Lightly sweetened biscuits topped with sweet, juicy strawberries and homemade whipped cream. This Homemade Strawberry Shortcake is easy to make and so delicious!

Two prepared strawberry shortcakes topped with extra whipped cream and sliced strawberries on white plates.

Does anything scream summer more than homemade strawberry shortcake? Okay, maybe a few things do but this easy homemade dessert definitely tops the list!

I’ve had a few requests for an easy strawberry shortcake recipe recently so I decided to get to work on one. I wanted a shortcake recipe that was sweet but not too sweet and made completely from scratch. This recipe delivers all of that and it’s actually fairly simple to make too!

Plus, how perfect would this strawberry shortcake be for your next cook-out or summer get together?

Several of the ingredients needed for strawberry shortcake on a gray surface.

Recipe Ingredients 

This easy strawberry shortcake recipe has three main parts: the biscuits, the strawberry filling, and the homemade whipped cream. 

Here’s what you’ll need to make the strawberry shortcake filling: 

  • Fresh strawberries: You can either slice the strawberries or chop them up, either option works fine! 
  • Granulated sugar: I typically use about 1/3 cup of granulated sugar for the strawberries, but if your berries are sweeter you can reduce the sugar to 1/4 cup. 

For the strawberry shortcake biscuits, you’ll need: 

  • All-purpose flour: Make sure to spoon and level the flour when measuring it so you don’t end up with dense biscuits.
  • Granulated sugar: There’s 1/4 cup of sugar in these biscuits so that they’re slightly sweet, but not too sweet since they’ll be topped with strawberries and whipped cream.
  • Baking powder: Helps the biscuits rise and prevents them from being too dense. 
  • Salt: Balances out the sweetness of the dough and enhances the overall flavor of the dessert. 
  • Unsalted butter: I recommend using unsalted butter since the amount of salt in salted butters can vary between different brands. If using salted butter, reduce the salt by 1/4 teaspoon per stick of butter in the recipe. 
  • Half and half: Half and half is a mixture of half whole milk and half heavy cream. If you can’t find half and half, you may use 1/3 cup (80 ml) of whole milk and 1/3 cup (80 ml) of heavy whipping cream mixed together.

And for the homemade whipped cream, you’ll need: 

  • Heavy whipping cream: The heavy whipping cream needs to be cold before you begin whipping it. 
  • Powdered sugar: Sweetens the whipped cream.
  • Vanilla extract: Use pure vanilla extract, if possible. 

A glass bowl filled with freshly sliced strawberries.

How to Make Strawberry Shortcake

There are three components to this homemade strawberry shortcake recipe: strawberries, shortcake biscuits, and homemade whipped cream. Now, this may seem like quite a bit, but I promise each step is fairly easy. Let’s break down each one:

How to Prepare The Filling

You’ll be using 2 pints of fresh strawberries for this recipe. Once you’ve prepped the strawberries, you’ll pour some sugar on top of them and stir until all of the strawberries are coated with the sugar. Feel free to taste the strawberries and see if you think they need more or less sugar.

Then, just cover the bowl of strawberries and set them aside for 30 minutes to an hour. I suggest prepping the strawberries first so they have time to get nice and juicy while you make the biscuits and whipped cream.

A collage image showing the shortcake biscuit dough mixed together and the dough cut out and brushed with half and half.

How to Make The Shortcake Biscuits

To make the shortcake biscuits, you’ll start with some all-purpose flour, baking powder, granulated sugar, and salt. You’ll whisk together the dry ingredients, then add some cold cubed butter and cut it in. I suggest using a pastry cutter if you have one, but a fork will work just fine too!

Once the butter is cut into the dry ingredients, pour in some cold half and half and mix until the dough starts to come together. The mixture may seem a little crumbly at first, but once you work it together a little with your hands it will come together just fine.

Next, scoop the dough onto a lightly floured surface, pat it down into a rectangle that’s about 1/2-inch thick, and use a biscuit cutter to cut out circles. Make sure that when you cut out the biscuits that you press the biscuit cutter straight down and back up. You want to avoid twisting the cutter because it can seal off the edges of the dough and prevent your biscuits from rising.

Then, place the biscuits on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, brush them with a little half and half or heavy whipping cream, and bake them until they’re golden brown. 

A glass bowl filled with homemade whipped cream and a rubber spatula in it.

How to Make Homemade Whipped Cream

For this recipe, I used my favorite homemade whipped cream recipe. It’s just a simple mixture of heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and a little vanilla extract.  To make the whipped cream, simply combine everything in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer and mix until stiff peaks form. In other words, when you lift the beaters out of the bowl the whipped cream stands up and doesn’t fold over.

