Mother’s Day Strawberry Shortcake
30 Minutes
22-28 Minutes
6-8
Dessert
California
This dessert sits in a strange and wonderful place between a biscuit, cream tea, cobbler, and modern take on strawberry shortcake. The biscuit itself is intentionally only lightly sweetened so that the berries and cream can carry most of the dessert’s brightness and richness.
Served slightly warm, the strawberry juices soak into the biscuit while the whipped cream melts into all the little cracks and craggy edges. The result feels both rustic and elegant in a way many modern strawberry shortcakes no longer do.
The biscuit and strawberries can be prepped the day before. Refrigerate the strawberries if prepping ahead of time. Reheat the biscuit at 425 degrees for 10 minutes before serving if you have the time, but it’s perfectly delicious served at room temperature.
Ingredients
For the Biscuit
2 ¼ Cups All Purpose Flour (315 g)
2 TBS Sugar (25 g)
2 tsp Baking Powder (8 g)
½ tsp Baking Soda (3 g)
1 Rounded tsp Fine Salt (5 g)
1 ½ Cups Heavy Cream (350 g)
6 TBS Cold Butter, cubed (85 g)
1 tsp Vanilla Extract (4 g)
Raw Sugar For Topping (optional)
For the Strawberries
For the Whipped Cream
1 ½ Cups Heavy Cream (350 g)
1-2 TBS Sugar (12-25 g)
1 tsp Vanilla Extract (4 g)
Small Pinch Fine Salt
Note for Strawberry Shortcake
Modern strawberry shortcake often drifts toward sponge cake or very sweet, bakery-style pastries. This recipe instead leans back toward older biscuit-style shortcakes: less sweet, more buttery, more savory, and with enough salt and richness to balance ripe strawberries and cream.
I strongly prefer lightly macerating the strawberries rather than turning them into a thick syrup. The goal is for the berries to still taste fresh and alive, with enough liquid released to soak slightly into the biscuit. I’ve tried this dish with the juice reduced to give it some body, but I prefer it loose and runny as the biscuit soaks it up readily.
A good grassy EVOO can push this dish into a really beautiful place, especially if your strawberries are very ripe and aromatic.
Recipe
Step 1
Prep The Strawberries: Add strawberries, sugar, salt, and lemon juice to a mixing bowl and gently toss to combine. Allow to rest at room temperature for a minimum of 30 minutes, and up to half a day, tossing occasionally. The berries should release a decent amount of liquid and soften slightly, but should not collapse entirely into a jammy mixture.
Step 2
Prep The Biscuit Dough: Preheat oven to 425°F. Add flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to a large mixing bowl and whisk thoroughly to combine. Add cold cubed butter and work into the flour mixture until the butter pieces are about pea-sized. Add heavy cream and vanilla and gently fold together until a shaggy dough forms. Avoid overmixing.
Step 3
Shape The Biscuit: Butter a 9” springform pan, cast iron skillet, or cake pan. Transfer dough to pan and gently press into an even layer, roughly 1”-1 ½” thick. Brush top lightly with heavy cream and sprinkle with raw sugar if using. Using a knife or bench scraper, lightly score the top into wedges to make serving easier after baking.
Step 4
Bake The Biscuit: Bake for 22-28 minutes, until deeply golden brown on top and around the edges. The biscuit should smell buttery and toasted, with a crisp exterior and tender interior. Allow to cool at least 20 minutes before topping.
Step 5
Whip The Cream: Add heavy cream, sugar, vanilla, and salt to a mixing bowl and whip until soft peaks form. I prefer stopping just before fully stiff peaks. The cream should still look soft, loose, and luxurious rather than overly structured.
Step 6
Finish The Strawberry Shortcake: Cut a wedge from the biscuit, slice in half hamburger style, then arrange the top and bottom section into a “heart.” Spoon strawberries and their juices generously over the biscuit and top with a healthy dollop of whipped cream. Finish with a drizzle of good EVOO, if desired. Serve immediately, and make sure to let your mother know the wedges are supposed to be a heart.
