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Classic Strawberry Shortcake

Strawberry shortcake
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Here’s how to make the best strawberry shortcake: the classic way! Tender, biscuit-like shortcakes meet sweet berries and fluffy homemade whipped cream.

Ingredients

Scale

For the strawberries

  • 1 pound ripe strawberries
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

For the shortcakes

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons sugar, plus more for sprinkling
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest (or 1 tablespoon orange zest*)
  • 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
  • 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon cold buttermilk, plus more for brushing
  • Optional: turbinado sugar for topping

For serving

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  2. Clean and slice strawberries. Zest and juice the lemon, reserving the zest for the shortcakes. Mix the berries with the 3 tablespoons sugar and 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice. Allow to stand at room temperature for 1 hour or more, which lets them macerate and release their juices. (Or, do up to 24 hours in advance and refrigerate: bring to room temperature before serving.)
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and 1 teaspoon lemon zest. Cut the butter into 1/2-inch pieces and use a pastry cutter to cut it into the flour mixture.
  4. Add the 3/4 cup buttermilk to the flour and stir until all the buttermilk has just absorbed. Do not overstir. Use your hands to form the dough into a rough ball. Add the 1 tablespoon more buttermilk to help the dough come together.
  5. Turn onto a lightly floured counter. Gently pat the dough out into a rectangle about 8” x 10” and about 3/4” thick (you may need to wash, dry and flour your hands to help pat it out).
  6. Use a 3” biscuit cutter to cut the biscuits, pushing straight down (without turning the cutter) and transferring to a parchment lined baking sheet (you can also use a cookie cutter or use a knife to cut out a 3-inch circle). Ensure the edges of each biscuit are touching on the baking sheet to improve rise. You should get 6 biscuits out of the first cutting, then re-roll the dough scraps for final 2 biscuits.
  7. Brush tops with buttermilk. Sprinkle with additional sugar or use turbinado sugar for a crunchy, glittery topping. Bake 15 to 17 minutes until lightly golden brown on top. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Store leftovers frozen for up to 3 months or refrigerated for a few days (reheat in a 350 degree oven until warm).
  8. Make the Homemade Whipped Cream (or try Infused Whipped Cream for a treat).
  9. To serve, cut the shortcakes in half. Top with strawberries and whipped cream, then the top of the shortcake and more whipped cream and strawberries.

Notes

*Our favorite twist is to use orange zest for the biscuits (in that case you can use orange juice for the strawberries). 

Find it online: https://www.acouplecooks.com/strawberry-shortcake/