"A morning of strawberry picking at @kennysstrawberryfarm yesterday = Homemade Strawberry Shortcakes today! 🍓 Strawberry Shortcake was my number one craving when I was pregnant with Russell - so naturally it makes me smile to get to bake these with him now & watch him devour it with the glee I did when he was in my womb! ❤️"
Strawberry Shortcakes with Vanilla Whipped Cream
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- Recipe Card
Prep time 1hr
Cook time 10mins
Serves or Makes: 9
Recipe Card
For the Strawberry Shortcakes
ingredients
- 4-5 cups strawberries, quartered
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, frozen, plus 1 tablespoon melted for brushing the tops before baking
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus 1/4-1/2 cup for kneading and rolling
- 1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup cold buttermilk
- 3 tablespoons turbinado sugar, for topping
For the Vanilla Whipped Cream
ingredients
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
Method
Step 1
Mix the strawberries: Place cut strawberries and granulated sugar in a bowl, stir until just combined, then cover and place in the refrigerator until the berries start to release their juices (about 1 hour or more).
Step 2
Make the shortcakes: Preheat oven to 450ºF.
Step 3
Take the butter out of the freezer and let it sit at room temp for 5-10 minutes, then cut it into ¼ inch cubes. Transfer the cubes into a small mixing bowl and place it in the refrigerator while you mix your dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, sift and whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Remove butter from the fridge, and add it to the flour mixture. Distribute the cold butter evenly by first cutting it into the flour mixture with a fork or pastry cutter until it starts to resemble coarse crumbs with some pea-sized lumps. Then, using a light hand, squash any pea-sized lumps between your fingers to press them into small, flat discs. Add the cold buttermilk all at once, stirring gently with a fork until just combined. Flour your hands and knead the dough gently about 10-12 times, just enough to bring the dough together.
Step 4
Lightly flour a work surface and rolling pin. Gently transfer the dough onto the floured surface and shape it first by hand it into a 1-inch thick square. Using a sharp knife or edge of a pastry scraper, cut the large square into 4 even smaller squares and stack them evenly on top of each other. Then use your floured rolling pin to roll that stack out into a ¾-inch thick square, approximately 9x9 inches.
Step 5
Use a 3-inch floured biscuit cutter to cut 9 shortcakes (press the cutter straight down without twisting it as you cut). Arrange them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes.
Step 6
Remove shortcakes from refrigerator and brush each with melted butter and top with a sprinkle of turbinado sugar. Bake the shortcakes until golden brown, 10-12 minutes. Allow the shortcakes to cool for at least 10-15 minutes before assembling.
Step 7
Make the Vanilla Whipped Cream: While the shortcakes cool, mix your whipped cream. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the heavy cream, vanilla bean paste and powdered sugar on medium-high speed just until peaks start to form. Don’t over-beat – it should still have a creamy texture and fall easily off the spoon.
Step 8
Slice each shortcake in half, and layer with whipped cream and strawberries. Serve immediately and enjoy!