Strawberry Shortcake
A rich, high-fat buttermilk biscuit, split warm and layered with sugar-macerated strawberries and lightly sweetened whipped cream. American recipes date to the 1840s, built on a sturdy biscuit that can hold up to the released strawberry juice; the softer sponge-cake version now common commercially spread in the 20th century via pre-formed grocery-store shortcake cups, a shortcut rather than the historically original form, since "short" refers to the biscuit's crumbly, high-fat texture.
DessertVegetarian
⚠ Contains: Dairy, Egg, Gluten. Always check your own ingredients — this isn't a guarantee for severe allergies.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 6 tbsp cold butter, cubed
- 3/4 cup cold heavy cream, plus more for brushing
- 1 egg
- 2 lb strawberries, hulled and sliced
- 1/4 cup sugar, for macerating
- 1.5 cups heavy cream, for whipping
- 2 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Steps
- Slice the strawberries, toss with 1/4 cup sugar, and let macerate 30-60 minutes until juicy.
- Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt, then cut in the cold butter until pea-sized crumbs form.
- Mix the cream and egg, and stir into the dry ingredients just until a shaggy dough forms.
- Pat the dough to 3/4-inch thickness, cut into rounds, and brush the tops with cream.
- Bake at 425F for 12-15 minutes until golden.
- Whip the heavy cream with powdered sugar and vanilla to soft peaks.
- Split the warm biscuits and layer with the macerated strawberries and whipped cream.