Cakey Strawberry Cobbler

This easy strawberry cobbler captures the fleeting taste of summer. As it bakes, the roasted berries are enveloped in a light and airy cake batter that gets golden and crispy-edged as it rises around the delicate fruit. This is a batter cobbler (as opposed to recipes that require dough), which is one of the easiest cobblers to make.

Learn how to make strawberry cobbler. Top it with a dollop of whipped cream or scoop of vanilla for that timeless strawberries-and-cream combo everyone loves. Best yet, it only requires 10 minutes of prep, which might also be how long it will take before each and every bite disappears from your table.

Strawberry Cobbler Ingredients

Once you have fresh strawberries, you just need some basic baking ingredients:

• Strawberries: Juicy, ripe red strawberries are the stars of this easy fruit cobbler. You can also substitute any other type of fresh berry or stone fruit; all will yield delicious results.
• Sugar: Helps to draw out the juices of the strawberries, and of course sweetens the whole dish.
• Lemon juice: Enhances the fruit's flavor.
• Melted butter: Mixes with flour and baking ingredients for a quick cobbler.
• Flour and baking soda: Form the quick cobbler batter.
• Vanilla extract: Enhances all the flavors.
• Buttermilk: Gives the cake a deliciously moist and airy texture. If you don't have buttermilk on hand, you can substitute regular whole milk, but the cake won't rise quite as high.

How To Make Strawberry Cobbler

In just 10 minutes, you can get the ingredients for this strawberry cobbler into the oven. Here's how.

• Step 1: Macerate the berries: Add the strawberries to a bowl, toss with lemon zest, lemon juice, and sugar, and let sit for 15 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.
• Step 2: Melt the butter: Place the butter in the baking dish you want to use for the cobbler (which means fewer dishes to wash!), and melt it in your pre-heated oven.
• Step 3: Make the batter: Whisk together the dry and wet ingredients to make the batter, then pour it evenly into the baking dish with the hot butter. But don't stir!
• Step 4: Scatter the berries: Use a slotted spoon to scatter the strawberries over the batter, letting the extra juices fall back into the bowl. Again, this helps you control how much of the juices you add to the cobbler so it comes out moist and juicy, but not soupy.
• Step 5: Add some juice: Drizzle some of the strawberry juice on top of the berries, and reserve the remainder for another use. (Might we suggest a vodka or gin cocktail, or adding it to a fruit smoothie?)
• Step 6: Bake: Bake until the center is golden and the edges are browning.

The Best Strawberries for Cobbler

Fresh, juicy strawberries at the height of strawberry season are ideal for this cobbler. But even the strawberries you buy at the grocery store in the dead of winter will work here: Roasting the berries actually intensifies their flavor.

If you're wondering what to do with lots of fresh strawberries (a wonderful dilemma to have), this is a great way to use up a couple quarts quickly with minimal effort. It's also a smart use of blemished berries or fruit that's just past its prime (as is our Strawberry Lemonade). Just trim away any bruised or overly-ripe spots, and no one will be the wiser.

What Does It Mean to Macerate Fruit?

The first step of this recipe is to "macerate" the berries (which means "to soften" or "to steep"). And while that may sound like an intimidating, chef-y process, it actually couldn't be simpler. Macerating just means adding sugar—and often liquid like a fruit juice or liqueurs—to fruit and letting it marinate for a few minutes.

By drawing out the juices, it also gives you more control of how much liquid you add to your cobbler than you would if you added fresh, just-cut fruit, so you get the results you want.

Ways To Serve Strawberry Cobbler

Serve the cobbler slightly warm, or at room temperature, cut into squares. Serve them in shallow bowls with a generous dollop of sweetened whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

How To Store and Reheat Strawberry Cobbler

If you're lucky enough to have leftovers, store them covered in the refrigerator to prolong the life of the berries.

You can freeze extra cobbler, but the dessert will lose its delicate, airy texture once it's frozen and defrosted.

To enjoy leftovers, either bring the cobbler to room temperature before eating, or reheat it, covered, in a low oven. Ten to 20 minutes in a 250°F oven should heat it through without drying it out.

Southern Living Community Tips

"This recipe was exactly what I was looking for and worked well. I've been looking for ways to get my kids to eat fruit desserts," wrote one reviewer. "The only real comment I have is that 1/2 c of butter seems excessive. I used 6 Tbsp but next time, which will be soon, I'll use 4 Tbsp."

"We love this recipe! We make it with strawberries, but blueberries are our favorite. We use real butter (not margarine), cane sugar (not white processed) and a Meyer lemon for absolutely delicious results," writes another reviewer.

More Berry Recipes

Looking for more ways to cook this favorite summer fruit? Peruse our gallery of the best fresh and juicy strawberry recipes and 100 ways to cook with fresh berries.

Editorial contributions by Elizabeth Brownfield.