This recipe for Southern Strawberry Shortcakes is a classic homemade sweet shortcake topped with sweetened strawberries and whipped cream.
SOUTHERN STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKES
Gosh, is there anything prettier than strawberry shortcakes? To me, it is the perfect spring and summer dessert when strawberries are fresh and in-season. It’s a light dessert too. You can easily eat it after your grilled hamburger or hot dogs and not feel like a stuffed pig but you’ll still be totally satisfied!
VIDEO INCLUDED BELOW:
WHAT IS A SHORTCAKE?
- Homemade shortcakes are meant to be lightly sweetened and just a tad crumbly. Not dry but more like a scone. They should be just a bit crumbly to add texture to each bite. The crumbly shortcake plus the softened and sweetened strawberries and whipped cream combine to create the perfect bite!
- You don’t need any special tools for this. I use my hands and a fork. It’s easier to cut the butter into the flour with my fingers and a fork will do the rest of the job. With shortcakes, it’s not about looking perfectly round and smooth. These are basically just sweetened drop biscuits so no need for perfection!
INGREDIENTS NEEDED:
for the shortcakes:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I prefer White Lily brand)
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp lemon zest
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 stick (4 oz) cold salted butter
coarse sugar (or white sugar)
for the topping:
3 cups fresh strawberries, tops removed and sliced
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
whipped cream
HOW TO MAKE THE PERFECT STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE:
Combine sliced strawberries, sugar and lemon juice in a bowl. Stir and cover.
Place in the fridge for an hour or more to release juices. Preheat oven to 425F degrees and line a baking pan with parchment paper. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and lemon zest in a small bowl (or food processor). 
Add cold butter and cut in with a fork or pulse a few times with a food processor…
Or you can cut in by hand using a pastry cutter or even your hands. You want to have coarse crumbs. 
Stir in buttermilk until you have a thick, sticky batter.
Drop dough onto the baking sheet (this makes 6 shortcakes.)
Sprinkle dough with sugar. Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly browned.
Slice open biscuits and serve with layers of strawberries, their juice and whipped cream.
Enjoy!
SOUTHERN STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKES
Ingredients
- for the shortcakes:
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour I prefer White Lily brand
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 stick (4 oz) cold salted butter
- coarse sugar or white sugar
- for the topping:
- 3 cups fresh strawberries tops removed and sliced
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- whipped cream
Instructions
- Combine sliced strawberries, sugar and lemon juice in a bowl. Stir and cover.
- Place in the fridge for an hour or more to release juices.
- Preheat oven to 425F degrees and line a baking pan with parchment paper.
- Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and lemon zest in a small bowl (or food processor).
- Add cold butter and cut in with a fork or pulse a few times with a food processor (or cut in by hand using a pastry cutter) until you have coarse crumbs.
- Stir in buttermilk until you have a thick, sticky batter.
- Drop dough onto the baking sheet (this makes 6 shortcakes).
- Sprinkle dough with coarse sugar. Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly browned.
- Slice open biscuits and serve with layers of strawberries, their juice and whipped cream.
It must be a local custom as to what people serve as strawberry shortcake. I don’t know of a soul here who uses a biscuit type for berries. Her it is a yellow 1 egg cake or over a pound cake and some use angel food. The real non-bakers buy those little sponge preformed into shells to hold the berries. To be very honest I don’t see biscuits served often in any form much here other than biscuits and sausage gravy as a breakfast item. Not sure how that happened.
Elaine, where are you from?
SE Ohio-please understand this is not a criticism—-just an observation.
I didn’t take it as a criticism at all. Just wondered what part of the United States you were from where you had never had it as a biscuit. 🙂
I am from the midwest and I always thought of the kind made with cake or angel food is “fake” strawberry shortcake, lol. I typically make my shortcake “biscuits” with the bisquick mix but they are sooo good! Elaine, you must try shortcake this way!
Aren’t you a negative nelly?? I’m in California and I see shortcake served like this all the time. Sheesh…
Brandie…I made this for the first time tonight. Such an easy recipe that produced flawless biscuits! Golden brown with a slight crunch because of the sugar on top, yet an incredibly moist crumb on the inside. Perfection!
I’m in North Central Ohio and biscuit-style is the only acceptable shortcake for berries. The fluffy, yellow cakey sort of stuff is considered fake because it isn’t a true short-dough.
These are the kind my mom always made !!!
Moms are always the best though! 🙂
GOR.GEOUS!!! We enjoy this kind of shortcake all summer long!!
Are you headed to Florida this year Mrs. B? I bet they have some awesome strawberries right now!
My Dad would always make sweet biscuits for Strawberry Shortcake and I never did get his recipe so this is something I will try as it appears to be much like his. Thank You
I hope it tastes like you remember!
I’m from CA and always preferred a biscuit and had the best recipe at one time but lost it. It has now been found, everything including the buttermilk and citrus; although I used orange zest in my dough and sweetened my berries with the juice. Also added walnuts or pecans to dough. Yum!
I hope this is close to the one you remember!!
1 stick of butter is 4 oz….. so do I use 1/2 stick or 1 stick?
1 stick is 8 tbsp. So you’ll want to use 4 tbsp (1/2 stick) and is also measured as 1/4 cup.
Wondering if it is ok to make the biscuits ahead of time or do they need to be warm?
Thanks!
Hi Jen! Yes, you can certainly make it ahead of time. Just make sure you store them in an airtight container so they stay fresh. 🙂
This was wonderful! Had a good crumb without being dry. I did however, need to add more milk than called for to get a thick sticky dough. 1/2 cup would not even wet all the dry ingredients. I probably used at least 3/4 cup.
Hi Cheryl! So happy to hear that! Yes, it’s always hard with baked goods because I think we all can measure flour a bit differently so some pack the flour in, some just dip and swipe and it also depends on the flour brand. For example, White Lily is so soft and light that they suggest you add an additional tablespoon to each cup to account for differences. So, these types of recipes are definitely for a more experienced baker who knows how the dough should feel and look. 🙂
So good!!! By far the best shortcake recipe I’ve tried!
Awww wow – thank you so much for that Deborah Anne!
This is the best. Second time I made it with no changes . Will never use Bisquick again.