Classic Strawberry Shortcake

Indulge in this timeless dessert with our classic strawberry shortcake. Fluffy homemade cornmeal biscuits, juicy strawberries, and whipped cream come together to create the perfect summer treat.

If you're craving more strawberry recipes, then be sure to try making Strawberry Buttermilk Biscuits, Strawberry Cream Cheese Toast, and a 3 Ingredient Strawberry Smoothie Recipe. 

This recipe contains so much goodness!

You have a crumble cornmeal biscuit filled with sweetened fresh cut strawberries and creamy whipped cream. So many different textures in one amazing dessert recipe. 

This can be made any time of the year, but it is perfect to enjoy during the spring and summertime when juicy strawberries are at their peak sweetness and in abundance. 

You can share it as an after-dinner dessert, at a holiday dinner party, or during your next family gathering.  

Let's get started!

Why You'll Love This Shortcake Recipe 

• Completely homemade from scratch. From the shortcake to the whipped cream, it's all homemade and absolutely delicious. 
• It's a traditional strawberry shortcake recipe made with sweet cornmeal shortcakes. Trust me you're going to love these, they're like having a sweet corn biscuit!
• A great recipe to make during the strawberry season, to take advantage of in-season strawberries by making a sweet treat. 

Why Use Cornmeal? 

Cornmeal works well in this recipe to give the shortcake biscuits a nice thickness and texture. It allows the biscuits to have a slightly gritty and rich texture similar to cornbread.

You can use yellow cornmeal or white cornmeal, just make sure that it is self-rising. 

Shortcake Ingredients You'll Need 

1. All-Purpose Flour - Use plain all-purpose flour with no other ingredients added to it. Self-rising flour or cake flour is not necessary to make the strawberry shortcake cake. 
2. Granulated Sugar - Needed to sweeten the shortcakes and help the strawberries to break down and release their juices. 
3. Cornmeal - You can use white cornmeal or yellow cornmeal, whichever you prefer, both will work. Added to the flour mixture to create the sweet biscuits. 
4. Baking Powder - Check the date on the package to make sure that it has not expired. This ingredient helps to give the shortcakes the rise they need to be light and fluffy.
5. Baking Soda - Adds acid to the cakes and gives them a great flaky and chewy texture with coarse crumbs. 
6. Salt - I prefer to use kosher salt or baking salt when baking to balance out the sweetness. If you choose to use salted butter, then you may omit this ingredient.
7. Butter - Make sure it's extremely cold butter. It can be unsalted butter or salted butter, whichever you prefer.
8. Buttermilk - Cold buttermilk makes the cakes moist, slightly tangy, with a rich flavor. 
9. Fresh Strawberries - Use ripe juicy strawberries to provide a sweet and tangy flavor to the delicious strawberry filling and pair well with the shortcake. 
10. Heavy (Whipping) Cream - Needed to make the homemade whipped cream, make sure it is cold before mixing until peaks form. You can use Cool Whip instead of making your own. 
11. Powdered Sugar - Sweetens and thickens the whipped cream to add to the dessert. 

Optional Ingredients 

This shortcake recipe is great if made as instructed, but if you'd like to add another layer of flavor, try adding these optional ingredients. 

• Lemon Juice & Lemon Zest - Add to the strawberry mixture for a pop of bright citrus flavor. 
• Vanilla Extract - A small amount can be added to the shortcake mixture along with the buttermilk for a little additional flavor. 
• Coarse Sugar - Before baking, sprinkle on top of the scooped shortcakes before baking. 

See the recipe card below for exact ingredient quantities and instructions.

How to Make Classic Strawberry Shortcake 

Begin the classic strawberry shortcake recipe by preparing the strawberries. Clean the berries and cut each berry in half. Add the cut strawberries to a medium bowl along with the granulated sugar.

Toss to combine, place in the refrigerator, and allow them to chill for at least 15 minutes. 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the (dry ingredients) all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt until combined.

Add the cold butter and use a pastry cutter/pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles a coarse meal and the butter is about the size of a pea.

Add the buttermilk and stir until you have a soft dough without any bits of flour left in the bowl.

Use a large ice cream scoop to scoop six even-sized cakes. Place them on the prepared baking sheet spacing them at least 2 inches apart as they will spread slightly while baking. You can use your hands to gently flatten the tops of each shortcake.

Place into the oven to bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the shortcake biscuits have lightly browned. Carefully remove them from the oven and allow them to cool on a wire rack. 

Make the homemade whipped cream using an electric mixer/stand mixer with a whisk attachment or a large bowl with a hand mixer. Whip the cold heavy cream on medium speed until it starts to thicken, add the powdered sugar, and continue mixing until soft peaks form. 

Assemble the dessert by cutting the shortcakes in half. Place the bottom half onto a plate and spoon the strawberry mixture on top. Add some of the whipped cream and top with the other half of the shortcake. Spoon more strawberries on top, followed by whipped cream. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Recipe Tips & Tricks

• Do not overwork the biscuit dough, once it forms a soft dough it's ready to scoop and bake. Overmixing will result in tough dry shortcakes. No biscuit cutter required.
• Try not to overbake the shortcakes, once they begin to turn lightly golden brown go ahead and pull them from the oven. 
• Be sure to stir the strawberry filling once you remove it from the refrigerator and before you assemble the dessert. 
• Make sure the butter, buttermilk, and heavy cream are cold before combining them with the other ingredients for the best results. 

Storage Tips 

Storage. If you have any leftovers, place the baked shortcakes, strawberry filling, and whipped cream in three separate airtight containers. Store them in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.

When you are ready to serve them again, you can remove the shortcakes from the refrigerator first and allow them to come to room temperature before assembling the dessert. 

Want More Delicious Dessert Recipes? Try These: 

• Strawberry Delight
• Easy Banana Pudding Recipe
• Baked Peaches with Brown Sugar 
• Peach Trifle 
• Pineapple Tarts 
• Blackberry Cobbler Recipe 
• Little Layer Chocolate Cake 
• Icebox Cookies 

Have any comments, questions, or other delicious ways to enjoy the Best Strawberry Shortcake Recipe? Please share them in the comments below!

📖 Recipe