Skip to main content

Strawberry Shortcake

June's Strawberries
I look forward to June's crop of fresh strawberries because we always have strawberry shortcake.  Our strawberry shortcake is a simple dessert made with homemade baking powder biscuits that are topped with fresh strawberries macerated in granulated sugar and then crowned with sweetened whipped cream. 

After buying about five pounds of fresh strawberries this week it was time to make our first strawberry shortcakes of the season.

The first step in making strawberry shortcake is to prepare the strawberries.  I washed, dried, hulled and sliced the strawberries, eating one or two...OK, ten or twelve in the process.  Once sliced, top the berries with 1/2 cup of granulated sugar and refrigerate them for several hours.  The addition of the sugar helps the berries to render their juice.  The strawberry juice is a necessary component of strawberry shortcake.

Top Sliced Berries with Sugar
The next step is preparing the baking powder biscuits.  I don't make baking powder biscuits very often.  There are only two recipes that require them at my house.  One of those recipes is in our fall/winter menu rotation, beef stew, and the other is strawberry shortcake, which is only made in June and early July.  The recipe I use for the biscuits was my nana's recipe.  When I took it out of the recipe box to make the biscuits this week, it made me smile. I love how inexact it is.  Here's the recipe, exactly as it was written:

Nana's Baking Powder Biscuits
3 cups flour
6 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening
1/4 cup sugar
use enough milk to stick together

Put dry ingredients in a bowl.  Cut in shortening.  Dump in milk.  Stir with fork.  Will be sticky-not a ball.  Dump onto well floured counter top.  Roll 1/2 inch thick.  Dot with margarine on top.  Bake at 400 degrees for about 10-14 minutes.

Here's how I actually made my biscuits, switching the shortening with unsalted butter and using 1 cup of milk.  I also used  my food processor to cut in the butter, but you could do that step by hand.

Baking Powder Biscuit Ingredients
Donna's Baking Powder Biscuits
3 cups all purpose unbleached flour
6 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup milk


Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Place the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse to combine the ingredients. 

Use Your Food Processor
Add the butter to the mixture, pulse to incorporate the butter, until the mixture resembles coarse corn meal. 

It Looks Like Coarse Cornmeal


Transfer the mixture to a bowl.  Add the milk, all at once, stirring with a fork just to combine.  The dough will be sticky.

The Dough is Sticky


Scrape the dough from the bowl onto a well-floured counter.  With well-floured hands, press the mixture into a flat round shape about 1/2 inch thick. 
1/2 Inch Thick
Using a biscuit cutter, or the rim of a well-floured glass, cut the dough into round biscuits.  Gather the scraps, reshape and cut additional biscuits.  You should get 8 or 9 biscuits from this recipe.

Dot with Butter
Place the biscuits on an ungreased sheet pan. Dot the top of each biscuit with a small piece of butter.  This will help the biscuit to brown in the oven. 

They'll Rise Nicely
Bake the biscuits for 10-15 minutes, until lightly browned on top. Cool completely before using for strawberry shortcake.

Click the link for the printable Baking Powder Biscuit recipe.

To assemble the strawberry shortcake:
First make sweetened whipped cream by beating together 1 cup heavy cream, 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. 

Slice the baking powder biscuits in half.  Place the bottom half of the biscuit in a bowl.  Top the biscuit first with some juice from the strawberries and then a generous helping of the sliced strawberries.  Place the other half of the biscuit on top of the berries. Spoon more strawberries on top of the biscuit.  Now add a generous dollop of the sweetened whipped cream. 

Strawberry Shortcake

There you have it, the perfect New England style strawberry shortcake.

Enjoy!



Comments

  1. I have a TON of blackberries and blueberries I pick every year, do you have an EASY (can't stress that enough lol) cobbler recipe?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh lord, Donna. This looks delicious. I've never made completely homemade strawberry shortcake. I'll have to try it!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yummy!!!! I want to make some now.

