Strawberry Shortcake

by Robin Miller on June 30, 2026

Buttery, flaky shortcakes, topped with syrupy strawberries and a mountain of vanilla-scented whipped cream. That’s the ultimate strawberry shortcake. Wholly cherished in the warmer months, strawberry shortcake features biscuit-like cakes that are soft in the middle, golden and crisp on the outer edge, and drenched in fruit and cream. As gorgeous as they are delicious, no summer meal is complete without strawberry shortcake for dessert. Thankfully, the dish is as easy as it is delectable.

This recipe was written for the Arizona Republic.

How difficult is strawberry shortcake to make?

Put it this way, if you can make biscuits, you can make strawberry shortcake. The cake portion of the dessert is basically sweetened biscuit dough. The strawberry topping is macerated strawberries, which simply means strawberries and sugar. And the whipped cream comes together in 2 minutes in your electric mixer (you can also substitute store-bought whipped cream).

Spoon and level your flour. To prevent dry, crumbly biscuits, use the correct amount of flour. Use a spoon to transfer your flour to a measuring cup, then level it off with a knife. Don’t pack the flour into the measuring cup and you’ll be good to go.
Use cold butter. You can even use frozen butter. Cold butter makes for the flakiest, most wonderfully light biscuits. Why? First, prior to baking, the solid pieces of butter separate the layers of dough. Second, as the shortcakes bake, those pieces of butter melt and create steam. As the steam evaporates, little pockets of air are left behind, creating light, flaky layers with a rich, moist crumb. Pro tip: I prefer premium, higher fat butter in my shortcakes. Most American butter contains 80% butterfat while European style butter contains 82%. That 2% makes a huge difference in baking; higher butterfat lends a richer taste and guarantees a flakier shortcake.

Don’t overwork the dough. To ensure flaky layers, incorporate the butter into the dry ingredients until just blended. When you have a bowl of pea-size butter pieces coated with flour, you’re ready for the cream and egg.
Don’t twist your biscuit cutter. When cutting the dough, simply press straight down to create perfect shortcake circles. Twisting your biscuit cutter into the dough will hinder rising when the shortcakes hit the oven.
Refrigerate or freeze your shortcakes before baking.This isn’t mandatory, but it will help guarantee high, flaky layers. Pro tip: If you’re using a cast iron pan, place your shortcakes on a plate to refrigerate or freeze. Transfer them to the pan just before baking (cast iron cracks when exposed to extreme temperature differences). I froze my shortcakes for 20 minutes.

Bake your shortcakes in a high-sided pan. Most shortcake recipes instruct you to use a baking sheet; but this isn’t your average shortcake recipe. When you bake the dough in a cast iron skillet or 9×13-inch baking pan, the dough rises higher, rather than spreading out on a baking sheet. This method creates puffy biscuits that easily separate in the middle to create two cakes. Pro tip: Don’t panic if the shortcakes meld together in the pan, they will come apart after baking.
Macerate your berries. While it may be traditional to top your buttery biscuits with plain berries, when you combine strawberries with sugar and let the mixture sit for a bit, the fruit releases its juices and creates a strawberry-infused syrup. I like to mash some of the berries too, for a more jam-like experience. It’s this fruity sauce that changes the game entirely. Pro tip: Depending on the size of your berries, you will need to halve them or slice them. Halve smaller berries and thinly slice larger berries.

Store leftover cake and berries separately to prevent a soggy dessert. Store leftover shortcakes in an airtight container (or covered tightly with plastic wrap) at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to one week. You can also freeze the shortcakes for up to 3 months. Store the berries and whipped cream (separately) in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Assemble the shortcakes just before serving.

No ratings yet