Strawberry Shortcake

Strawberry shortcake is a classic summertime treat. It's loaded with fresh, bright flavors (and it's quick and easy to make). This delicious strawberry shortcake recipe will be your new go-to for all your strawberry dessert needs. Be sure to click that save button — you'll come back to this recipe for years to come.

What Is In Strawberry Shortcake?

This strawberry shortcake is made entirely from scratch. However, you probably already have most of the ingredients in your pantry. If not, here's what you'll need to add to your grocery list:

• Strawberries: Of course, a strawberry shortcake needs strawberries. This recipe calls for six cups of fresh strawberries.
• Sugar: You'll use white sugar for both the strawberries and the shortcake.
• Flour: This strawberry shortcake is made almost like biscuits, so you'll need 2 ¼ cups of all-purpose flour.
• Baking Powder: Baking powder helps the shortcake rise.
• Salt: Just a hint of salt adds a depth of flavor to the shortcake.
• Butter: Butter is a classic shortcake ingredient.
• Egg: One egg binds the dough together.
• Half-and-half: This will make the dough rich and moist, but reviewers say they've also had success using milk instead.
• Whipped Heavy Cream: Sweetened vanilla whipped cream tops this cake.

How to Make Strawberry Shortcake

You'll find the full, step-by-step recipe below — but here's what you can expect when making this strawberry shortcake.

1. Prep the berries: Slice the strawberries and cover them with white sugar.
2. Make the batter: Combine the dry ingredients, then cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly. Add the egg and half-and-half and stir until combined.
3. Bake the cake: Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until golden brown.
4. Assemble the strawberry shortcake: Cut the cake in half. Top the bottom layer with half the strawberries, then replace the top of the cake. Top the cake with the remaining berries and whipped cream.

Can You Make Strawberry Shortcake Ahead of Time?

Strawberry shortcake doesn't make great leftovers because after a few hours the shortcakes will be soggy.

Strawberry shortcake is best enjoyed immediately after assembling. So, if you want to prep the cake beforehand, you should bake the shortcake and then stop there. Wrap the shortcake in storage wrap and store in the fridge until you're ready to assemble it with the strawberries and whipped cream.

Test Kitchen Tips

This top-rated user recipe was tested in our test kitchen. Here are some tips from our test kitchen assistant Craig Ruff:

• "Late Spring season strawberries would be ideal for this recipe. Look for bright red berries without any white spots or soft spots."
• "Be super gentle when transferring the cake layers. They will crumble easily, so I like to slide the layers on and off inverted baking sheets."
• "Add lemon zest to the macerated berry mixture or a touch of high-quality balsamic vinegar."
  

Allrecipes Community Tips and Praise

"Awesome, everyone loved it! It baked to a beautiful golden color! I added lemon zest on top for garnish. It was light but dense enough to soak up all that strawberry juice, delicious," raves Angela Mae.

"Just like my mom used to make: biscuity, sweet but not too sweet, nice and dense. Unless I find her recipe, this is the one I'll use from now on," says tangerine jellybean.

"I have never made a strawberry shortcake before, and was really impressed by how easy this recipe is. The results were awesome, and although we didn't have room, we devoured this light but heavenly dessert between only five of us," according to hot mama. "I was worried about making this, as it was not strawberry season, but letting the strawberries sit in the sugar seemed to ripen them up beautifully."

Editorial contributions by Bailey Fink and Keaton Larson