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June 1, 2017

Strawberry Shortcake

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Strawberry shortcake recipe layered with ripe berries and silky whipped cream. Each cake is made with whole wheat flour for the ultimate dessert with benefits! 

Strawberry shortcake recipe topped with ripe berries and silky whipped cream. Each cake is made with whole wheat flour for the ultimate dessert with benefits!

This strawberry shortcake recipe is a delicious way to highlight the sweet and jammy flavors of fresh berries. This classic dessert combines fresh berries tossed with golden honey, fresh mint, and tart lemon juice. So the next time you’re in the local market, pick up an extra basket or two of these little red fruits.

Layers of sweet strawberries and fluffy whipped cream, all sandwiched between tender whole wheat shortcakes make for an easy, irresistible treat. This dessert will be the star of any summer gathering, okay, except for maybe my strawberry yogurt popsicles.

Oven baked whole wheat shortcakes on a baking sheet with parchment paper

How to make strawberry shortcakes from scratch

Strawberry shortcakes combine all the elements you want in a dessert. A sweet, crumbly biscuit-like cake, fresh seasonal fruit, and perfectly whipped cream. Plus, you don’t have to share! This dessert consists of 3 parts, once you nail the technique for each, the combination is stunning for the eyes and delicious for the taste buds.

  1. Shortcake: What is shortcake? It is essentially a sweetened biscuit. You use the same technique as you would a savory biscuit, incorporating small pieces of butter into a flour-sugar dough base. Baking soda is a chemical leavening agent that allows the cakes to rise quickly in the oven. The eggs also help leaven, bind and provide richness. Heavy cream ensures a hydrated flour and tender cake. I used white whole wheat flour because I wanted to add more texture and nutrition from the ground fibers in the ingredient.
  2. Strawberry Filling: I like to toss sliced strawberries with a natural sweetener like honey because the concentrated sugar molecules will draw some of the moisture out of the cell walls of the berries. Over time the berries release their natural juices and infuse the sweet, citrus, and mint flavors.
  3. Whipped Cream: Believe it or not, there is science behind making a sweetened whipped cream. The mechanical act of whisking traps air into the cream, adding a lightness, volume, and stiffness. For these shortcakes, you want to stop whisking when it reaches medium peaks. The way to check is to dip the whisk into the whipped cream and lift straight up. The cream should hold its shape, with the top of the peak curling over on itself. If you over mix the cream it will start to curdle and eventually separate into butter and buttermilk!

Now that you’ve got all three parts of the strawberry shortcake recipe ready. Let’s assemble and eat!

Plate of strawberry shortcake with whipped cream and powdered sugar

The shortcakes are a perfect light golden brown, slightly crispy on the outside and have a very soft interior crumb structure. Slice them right down the center and fill each one to your heart’s delight with strawberries and lightly sweetened whipped cream!

Strawberry shortcake sandwich dusted in powdered sugar

A light dusting of powdered sugar adds just the right amount of extra sweetness to the strawberry shortcake. I shared this dessert with my son James, and when he saw it for the first time his eyes turned into giant saucers! I’m guessing he was thinking, Whoa! Mom made me a dessert sandwich! He struggled with deciding what he liked the most, good thing he didn’t have to make a choice since it’s all packaged together into a tasty treat.

Do you love strawberry shortcakes as much as we do? Have you tried any other fruit fillings? I would love to hear about your dessert adventures in the comments section!

How do you make tender shortcakes?

You will notice in biscuits, shortcakes, and pie dough recipes there is a higher amount of fat (butter, lard, margarine) used. When fat mixes with flour it coats the protein, which limits the formation of the protein bonds. The fat creates the soft crumb that is light, flaky and tender. The key to these shortcakes is breaking the butter into pea-sized pieces for a maximum crumb. Mix the ingredients only until just combined, then rolling and cutting the dough out once. The less you handle the dough, the more tender and flaky the shortcake!

