Light as a cloud and not too sweet, these homemade strawberry shortcakes are simple and delicious to make. We use fresh local strawberries and vanilla sugar for extra flavor.
In The Cook’s Atelier, you’ll find a beautiful collection of seasonal French recipes from two American expats (mother & daughter) who sold everything, moved abroad and opened up a cooking school in the charming village of Beaune, France… without a plan!
I have a penchant for stories like this. I also have a penchant for strawberry desserts. These strawberry shortcakes from their book use fresh local berries, clouds of pillowy soft cream and easy-to-make buttery biscuits topped with homemade vanilla sugar. Correct me if I’m wrong, but is there any better way to usher in summer?
How to Make Strawberry Shortcakes (in 3 Easy Steps!)
At a glance here’s what you’ll need to do: make the biscuits, marinate the strawberries, and make fresh whipped cream. I usually bake the shortcakes in the morning and assemble them later, right before serving. The berries and whipped cream can be prepped ahead too.
Make The Strawberry Shortcake Biscuits
Combine the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt) with cubed butter, lemon zest. Drizzle with heavy cream to form a soft dough. The lemon zest is by far my favorite ingredient, so don’t leave it out.
PS: There’s no need to chill the dough afterwards, you can roll it out right away. So smooth!
Cut the dough using a 3-inch round pastry cutter or use the rim of a drinking glass (pictured above). I think my glass was actually 3 1/4-inch. Whatever tool you choose, be sure not to push down and twist the dough when cutting into rounds; the shortcakes won’t rise as high. Chill the biscuits for about 1 hour. Use this time to prepare the berries and the whipped cream.
TIP: The entire dough making process is done by hand. However, a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment will work too. In my experience, if your kitchen is really hot (and you don’t want the butter to melt from the heat of your hands) a stand mixer will get the job done quickly and efficiently.
Marinate the Strawberries
Mixing berries with sugar intensifies their natural sweetness and draws out the juice. Choose the best, juiciest berries you can find- mine are from my local CSA, Golden Earthworm Organic Farm.
Additionally, I like using homemade vanilla sugar for extra flavor. If you do not have vanilla sugar, substitute with a fresh vanilla bean, vanilla paste or a tiny splash of vanilla extract. I order my vanilla beans here.
TIP: I do not use all of the residual strawberry juice for these shortcakes. It makes the biscuits too soggy. Instead, I spread the base of each biscuit with quality strawberry jam (I like Bonne Maman) and reserve the juice for strawberry margaritas or to mix with club soda and lemonade. So good!
Make Fresh Whipped Cream
Doing it yourself takes only a few minutes (it’s pillowy soft and delicious!). Plus, you can control the total amount of sugar which is not the case when opting for store-bought whipped cream. And, you get to lick the spoon…
assemble the shortcakes
Now for the fun part!
Spread each biscuit base with a layer of strawberry jam. Top with a spoonful of strawberries and then dollop with a mound of whipped cream. Place the lid on top, and then do another layer of the cream and berries. Or, leave the tops plain and dust with powdered sugar.
These strawberry shortcakes are light, crumbly and absolutely scrumptious.
Print
Simple Strawberry Shortcakes
- Prep Time: 40
- Cook Time: 18
- Total Time: 48 minutes
- Yield: 12
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Light as a cloud and not too sweet, these homemade strawberry shortcakes are a cinch to make. We like using fresh local strawberries and vanilla sugar for extra flavor (my secret ingredient!). Recipe adapted from The Cook’s Atelier cookbook.
Ingredients
For the Shortcakes
- 3 cups (375 g) all purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1/3 cup (65 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks/170 g) cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 1 tbsp. lemon zest, juice reserved
- 3/4– 1 cup (180– 240 ml) heavy cream, plus more as needed (*see tips below)
- 1 cup (240 ml) strawberry jam (I use Bonne Maman)
For the Strawberries
- 1 pound (455 g) ripe strawberries, hulled and halved
- 3 tbsp. granulated sugar (I use homemade vanilla sugar)
- 1 tbsp. reserved fresh lemon juice
For the Whipped Cream
- 1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream
- 2 tbsp. powdered sugar, plus more for dusting (optional)
Tips
* Flour is like a sponge. I found that only 200 ml of heavy cream was needed to form a soft dough with my specific brand of all purpose flour (I also weighed my ingredients). For best results, I’d suggest starting with the smaller amount of cream first, adding more as needed.
** You will need a 3-inch round pastry cutter or the rim of an appropriate size drinking glass.
*** Instead of vanilla sugar, use a vanilla bean, vanilla paste, or a tiny splash of pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Make the Dough: In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. With your fingertips, mix the butter into the flour until it looks like coarse meal. Add the lemon zest. Drizzle some of the the heavy cream over the dough using a fork to combine. Add more cream as needed. Finish mixing by hand to form a soft ball of dough. Note: you can also use a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for mixing.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to no less than a 1-inch (2.5cm) thickness. If it’s rolled out too thin, you’ll get thin shortcakes (I use a ruler to double check). Cut the dough into rounds using a 3-inch pastry cutter or the rim of an appropriate size drinking glass. Press together the remaining dough scraps, roll out again to the same thickness, and cut into more rounds. You should end up with 12 rounds. Place onto the lined baking sheet. Wrap and chill for 1 hr.
Make the Strawberries: Combine the strawberries, vanilla sugar (if using) and lemon juice in a bowl. Mix to combine. Wrap and chill for up to 1 hour only. The longer the berries sit, the softer they will become.
Make the Whipped Cream: Combine the heavy cream and powdered sugar in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Process until soft peaks form. Wrap and chill until ready use.
Bake the Shortcakes: Preheat your oven to 425 F (220 C). Brush the top of each shortcake with a small amount of heavy cream. Sprinkle with vanilla sugar or regular granulated sugar. Bake until golden brown, about 15-18 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
To Serve: Slice each shortcake in half horizontally. Spread with a layer of strawberry jam. Top with some of the strawberries, reserving the juice in the bowl for another use (see note below). Add a dollop of whipped cream. Place the lid on top and repeat with another layer of cream and a few more strawberries, or leave plain and dust with powdered sugar. Serve right away. Note: for extra thick shortcakes, use two biscuits per portion and do not slice in half (makes 6 shortcakes instead of 12).
Notes
I do not use the residual strawberry juice for this recipe; it makes the shortcakes too soggy. Save it with any extra berries for cocktails or to mix with club soda and lemonade. Delicious!
Keywords: strawberry shortcake, easy strawberry shortcake recipe, simple strawberry shortcake, strawberry desserts, The Cooks Atelier, vanilla sugar, CSA recipes
Annie says
Made it mostly as written, best dessert ever! I got 12 heavenly shortcakes – 3 inches across, 1 inch tallish. Used 1/2 & 1/2 (didn’t have heavy cream) and used blackberry jam. You are a genius and your recipes make me look good! Thank you so much!
★★★★★
Nancy Jacobson says
This was sooooo good.. loved all your tips.. didn’t get as many biscuits. Will find a cutter a touch smaller for next time. Just made strawberry jam this am so that went on the biscuits.
★★★★★
Nancy Jacobson says
Your 1” must be quite different from mine. I only got 7 rounds and they are if anything, just over 1”. Maybe 1 1/16”. Are you sure they aren’t 1/2 “? They don’t look all that tall in the pic.
They are just going into the oven shortly.
Emilie Raffa says
Hi! Did you re-roll the scraps to cut more? What size cutter did you use? Both could be factors :)