    ReplyDelete
  4. That looks soooo good. The only thing I would do different, because I already do, is after drowning the cake/biscuit in strawberries and before the whip cream, add a scoop of french vanilla ice cream. my oh my.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ooh, Dazee, that would be yummy. I have never tried icecream with it as well. Oh boy!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Blueyes, I'm not big on cobblers. I prefer crisps. I have a yummy crisp recipe that I'm happy to share. Have you heard of slumps? I have a yummy blueberry slump recipe as well. It is basically stewed blueberries with dumplings, served wit vanilla icecream and a dollop of whipped cream and you have heaven in a bowl. Both of these have yet to be shared on the blog, but will be in the future.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Talk to me. I welcome your comments. (These comments are strictly moderated. Spammers take note.)

More Popular Posts

How to Make a Perfect Bacon and Eggs Breakfast

In my opinion, the best breakfast consists of two perfectly fried eggs, crispy bacon, and toast made with hearty bread. This bacon and eggs recipe delivers. Bacon and eggs or eggs and bacon? No matter, it is definitely the breakfast you want on those lazy mornings when you have time to relax around the kitchen table, drinking a cup of coffee or two. The Best Bacon and Eggs Breakfast (This post contains affiliate links for your shopping convenience.  When you make a purchase using these links you help support this blog.) How to Cook Bacon and Eggs My technique was learned from my mom, by watching her make our family's breakfast over and over again, year after year.  This is a basted egg recipe which means the eggs are cooked in bacon grease. Cooking eggs in bacon fat is easy and takes just a little practice to perfect. All you really need for a great bacon and eggs breakfast is a good nonstick skillet and a good toaster . If you want to make your own bread fo

Crunchy, Spicy Gingersnap Cookies

Crunchy, spicy, and yummy are all words used to describe a good gingersnap cookie.   While my hands-down, favorite cookie is a gooey chocolate chip cookie I occasionally crave a spicy ginger snaps cookie or  this molasses cookie .  This old-fashioned gingersnap cookie is a winner.  It's easy to make and will be a favorite in your recipe rotation. Traditional Ginger Snaps Cookie Recipe ( This post contains affiliate links.  I will be compensated when you make a purchase with these links.) Gingersnaps Cookies In the U.S., gingersnaps are usually drop cookies with lots of cracks on the surface.  That's exactly how I like them.  Those found in other countries may be thinner and sliced.  The Lebkuchen, a traditional German cookie, and the pepparkakor, from Sweden, are often cut into festive shapes.  My gingersnaps are round. Reasons You'll Love These Gingersnap Cookies These gingersnaps are tasty cookies at any time of the year.   Their spiciness is perfect as a holid

Grandma's Soft and Chewy Date-Filled Cookies

One of the things I can count on as the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons arrive each year is a feeling of nostalgia. The traditional foods we serve at our family's holiday tables can sure bring out all the feels. Now that it is officially cookie season, we should kick it off with an old-fashioned homemade date-filled cookie recipe. This is a soft, tender cookie with dates that is a special, nostalgic, family recipe.   An Old-Fashioned Date Cookies Recipe This old-fashioned, date-filled cookie was my dad's favorite cookie from his childhood. My dad was born in 1932 so this recipe has been around for quite a while. 

The Best Asian Dipping Sauce You'll Ever Taste

If you're looking for a versatile, easy-to-make Asian dipping sauce perfect for sushi and dumplings, then you've come to the right place. This recipe for the best Asian dipping sauce is perfect for any time you want a  kick of delicious Asian flavor. An Asian Dipping Sauce for Sushi and Dumplings Try this if you are looking for a dipping sauce that is a little more flavorful than you typically get with your takeout order. You'll love it with dumplings, too!

