Strawberry season is in full swing and these decadent Strawberry Shortcakes have to be one of my favourite ways to use those perfect locally beauties!
It finally feels like summer again in the Okanagan. We’re spending more time outdoors again and loving every minute of it! One of the things I love most about summer is having our garden that is filled with the most amazing produce from now until fall. And if we haven’t grown it, the farmers market and local fruit stands are bursting with fresh local produce. We wrote a whole post on our favourite places to go (including my go-to fruit stands) here if you want to check it out!
There really is nothing like fresh local strawberries (especially when you grow your own which we did this year) and these shortcakes let those berries shine. You can of course use other berries if you have them on hand (blackberries, cherries or raspberries come to mind).
There are a few ways to make shortcakes. My go-to is based off of an old-fashioned fluffy biscuit recipe with a dollop of freshly whipped cream and fresh fruit. It’s a classic summertime dessert and so fun to serve if you have a couple guests over for a backyard get together. This 100% qualifies as a ‘sometimes food’ in our home, but worth every bit of the indulgence. I am sharing a vegan version of this simple dessert below as well… because Vegan Strawberry Shortcakes sound pretty darned awesome too! I haven’t tried these biscuits gluten free BUT I think that they would turn out if you substitute a 1:1 gluten free flour for the regular flour if you want to try to make Gluten Free Strawberry Shortcakes!
The Secret to Fluffy Biscuits
We slightly adapted this biscuit recipe for these shortcakes and they turned out so well, creating the perfect base for these. The key to a good biscuit is using the coldest butter you can to handle the dough as little as possible. I go deeper into how to make the perfect biscuit in this blog if you want more tips! Since this dish is so simple, you’ll want to make sure you have as perfect a biscuit as you can.
As a side- note, I highly recommend checking out our Peach Thyme Shortcakes that we included in the cookbook for a different twist on this dessert.
Strawberry Shortcakes
Strawberry Shortcakes
These fluffy strawberry shortcakes are such a dreamy summertime dessert, so fresh and incredibly delicious! You can skip the step of brushing the tops of the biscuits with cream and sprinkling with sugar if desired!
Ingredients
Biscuits
- 2 cups flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup cold butter, cut into cubes
- 1 egg
- 1/2-3/4 cup milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons whipping cream (33%)
- 2 tablespoons coarse sugar
- 2-3 cups sliced strawberries
Whipped Cream
- 1 cup cold whipping cream (33%)
- 2 tablespoons sugar or icing sugar (sifted)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
Make the Biscuits
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Preheat the oven to 450F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
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In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.
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Add the cold butter to the flour mixture and, using your fingers or a pastry blender, break the butter into pea-sized pieces (work quickly so the butter stays cold).
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In a smaller liquid measuring cup, crack the egg and whisk together with a fork. Add milk to the 3/4 cup mark. Stir in the vanilla.
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Add the milk to the flour mixture and, using a spatula or wooden spoon, gently stir the mixture together to form a rough dough. Add a couple of teaspoons of additional milk to the mixture if it is too dry. It should just stick together but still be rough, not smooth. Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and pat together to form a circle, about 1" thick.
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Using a biscuit cutter or glass (around 3" diameter), cut the dough into 6 biscuits. You can press the scraps together to form one last biscuit to avoid waste. Place the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet and brush the top of each biscuit with cream and sprinkle with the coarse sugar. Bake until golden brown, around 12 minutes.
Make the Whipped Cream
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Place the whipping cream in a tall mixing bowl and using an electric mixer on high, beat until it starts to thicken. Add the sugar and vanilla and continue to beat until peaks form (don't overbeat as it will curdle and separate). Refrigerate until ready to use.
To Assemble
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To serve the shortcakes, cut each biscuit in half horizontally, layer a dollop of whipped cream and strawberries on each bottom half, and top with the remaining top half of the biscuit. Enjoy!
Vegan Strawberry Shortcakes
These perfect little biscuits get topped with coconut whip and juicy local strawberries to create the most delicious dessert! You can make your own coconut whip or find the store bought versions in the freezer aisle or refrigerated section.
Ingredients
Biscuits
- 2 cups flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup cold vegan butter, diced
- 3/4 cup plant based milk (any unsweetened plant milk will work)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons plant based milk
- 2 tablespoons coarse sugar (optional)
Whipping Cream
- 2 cups coconut whip
Strawberries
- 2-3 cups sliced strawberries
Instructions
Biscuits
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Preheat the oven to 450F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
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Add the vegan butter to the flour, and using your fingers or a pastry blender, break up the vegan butter until it is the size of peas. You want your butter to be cold so work quickly.
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Stir the vanilla into the milk and add the milk to the flour mixture; gently mix together to combine. Be careful to not overmix- the dough will look rough but should hold together and have all of the flour incorporated. You can add a couple of teaspoons more milk if you need to.
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Transfer the dough onto a floured countertop and pat together into a circle that is 1" thick. Using a round biscuit cutter or glass placed upside down, cut the biscuits into circles. Press together the scraps gently to avoid waste and cut again if desired (no waste!). Place the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet, leaving space between each of the biscuits, brush the tops of each biscuit with plant milk and sprinkle the coarse sugar on top. Bake until they are golden, around 12 minutes.
To Assemble
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Let biscuits cool slightly then cut in half. Layer on coconut whip and strawberries on the lower half, place the top half on top and enjoy!
Lena says
Turned out delicious! Although mine burned on the bottom a bit. Is 450 too high? They taste great though. Thanks.
Megan H says
Absolutely delicious and so so easy! I was able to get 8 biscuits out of this recipe and they were still a great size.