Description
You’ll love this homemade Strawberry Shortcake recipe that’s the perfect summertime dessert! Every inch of this recipe is completely scratch-made; buttery and tender biscuits, juicy macerated strawberries, and fresh honey vanilla bean whipped cream. It’s super easy to make and so unbelievably scrumptious!
Ingredients
For the macerated strawberries:
- 2 lbs strawberries, hulled- divided
- ¼ cup raw cane sugar (or granulated sugar)
- 1 teaspoon orange liqueur (we use Cointreau)– optional
For the shortcake biscuits:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¼ cup raw cane sugar (or granulated sugar)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold & cut into cubes
- 1 cup half & half, plus more for brushing
- Demerara or turbinado sugar, for topping- optional
- Fresh mint leaves, for garnish– optional
For the honey vanilla bean whipped cream:
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream, cold
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons vanilla bean paste
Instructions
- For the macerated strawberries. Place half of the hulled strawberries into a large bowl. Use a potato masher or similar utensil to press on the strawberries until they’re roughly broken down and their juices start to release- but be careful not to apply too much pressure, we’re just looking to break them down a bit. Then slice the remaining strawberries and stir them into the slightly crushed, whole strawberries. Add the sugar and the orange liqueur (if using) and stir well to combine. Cover the bowl and let the berries sit at room temperature, stirring them occasionally until the fruit begins to release its juices, about 1-2 hours.
- For the biscuits: In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt, and whisk until well blended. Add the cubed butter into the bowl and toss to coat. Then use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour, or simply pinch it with your fingertips, smearing the butter into the flour. Continue this process until the butter is mostly disintegrated and combined with the dry ingredients.
- Pour in the half and half and use your hands to mix it in, bringing the dough together into a cohesive mass. If the dough feels excessively sticky, add a tablespoon of flour, only if needed, until you have a nice mass.
- Dust your work surface with a bit of flour and turn the dough out of the bowl onto the surface. Use lightly floured hands to gently shape the dough, using the heel of your palms to work the dough just until you’ve got a fully incorporated mass, careful not to overwork.
- Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll/pat the dough into a 9×5-inch rectangle, until about 1-inch thick. For this recipe, I like to use a knife to cut out 6 biscuits; they’ll be square-shaped to avoid re-rolling/scrap waste. If you prefer round biscuits, use a round 3-inch biscuit cutter to stamp out biscuits. (Tip: Do not twist the biscuit cutter. The twisting motion seals the biscuit edges, which can cause the biscuits to not achieve a good enough rise). Re-roll and cut dough as needed until you have your biscuits.
- Preheat the oven. Position a rack in the lower middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a quarter baking sheet with parchment paper and then set aside.
- Back to the biscuits, place the shaped biscuits onto the prepared baking sheet, arranging them about a ½-inch apart so the biscuits have room to puff up and rise. Then place the baking sheet with the biscuits into the freezer to chill for at least 30 minutes while the oven is still preheating.
- Take the biscuits out of the freezer. Use a pastry brush to brush the top of each biscuit with a little half and half, and then evenly sprinkle each biscuit with demerara/turbinado sugar. Bake the frozen biscuits at 400°F for 20-23 minutes or until the biscuits are cooked through and have golden brown tops. Meanwhile, prepare the homemade whipped cream.
- For the honey vanilla bean whipped cream: In a large mixing bowl, combine the heavy cream, honey, and vanilla bean paste and beat on high speed with a handheld electric mixer until the cream thickens and has a smooth, fluffy consistency, about 4-5 minutes. Then set aside until ready to assemble.
- Assemble shortcakes & serve. After baking, let the biscuits cool down. Then assemble: Split each biscuit in half and place the bottom half on a serving plate. Spoon a portion of the macerated strawberries over the bottom, then top with a dollop or so of whipped cream. Cap with biscuit tops and another dollop of whipped cream and garnish with fresh mint leaves if you’d like. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
- Make ahead notes: You can prep the macerated strawberries ahead of time and keep them stored in the refrigerator, covered, where they’ll last for up to 4-5 days. I recommend making the whipped cream right before assembly.
- Please read blog post in its entirety for more tips + tricks.