cream, the remaining 2 tablespoons brown sugar and vanilla in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes.
- 8
Split the shortcakes in half. Spoon half the cream on the bottom of the biscuits, top evenly with the strawberries and top with the remaining cream. Put each biscuit top on and serve.
The Best Classic Strawberry Shortcake
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About this Recipe
Dreaming of a perfect, old-fashioned strawberry shortcake that tastes like summer in every bite? This classic recipe brings you that quintessential dessert experience, made easy enough for any home baker to master.What sets this shortcake apart is an ingenious double-stacking technique for the biscuits. This method ensures your shortcakes rise beautifully, staying wonderfully light and tall. The result is a tender biscuit that's effortlessly easy to split, creating the ideal bed for juicy berries and luscious cream without any crumbling.You're in for a treat with this iconic dessert. Imagine flaky, golden shortcakes, rich with butter and subtly sweet, providing the perfect counterpoint to a generous heap of ripe, sliced strawberries macerated with light brown sugar. Each bite delivers a delightful contrast: the tender crumb of the biscuit, the burst of fresh, sweet berries, and the smooth, airy dollop of cream, enhanced with a hint of vanilla and sour cream for an extra touch of tang and richness. It's a dessert that feels both comforting and elegantly simple, letting the pure flavors of its high-quality ingredients truly shine.While the classic combination is unbeatable, feel free to adapt to your pantry. For the cream mixture in the filling, you could adjust the ratio of heavy cream to sour cream slightly to suit your preference for richness or tang. If fresh strawberries are out of season, other ripe berries like raspberries or blueberries could make a delicious alternative, though nothing quite compares to the namesake fruit.This classic strawberry shortcake is the ultimate centerpiece for any spring or summer gathering, from backyard barbecues to festive brunches. Serve it freshly assembled to best enjoy the contrast of textures and temperatures, letting the natural beauty of the berries and cream make a stunning presentation.