Strawberry shortcake – is there anything that more signifies warm weather and the coming of summer? Not for me.
We have a wonderful short cake recipe here that uses lemon flavored and scented sweet biscuits. The bit of lemon with the sweet strawberries makes this easy dessert recipe a real hit.
What Do You Use as a Short Cake?
Recipes for strawberry short cake can really vary, depending on what kind of “cake” you use under the strawberry mixture.
Some people serve the strawberries over a sweet biscuit. That is what I grew up with and prefer.
Strawberry shortcake is also often served using an angel food cake, pound cake or sponge cake as a base.
To me there is nothing quite so delectable as the sweet berry mixture drizzled over sweetened biscuits that are soft on the inside, with just a bit of crispy crust on the outside.
You can also turn this into a raspberry shortcake or blueberry short cake or use blackberries, currants, peaches or plums in place of the strawberries. So this really is an any time dessert.
Strawberry Shortcake
Ingredients
- 3 cups strawberries, or mixed fresh fruit
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 cup strawberries, mashed, or strawberry purée
- 1 cup whipping cream, whipped
For the Lemon Biscuits:
- 1/2 cup milk, approximate, see directions for amount
- 1 lemon, grated rind and juice
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons shortening
- 2 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- In a bowl, sprinkle the fruit with 2 tablespoons of sugar and lemon juice. Toss to mix it together well. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
For the biscuits:
- Add enough milk to the lemon juice to make 2/3 cup. Stir and set aside for 15 minutes to allow it to sour. In another bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and lemon rind. Cut in shortening and butter until well mixed using a pastry blender or 2 knives. With a fork, blend in soured milk to make a soft dough. Don't overmix the dough or your biscuits with be a bit tough.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead 6 - 8 times. Roll out or pat the dough to 1/2 inch thickness. Using a floured 3 inch round cutter, cut out 6 biscuits. Sprinkle lightly with more sugar. Bake on a greased baking sheet for 12-15 minutes or until the tops are browned.
- Let the biscuits cool until just warm or completely cooled. Cut in half horizontally. Spoon the fruit mixture over the bottom halves of the biscuits on individual serving plates, reserving some fruit for garnish. Stir strawberry purée with remaining sugar and spoon over the fruit mixture.
- Top with a dollop of whipped cream, then the biscuit tops. Garnish with more cream and the remaining fruit.
Nutrition
Variation:
- This really is an any time shortcake recipe. You can easily replace the strawberries with blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, red currants, plums or peaches. A mix of berries is wonderful too.
- If you don’t have a metal biscuit cutter, use the end of a large glass. It doesn’t work quite as well, but it does the trick.
- Look here for an angel food cake that you can also use with this strawberry topping.
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Strawberry shortcake is just one of our delightful berry recipies. Have a look at them all.