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5 from 5 votes

Strawberry Shortcakes

Strawberry shortcake recipe layered with ripe berries and whipped cream. Each cake is made with whole wheat flour for the ultimate dessert with benefits!
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time20 mins
Total Time1 hr 5 mins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 432kcal
Author: Jessica Gavin

Ingredients

Shortcakes-

  • 3 cups white whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces, 1 ½ sticks
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 2 large eggs

Strawberry Filling-

  • 1 pound strawberries, rinsed, hulled, and quartered
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice, squeezed
  • 1 teaspoon mint, cut into thin strips (chiffonade)

Whipped Cream-

  • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • powdered sugar, for dusting

Instructions

Strawberry Filling-

  • In a medium sized bowl, combine strawberries, honey, lemon zest and lemon juice. Add fresh mint, mix and refrigerate.
  • This will help the berries release their natural juices and infuse the flavors of the mint and lemon.

Shortcakes-

  • Preheat oven to 375°F.
  • In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, ½ cup sugar and salt, stir to combine.
  • Add the cold and cubed pieces of butter into the flour mixture. Using your fingers or a pastry cutter to cut in the butter until pea-sized shapes.
  • In a separate medium bowl, whisk ½ cup cream and eggs.
  • Pour liquid into the flour mixture, and mix with a fork until large clumps begin to form.
  • Use your hands to gently form a ball and flatten into a 7-inch disc.Wrap dough in clear plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  • Using additional flour as needed, roll out the dough into a 1-inch thick disc.
  • Using a 3-inch round cutter, cut the dough and place cakes onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  • Bake for 15-17 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Transfer to a rack to cool, about 15 minutes.

Whipped Cream-

  • In a large chilled bowl, beat 1 ½ cups of chilled cream and 2 tablespoons sugar with the vanilla until medium peaks form.

To serve-

  • Slice the cooled biscuits in half horizontally. Spoon the strawberries over the bottom halves, add whipped cream and place the other half of cake on top. Dust the tops with powdered sugar.

Notes

Whole wheat, all-purpose or gluten-free flour can be substituted for white whole wheat flour.
Nutrition Facts
Strawberry Shortcakes
Amount Per Serving
Calories 432 Calories from Fat 243
% Daily Value*
Fat 27g42%
Saturated Fat 17g85%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 4g
Cholesterol 106mg35%
Sodium 234mg10%
Potassium 92mg3%
Carbohydrates 39g13%
Fiber 4g16%
Sugar 16g18%
Protein 7g14%
Vitamin A 1050IU21%
Vitamin C 33mg40%
Calcium 170mg17%
Iron 2.2mg12%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

More Strawberry Recipes:

Strawberry Yogurt Popsicles

Strawberry Yogurt Popsicles

Breakfast Granola Fruit Tart

Breakfast Granola Fruit Tart

Strawberry Banana Smoothie

Strawberry Banana Smoothie

Strawberry shortcake recipe topped with ripe berries and silky whipped cream. Each cake is made with whole wheat flour for the ultimate dessert with benefits! #shortcake #strawberry #dessert #wholewheat

Filed Under: Recipes, Sweets Tagged With: butter, eggs, gluten free flour, lemon, mint, powdered sugar, strawberries, sugar, whipped cream

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Comments

  1. Judy says

    June 1, 2017 at 9:59 am

    We love strawberries. I froze a bunch last year and I’m down to three bags. When I first saw the photo here I thought you were using molasses or ginger snap cookies. The biscuits are so pretty and it looks like a delicious sandwich.

    Thank you Jessica
    Judy

    Reply
  2. Sakura says

    July 14, 2017 at 8:02 pm

    What temperature should the shortcakes be baked at? It doesn’t say anywhere in the recipe.

    Thanks!
    Sakura

    Reply
    • Jessica Gavin says

      July 14, 2017 at 9:21 pm

      Hi Sakura! Thank you so much for your comment. I updated the recipe to include baking at 375°F, I appreciate the catch!

      Reply
  3. Alethea says

    August 1, 2019 at 5:08 am

    My family made them last night, they were delicious! We all decided there should be less of the perfect biscuit, and more whipped cream and strawberries. Overall they rocked.

    Reply

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Jessica Gavin (Author)
Hi, I'm Jessica Gavin, a certified culinary scientist and author. I enjoy making family friendly recipes while sharing cooking tips and knowledge of food science. (More About Me)

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