Ingredients
2 pt. fresh strawberries, sliced
1/4 c. plus 3 tbsp. sugar, divided
Cooking spray, for pan
2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 1/2 c. heavy cream
1 1/2 c. heavy cream
1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Preparation
Step 1In a large bowl, combine strawberries and 3 tablespoons sugar and toss until coated. Refrigerate, 30 minutes, or up to 1 hour. Step 2Preheat oven to 400° and spray an 8”-x-8” baking pan with cooking spray. Stir together flour, remaining 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Pour in heavy cream and stir until just combined. Step 3Drop dough into prepared pan and press down evenly. Bake until edges are golden and a toothpick comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool.Step 4Meanwhile, make whipped cream topping: In a large bowl using a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer using the whisk attachment, beat heavy cream and vanilla until soft peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Keep chilled until ready to serve. Step 5To serve, slice cake into 12 pieces. Top bottom shortcake with sugared strawberries, then a second shortcake. Dollop with whipped cream.
What exactly is shortcake?The “short” in shortcake refers to the texture of the crumb. Rather than the long, chewy strands you might see in a yeasted dough, shortcakes have a tender, crumbly texture and a high fat-to-flour ratio. This cake falls neatly in that category. It’s fluffy and tender but sturdy enough to support a big ol’ spoonful of fresh strawberry. Allow the shortcake to cool to room temperature before topping with whipped cream to avoid a runny mess. Can I use store-bought shortcake?Absolutely. That’s the only thing that would make this recipe easier but still qualify as homemade. Try slices of store-bought pound cake, angel food cake, or your favorite scones. Do I have to let the strawberries sit for an hour? 30 minutes at least! The rest time will give the sugar a chance to break down the strawberries and create a juicy strawberry syrup. Can I use a different fruit?It wouldn’t exactly be a strawberry shortcake anymore (obviously), but you can give the shortcake treatment to almost any fruit. For other summer fruit shortcakes, check out this lemon blueberry shortcake. Break out the apples, pears, and brown sugar in the fall. When winter rolls around, try pomegranate and grapefruit shortcake. Have you made this yet? Let us know how it went in the comments below! Editor’s Note: The introduction to this recipe was updated on August 4, 2022, to include more information about the dish
