Homemade Strawberry Shortcake
Homemade strawberry shortcake is a far cry from those round flavorless discs you buy at the grocery store. Discover how to make your own homemade strawberry shortcake in a few simple steps. Just add whipped cream and dig in!
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Strawberry shortcake tips
- For the pictures you see here, bake round cakes in small ramekins. You can use a muffin tin if you would like, but the original recipe calls for an 8×8 pan and serves about 6 people–it’s just as easy to do it that way and cut squares.
- If you would like, you can toss the berries in a bit of honey or sugar and let them sit at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes. This process is called macerating and will end you with slightly softened, sweetened berries.
- Shortcake is best when eaten the day the cakes are made. Don’t assemble until ready to serve.
- Whip up your own homemade whipped cream by beating together 1 cup heavy whipping cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 tablespoon powdered sugar or honey. Beat until stiff peaks form.
To make in advance:
- Cakes. Prepare the cakes up to 2 days ahead of time. Allow them to cool before storing them in an airtight container at room temperature.
- Whipped cream. The whipped cream can be made up to 4 hours in advance. Note that it will start to fall the longer it sits.
- Berries. If you are using fresh berries, go ahead and slice them up to 5 hours in advance. If you are making macerated berries (which I highly recommend), it is best not to slice them more than 30 minutes ahead of time.
To freeze: Allow the cakes to cool completely before sealing them in an airtight container and storing them in the freezer for up to 1 month. When you are ready to enjoy, allow the cakes to thaw at room temperature before making the whipped cream, macerating the berries, and assembling the dessert.
Homemade Strawberry Shortcake
Strawberry shortcake is a distant winner over the pre-made round yellow cakes you find in the grocery bakery. Making this cake will change your whole perspective on this spring treat!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1 cup sugar see Note 1 for reducing the sugar
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour gluten free flour works
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350, and lightly grease an 8×8 pan or 10 spaces on a muffin tin.
- Cream the butter and sugar with a spoon, beating well until the mixture is light and slightly fluffy. About 40 strokes around the bowl or so.
- Add the buttermilk,eggs and vanilla and mix well.
- Using a sifter sitting over the bowl, add the flour, salt, and baking powder to the sifter and tap the dry ingredients into the wet ones.
- Mix with a spoon until no dry clumps of flour remain.
- Bake 25-30 minutes for the 8×8 pan or 15-20 minutes for the muffin tin until the cake springs back and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Serve slightly warm with fresh strawberries and whipped cream.
Notes
Note 1: Some readers tend to feel that this recipe is too sweet. If you’d like to reduce the sugar, take it down to half or even 3/4 cup if you’d like to. Any less than that will alter the cake’s structure.
Nutrition
Calories: 248kcalCarbohydrates: 35gProtein: 3gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 58mgSodium: 223mgPotassium: 129mgSugar: 20gVitamin A: 350IUCalcium: 59mgIron: 1.1mg
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S easy, even I could do it. I did add about a half teaspoon nutmeg to this recipe doubled. It was perfect!
Well of course you can do it Westi! I never give you recipes you can’t do! Way to go, and the nutmeg sounds like a nice little addition. 😉 –Rachel
This was the first successful “from scratch” baking I have ever done. So delicious! Thank you!
Well Erica, let me just encourage you and celebrate with you! Baking is very easy when you have the right recipe. I hope you’ll continue to try other recipes! –Rachel
This is soooo good!
Easy. I will never make the ones out of a box again. Could be used for many things as well as cupcakes.
Yes Elaine they sure can! These shortcakes are really a good vanilla cake in my opinion and you could serve them lots of ways and with lots of different toppings. I’m so glad I’ve converted you from the pre-made sad ones. 🙂 –Rachel
Oh my gosh! simply delicious.No, really, It was simple to make and delicious to the finish. Me and my family thank you very much.
Hahahaha Leigh! Yes, it really is easy and it really is good. I know people get so sick of hearing bloggers say how “easy this is to make!” but around here, that’s what I mean. No lies from me! And you and your family are very welcome–but you are the star here! I wasn’t even there after all. 😉 You did it girl. Way to go! –Rachel
This is fabulous! Highly recommend it. I made it with strawberries. Once peaches are in season I will definitely be trying them as well. Best shortbread I have ever tried.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Sherry! Once you try it, you quickly see how good it is. I’m glad you’re on my team with this now. 🙂 –Rachel
SO good! Just beware if you’re hip to this stuff as I wasn’t – the baking powder makes it rise! So don’t overfill the pans (or especially muffin tins) because they expand quite a bit when baking. So good though!
Haha! Good point Heather. Mine actually don’t rise a ton but if you filled them all to the top, then yes they would probably roll over the top. 🙂 Glad you enjoyed it! –Rachel
We loved this shortcake! Thank you for sharing your sweet recipe!
Thank you for making it Liz and for your kind words! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! –Rachel
I’ve already made this twice in a week because the strawberries are available at our local stands. I’ll never make anything besides this recipe from now on. It’s easy to make and delicious! Thanks!
I hear you! It’s the best recipe there is for those yummy berries. Mine aren’t ready yet but when they are, you know what I’ll be making. So glad you enjoyed them!
Those little store bought shortcakes are like twinkies without the filling. My mom and dad put one in tupperware for a year as an experiment and didn’t have any mold and was still spongy. Ick!
I mean, right?! It makes you wonder what in the world they put in those things. I’ll pass!
Just found your recipe. I loved it. I enjoy making my own homemade deserts over store bought. Thank you.
So glad to hear that Rich! I think these are so much better you can ever get from the store. Thank you for letting me know! –Rachel