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Strawberry Shortcake

This strawberry shortcake is the classic, biscuit-style shortcake — not the pound cake variety. The cake is sliced in half and layered with sweet juicy strawberries and whipped cream for a delicious summer treat!
Print Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Snack
Cuisine American
Servings 8 people
Calories 648.1 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 8-inch Cake Pan Essential for baking the shortcake.
  • 1 Pastry Blender Or two knives, for cutting in butter effectively.
  • 1 Medium Mixing Bowl For preparing the shortcake batter.
  • 1 Electric Mixer For whipping the heavy cream to desired consistency.
  • 1 Colander For draining macerated strawberries and reserving juice.

Ingredients
  

Main

  • 6 cups fresh strawberries
  • ⅓ cup white sugar
  • 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup white sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup butter cold unsalted butter cut into ½-inch pieces
  • 1 large egg lightly beaten
  • ¾ cup half-and-half
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract divided
  • 1 ½ cups whipped heavy cream
  • ¼ cup powdered sugar

Instructions
 

  • Gather the ingredients. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
  • Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Grease an 8-inch cake pan with butter and lightly dust with flour.
  • Slice the strawberries and toss them with 1/3 cup of white sugar. Set aside. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
  • Combine flour, 1/4 cup of white sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center of mixture; add beaten egg, half-and-half, and 1 teaspoon vanilla.  Stir mixture until just combined and no dry spots remain, being careful not to overmix. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
  • Spoon batter evenly into prepared cake pan. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
  • Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean and top is golden brown, about 18 minutes. Let cool partially in cake pan, about 10 minutes. Flip cake onto a clean work surface.  Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
  • Meanwhile, beat heavy cream, powdered sugar, and remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, about 3 minutes. Set aside. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
  • Cut partially cooled cake in half horizontally, making 2 layers; set top layer aside. Drain reserved strawberries in a colander placed over a small bowl, reserving any juice. Brush strawberry juice evenly over top of bottom cake layer. Evenly arrange ½ of the drained strawberries over bottom layer of cake. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
  • Spread ½ of whipped cream evenly over strawberries; place top cake layer over whipped cream. Top with remaining strawberries and whipped cream. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
  • Enjoy! Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

Notes

1. **Cold Butter is Key**: Ensure your butter is very cold and cut into small pieces when incorporating it into the flour. This prevents it from melting too quickly, creating steam pockets during baking for a tender, flaky shortcake. Avoid overmixing the dough, as it will develop gluten and result in a tough texture. 2. **Strawberry Maceration**: Allowing the sliced strawberries to sit with sugar not only sweetens them but also draws out their natural juices. Reserve this juice to brush onto the shortcake layers; it adds moisture and intensified strawberry flavor, preventing a dry cake. 3. **Whipped Cream Perfection**: Use a very cold bowl and beaters for whipping cream, ideally chilling them beforehand. This helps the cream whip faster and achieve stable soft peaks. Do not overbeat, or you'll end up with butter.