It also helps to chill your mixing bowl and the beaters for 10 minutes in the freezer before getting started. This will help the whipped cream mix up quicker and increase the volume as well.

Once the biscuits have cooled, cut them open, pile on some juicy strawberries, fresh whipped cream, and enjoy! 

P.S. Don’t skimp on the strawberry juice at the bottom of the bowl, you’ll thank me later.

Strawberry shortcake topped with extra whipped cream and sliced strawberries on a white plate.

FAQ’s

Can I Prep Strawberry Shortcake in Advance? 

The strawberries may be prepared up to 1 day in advance, simply cover tightly and store in the refrigerator. The biscuits are best served the same day they are prepared, but you can prepare them 1-2 days in advance and store them in an airtight container at room temperature. Whipped cream can be prepared 2-3 hours in advance, but store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Can I Use a Butter Substitute? 

I don’t think this strawberry shortcake recipe from scratch would turn out correctly if you used a butter substitute, like margarine. Real butter is needed to make this recipe. 

A close-up image showing the layers of the strawberry shortcake on a white plate.

Baking Tips

  • If your strawberries are a little sweeter, feel free to reduce the sugar for the strawberries slightly.
  • There is one tablespoon of baking powder in this recipe and I promise it’s not an error! You want a good amount of baking powder so that the biscuits rise quite a bit.
  • Make sure that your butter and dough is cold at all times. You want cold pieces of butter in your dough so that when you put it into the oven, the butter melts and creates steam pockets, which gives you that soft, light, airy texture in your biscuits. If you feel like your butter or dough is a little too warm, place it in the freezer for 5-10 minutes to ensure that it’s nice and cold then continue with the recipe.
  • When you cut out the biscuits, avoid twisting the cutter. Simply press the biscuit cutter straight down and then back up. Twisting the cutter can seal off the edges of the dough and prevent your biscuits from rising.

More Strawberry Desserts to Try!

Strawberry shortcake topped with extra whipped cream and strawberries on a white plate.

Homemade Strawberry Shortcake

Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Lightly sweetened biscuits topped with sweet, juicy strawberries and homemade whipped cream. This Homemade Strawberry Shortcake is easy to make from scratch and so delicious!
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Ingredients

Servings: 8 shortcakes

For the strawberries:

  • 2 pints fresh strawberries , stems removed and sliced (or chopped)
  • 1/3 cup (65 grams) granulated sugar

For the shortcake biscuits:

  • 2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour , spooned & leveled
  • 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter , cold and cubed
  • 2/3 cup (160ml) half and half

For the whipped cream:

  • 1 cup (240 ml) heavy whipping cream
  • 1/4 cup (30 grams) powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions
 

To make the strawberries:

  • Combined the sliced (or chopped) strawberries with the granulated sugar in a large mixing and mix until all of the strawberries are coated with the sugar. Cover tightly and set aside for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

To make the shortcake biscuits:

  • Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the cubed cold butter and cut it into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter or fork until you have small pea-sized crumbs.
  • Pour in the half and half and mix until the dough starts to come together. It may be a little crumbly at this point, this is okay.
  • Scoop the dough onto a lightly floured surface and pat it down into a 1/2-inch thick rectangle. Using a 2.5-inch biscuit cutter, cut out 6 biscuits, then re-roll the scrap pieces of dough and cut out 2 more biscuits. Make sure not to twist your biscuit cutter when you cut the biscuits.
  • Place the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet and brush the tops of each one with half and half or heavy whipping cream.
  • Bake at 400°F (204°C) for 16-20 minutes or until the tops of the biscuits are lightly golden brown and cooked through in the middle. If the biscuits begin to brown too much before they're finished baking, cover with a piece of foil until they're done.
  • Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

To make the whipped cream:

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or in a large mixing bowl using a hand-held mixer, add the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Start mixing on low speed, then increase the speed to medium-high until stiff peaks form.

To assemble the shortcakes:

  • Once the biscuits have cooled, slice each one in half, top with 1/2 cup of the sliced strawberries and 1/4 cup of whipped cream. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

To prepare ahead of time: Strawberries may be prepared up to 1 day in advance, cover tightly and store in the refrigerator. The biscuits are best served the same day they are prepared, but you can prepare them 1-2 days in advance, and store them in an airtight container at room temperature. Whipped cream can be prepared 2-3 hours in advance, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Half and half: Half and half is a mixture of half whole milk and half heavy cream. If you can't find half and half, you may use 1/3 cup (80 ml) of whole milk and 1/3 cup (80 ml) of heavy whipping cream mixed together.
Cuisine: American
Course: Dessert
Author: Danielle
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