strawberry shortcakes
Made with fresh strawberries, homemade whipped cream and biscuits - this is a seasonal treat that is so fun to make with kids.
When I was a kid the weather went from Easter rain showers to Kentucky heat lighting in a matter of days. My mom marked the beginning of Summer by making Strawberry Shortcake, which we loved. Her version consisted of store bought sponge cake stopped with strawberries coated in a sticky red gel. The Cool Whip was the best part of the whole mess. My sisters and I devoured it night after night sitting on the porch in our thin night gowns until the season was over and June gave way to July.
My recipe for Strawberry Shortcake will be a nostalgic one for my kids. They’ll remember making it with me and eating it for breakfast in the yard on sunny June mornings. It’s a fun recipe to make with kids. Each step is full of mess and that’s how it’s supposed to be.
Ingredients
Strawberries + Whipped Cream
6–7 cups quartered strawberries
1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons (75g) granulated sugar, divided
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup (240ml) heavy cream
Biscuits
3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour, plus extra for hands and work surface*
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
1 cup cold heavy cream or yogurt
2 Tablespoons heavy cream
coarse sugar, for sprinkling
DIRECTIONS:
Start with the strawberries:
Stir the strawberries and 1/4 cup granulated sugar together in a large bowl. Cover and set in the refrigerator until ready to use. This time allows the strawberries to release their delicious juices.
Make the biscuits:
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Mix the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl or in a large food processor. Whisk or pulse until combined. Add the cubed butter and cut into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter or by pulsing several times in the processor. Pulse until coarse crumbs form. If you use a food processor, pour the mixture into a large bowl.
Pour cream or yogurt on top. Fold everything together with a large spoon or rubber spatula until it begins to come together. Do not overwork the dough. The dough will be shaggy and crumbly with some wet spots. Pour the dough and any dough crumbles onto a floured work surface and gently bring together with generously floured hands. Using floured hands or a floured rolling pin, flatten into a 1/2 inch thick rectangle as best you can. Cut into 2.75 or 3-inch circles with a biscuit cutter.
(Tip: Do not twist the biscuit cutter when pressing down into the dough– this seals off the edges of the biscuit which prevents them from fully rising.) Re-roll any scraps until you have 10-12 biscuits.
Arrange in a 10-inch cast iron skillet or close together on a parchment paper or silicone baking mat lined baking sheet. Make sure the biscuits are touching.
Brush the tops with 2 Tablespoons heavy cream and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
Bake for 15-18 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown on top. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before assembling.
Make the whipped cream:
Using a hand mixer, whisk or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the heavy cream, 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar, and vanilla on medium-high speed until soft-medium peaks form, about 3 minutes.
Tip - you can also shake cream in a large jar until it is whipped! There has to be enough room in the jar for the cream to move around. :)
Slice the biscuits in half and layer with strawberries and whipped cream. Serve immediately.
Kids and adults can cook together!
KIDS CAN:
- Rinse and slice strawberries. They can use a butter knife or a “wavy chopper” if you have one.
- Measure and mix the biscuit dough with some help! Just take it slow, one ingredient at a time.
- They can help cut out the biscuits, they taste 100% the same no matter what shape they become.
- Shaking cream in a jar! My tip above for homemade whipped cream using elbow grease.
- Arranging the strawberries on the biscuits and topping with cream.