How to Doctor Up Store-Bought Potato Salad

Here's a potato salad time-saver for you just in time for summer cookouts. You'll love how you can transform grocery store potato salad so easily no matter whether you are hosting a BBQ or bringing a side dish for a summer barbecue. There's no judgment here. We don't always have the time to make a potato salad from scratch. Sometimes it is just easier to stop by your local grocery store to pick up a container of store-made potato salad. It's good. It's predictable.  It will do.  All it needs is a little doctoring. How to Make Store-Bought Potato Salad Better When you need a quick potato salad, and have no time to make one from scratch, that ordinary store-bought potato salad you have in your refrigerator can go from blah to amazing in just a few minutes with just a few ingredients. Yes, you can improve store-bought potato salad. How to Doctor Up Potato Salad to have a little more flavor? You're going to a potluck picnic or you are having

Traditional New England Whoopie Pies

Are you looking for the best whoopie pie recipe?  Whoopie pies are a quintessential New England dessert and a memorable treat from my childhood.   My mom would make them for us every once in a while.  Oh, what a treat to come home from school to a platter of chocolate whoopie pies!  Yum! Today I'm sharing my recipe for the best-ever whoopie pies. The Best Whoopie Pies Recipe without Marshmallow Fluff Whoopie Pies Whoopie pies are soft round cookie-like cakes with a smooth cream filling sandwiched in the center. Debate rages about the whoopie pie's origin.  Some say these goodies originated in New England, others say they originated with the Amish.   There is also debate about what ingredients should be in the filling.  Many recipes include fillings made with Marshmallow Fluff or buttercream but neither is  traditional, in my opinion.  The whoopie pie of my childhood is a traditional Maine whoopie pie recipe, made with a cooked flour and milk mixture added to suga

How to Trap and Get Rid of Fruit Flies

Fruit flies can be a huge annoyance at certain times of the year. What can you do to kill fruit flies? We've all been there wondering how to get rid of fruit flies.  Fruit flies in the kitchen.  Fruit flies in the bathroom.  Fruit flies buzzing around everywhere in your home.   It's a frustrating problem that happens to everyone at one time or another.  If you are a fresh fruit and produce lover you certainly know what I mean. How to Kill Fruit Flies with Two Ingredients Those pesky little buggers can often be brought into your home on the vegetables and fruit you buy. You don't have to tolerate the annoyance.  This homemade fruit fly trap is one I have been using for many years and it works every time. 

Easy Chicken Parmesan-A Make Ahead Freezer Dinner

Chicken Parmesan is a favorite dinner in the Just One Donna house because it is a delicious dish that can satisfy your cravings for Italian food. It's also easy to make at home with simple ingredients you probably have in your pantry.  But what if you don't have time to cook on a busy weeknight? Don't worry, you can make Chicken Parmesan ahead of time and freeze it for later. I like to prepare Chicken Parmesan to have on hand in my freezer for those busy weeknights when we might be tempted to head to a restaurant instead of eating at home.  How to Make Freezer Chicken Parmesan for Busy Nights This post contains affiliate links.  I receive a small compensation when you shop using these links Easy Freezer Chicken Parmesan for Dinner Chicken Parmesan, also known as Chicken Pa

Can You Make Better Bacon in Water?

What is the best way to cook crisp, tender bacon? Today, let's investigate a new method for cooking bacon on the stove that I'm seeing suggested as a technique that will change your life.  It's frying your bacon in a pan with a small amount of water.  Is cooking bacon with a bit of water in the pan a better way to make bacon? How to Cook Bacon in Water This is a simple, relatively fast way to make perfectly cooked bacon every time. Whether you are looking to impress your guests with a decadent breakfast or just want to enjoy a delicious bacon treat, this technique is the perfect solution.

Forgotten Pork Chops-A Skillet Dinner

When I first made this pork chop skillet dinner several years ago I knew it was a winner but never predicted how wildly successful it would be with my readers. Perhaps it is the comfort food combination of pork chops with savory rice.  Or maybe it is the easy one-pan preparation.  Whatever it is, you're sure to love this updated, one-pan, comforting Forgotten Pork Chops dinner.  Pork Chops and Rice with Cream of Mushroom Soup (This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.  When you purchase through these links I receive a small compensation.)  So you might wonder why I updated the recipe. Like most recipes that are part of my menu rotation, a tweak here or there is customary. I encourage you to do the same.  A tweak here to there will make the recipe your own.