16 Ways to Make the Best Strawberry Shortcake

Strawberry Shortcake

This classic strawberry shortcake is made from scratch from start to finish. Recipe creator Denyse describes this as "An old-fashioned, tender shortcake with two layers of strawberries topped with whipped cream." Note that the shortcake in this recipe is a biscuit-like cake round instead of a sponge cake, and gets its moisture from the juicy strawberries.

Chef John's Classic Strawberry Shortcake

Browned butter makes these shortcakes special. "For this strawberry shortcake recipe, I modified the way my grandfather made his and used self-rising flour and toasted butter for a nutty flavor. I'm hoping Armand Cianfoni would approve." – Chef John

Petra's Strawberry Shortcake

If you're looking for more of a sponge cake as a base, this recipe is for you. Recipe creator Petra says, "As a teenager (born and raised in Germany) I made what we call Biskuitteig weekly, which is similar to sponge cake. I never really liked Bisquick for shortcake and remembered the spongy, tender texture of the Biskuitteig. I altered an old German recipe and came up with this delicious version. Also good with other fruit toppings!"

Glazed Doughnut Strawberry Shortcake

This fun-loving twist on strawberry shortcake uses a glazed donut for the shortcake base, but you'll still pile on the whipped cream and strawberries. "BRILLIANT! Real whipped cream, yes please. Move over cheesecake, I think I might have a new favorite dessert! YUM!" – Alice Camper

Skillet Strawberry Shortcake

"This impressive skillet strawberry shortcake recipe eliminates much of the hassle and mess of traditional strawberry shortcakes. Instead of flouring the counter and rolling and cutting out individual biscuits, you'll bake one giant skillet biscuit cake that's topped with macerated strawberries and whipped cream." – Darcy Lenz

Gluten-Free Strawberry Shortcake

You can be gluten-free and eat your shortcake, too: This top-rated version is made with brown rice and tapioca flours. "AWESOME!" raves reviewer DESLUE. "This was very good. My whole family enjoyed it. I just kept eating it even plain without the strawberries. It's a keeper."

Easy Strawberry Shortcake

How easy it is? Four ingredients are all you'll need to make this dessert using store-bought sponge cake dessert cups. "This is how my mom and grandma put these together for us growing up & yummmm... just like home," says reviewer Madeline Shannon.

Hot Milk Sponge Cake

If you want to make your own sponge cake cups, you'll need a special pan (you can also bake this as a single cake layer)—but this is the recipe to use. domestikate offers good tips: "This is such a great recipe for those little sponge cakes you usually find in the grocery store for strawberry shortcakes! A very simple and easy recipe. Careful not to overmix once you add the flour to maintain a light and airy batter. Also sifting the flour/baking powder is very important. I made quite a few mini cakes in a shortcake mold. Bake a little less time and grease your mold really well because they have a tendency to stick."

Strawberry-Citrus Shortcake

Homemade lemon pound cake forms the base for this citrus-kissed shortcake. (You can certainly use a store-bought pound cake for a time-saving shortcut.) Toast the pound cake slices to get crispy edges before topping with strawberries and whipped cream, if you like. Reviewer PULLEYHEATHER says, "If you don't have cake flour you can use 1 3/4 cups all-purpose mixed with 1/4 cup cornstarch."

Cottage Pudding (Cake for Strawberry Shortcake)

Kaylene says, "This is a wonderful shortcake recipe my grandmother used to make for strawberry shortcake. It is moist and sweet and can be eaten by itself too. Reviewer Jamie says, "Oh my gosh this is so yummy! The only change was I made it with butter instead of shortening. I served it with fresh strawberries and pineapple topped with homemade whipped cream with a bit of cream cheese in it."

Carry Cake with Strawberries and Whipped Cream

A cream cheese frosting lightened with whipped cream makes this version easy to transport, since it holds up a little longer once it's decorated. "My grandkids go crazy for this rendition of strawberry shortcake. This recipe has been in my mother's family for over 100 years." – Rick Brown

Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Cake

Recipe creator thedailygourmet says, " This recipe is fast to assemble and while you can absolutely buy the ingredients pre-made, I prefer to make the cake part myself. You can also use angel food cake (loaf shape) or your favorite pound cake."

Buttermilk Strawberry Shortcake

Buttermilk adds a tang to this biscuit-style shortcake. Jillian says, "What a simple, easy, and delicious dessert! I had some buttermilk I had to use up and this was just perfect. For the shortcakes, I froze the butter and grated it which is much easier."

Strawberry Shortcake with Cheesecake Whipped Cream

You can use store-bought or homemade angel food cake to make this easy strawberry shortcake trifle. "Amazing. So easy to make. Light and delicious—a perfect summer dessert. Everyone loved it; was even better the next day. Will definitely make again. YUM." – hockeymom089

Italian-Style Strawberry Shortcake

Here's another trifle-style strawberry shortcake; this version uses mascarpone cheese. "Wonderful! Five minutes to make (not counting letting the berries sit), beautiful presentation, and absolutely delicious. Made this for a family dinner," says reviewer CookinginColorado.

Fresh Strawberry Lemon Shortcake

Lemon zest shines through the biscuits for these little shortcakes. They're topped with a lemony sour cream and yogurt mixture, macerated strawberries, and finished with lightly sweetened whipped cream.

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