This classic recipe for homemade strawberry shortcake will become your favorite comfort dessert for summer with fresh strawberries, delicious sweet biscuits, and rich whipped cream.

When I think of a summertime dessert, strawberry shortcake always comes to mind. Summer is the perfect time to find big, fresh, and juicy strawberries. And no cookout is complete without enjoying this delightful treat for dessert.

This strawberry shortcake is hands-down the best I’ve ever had. It is a bit labor-intensive, so if you’ve come to know me for my quick and easy recipes, be sure to check out my semi-homemade version. With that strawberry shortcake, the berries are fresh, the biscuit mix comes from a box, and I use store-bought whipped cream. Check it out if super simple is your cup of tea.

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Homemade Strawberry Shortcake

There are many ways to prepare this delicious classic dessert. Depending on the region, the cake layers may be comprised of basic yellow cake, sponge cake, angel food cake, or the more traditional sweet biscuits, as shown here.

The crispy outer crust of these sweet biscuits holds up well to the whipped cream and the juicy, sweetened strawberries, while the soft, buttery interiors absorb just the right amount of these incredible flavors without becoming too soggy.

Looking for another indulgent dessert? Check out my Butter Cake Bars.

What’s In Strawberry Shortcake?

It may look like a lot of ingredients, but I’ve broken them down to make it easy. Most of the items are pantry staples. I like to use orange liqueur when macerating the strawberries (soaking fruit in liquid to soften and add flavor), but you can use orange juice instead if desired.

Strawberries:
4-5 cup strawberries hulled and sliced
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp orange liqueur (or juice)

Shortcake:
3 cup flour
¼ cup sugar
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1½ cup cold buttermilk divided
¾ cup cold butter grated

Whipped Cream:
2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
⅓ cup powdered sugar

To prepare the strawberries, start by washing and hulling them. Here’s a quick video from chow.com that shows you how to hull a strawberry:

How To Make Homemade Strawberry Shortcake

Place the hulled strawberries top side down and slice from the tip to the base to create pointed slices. In a large bowl, combine sliced strawberries, sugar, and orange liqueur (or juice) and gently toss it all together. Cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator. They can chill for as little as 30 minutes or as long as overnight. If you do let them sit for hours, give them a stir once or twice.

Place the oven rack to the center position and pre-heat the oven to 500°F.

In a large bowl or food processor, combine the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. Pulse briefly. If you aren’t using a food processor, use a large mixing bowl and stir to make sure everything is combined.

The old biscuit-making adage of “Cold Ingredients, Hot Oven” is very true here. You’ll want to start with very cold ingredients and not handle them too much before popping the biscuits into a very hot oven.

Chop the cold butter into small pieces or grate it on the largest holes of a box grater, then add the cold butter to the dry ingredients and pulse until the mixture becomes crumbly. Work it with your fingers if you aren’t using a food processor.

Add 1¼ cups buttermilk to mixture and pulse to combine. Do not over the dough, it should be slightly wet and still a bit crumbly.

Spread a sheet of parchment paper onto a clean work surface and sprinkle with a little flour. Roll the dough into a rectangle shape approximately 3/4” thick.

Cut the dough into 12 equal squares. With a pastry brush, lightly brush remaining buttermilk on top and sprinkle with brown sugar.

Transfer the parchment to a large rimmed baking sheet. Place in oven for 15 minutes, or just until the shortcake is golden brown.

While the shortcake is baking, beat the heavy cream, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Cover the bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.

Cool shortcake for several minutes after removing from oven. Once cool, assemble the biscuits by cutting them in half and applying a generous scoop of whipped cream to the bottom half of each biscuit.

Top with some strawberries. Add the top half of the biscuit and finish off each shortcake with another dollop of whipped cream and some more strawberries.

For other recipes featuring strawberries, check out my Berry Yogurt Cheesecake Parfait,  Strawberry Fennel Salad, and Strawberry Caprese Skewers.

This incredible strawberry shortcake is a must-have classic summer dessert that will leave everyone craving it time and time again.

When you make this quick and easy strawberry shortcake, let me know how it turned out in the comments below, or snap a photo and tag @coolbeanliving on Instagram. #coolbeancooking