Lightly sweet biscuits, juicy strawberries and whipped cream come together to make a classic, old-fashioned strawberry shortcake.
I love this old-fashioned strawberry shortcake recipe! It’s different, but in a good way. The thin, lightly sweet biscuits have a fabulous flaky texture. It’s a perfect foil for the lovely sweet strawberries.
Pair it with well sweetened strawberries and sweetened whipped cream.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Shortening – this would be the solid, vegetable shortening, such as Crisco™. If you don’t have shortening on hand, you can substitute with an equal amount of additional butter, though this will change the texture of the finished shortcake somewhat.
Sour Cream – full-fat sour cream is recommended. I haven’t tested this with low or no-fat sour cream. You could substitute plain Greek yogurt for the sour cream, if you prefer.
Step-by-Step Photos
This is a summary of the steps to make these strawberry shortcakes. Always refer to the complete instructions in the Recipe Card below, as all steps may not be illustrated here.
1. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
2. Add the butter and shortening and cut into the flour mixture.
3. add the sour cream and mix in.
4. Add the milk in small increments, adding only as much as needed to create a moistened dough.
5. How the dough should look when moistened.
6. Remove dough to a work surface.
7. Roll or pat dough into a 1-inch thick oval. Top with softened butter.
8. Spread butter over the dough, then fold the dough in half.
9. Cut the dough into two equal pieces.
10. Pat or roll into a 3/4-inch thick oval.
11. Cut 3-inch circles from the dough and place onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, re-rolling scraps and cutting to produce 6 shortcakes.
12. Before baking, poke rounds with a fork once or twice.
Baker’s Notes
- As noted above, these old-fashioned shortcakes are not sweet. Think of a lighter version of pie crust. As such, you want to make sure your strawberries are nicely sweetened with sugar and that you sweeten the whipped cream as well.
- I didn’t spoon the liquid from the strawberries over the shortcake for the photographs so that you could see the lovely shortcakes. I do suggest that you spoon some of the liquid at least over the bottom part of the shortcake. It will soak into the shortcake in a wonderful way!
Making ahead, Storing and Freezing
The shortcakes can be made ahead. They are best enjoyed on the day they are made, but will keep for a couple of days in an air-tight container. These shortcakes will also freeze well for a couple of months.
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Ingredients
Shortcakes:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons white granulated sugar
- 3-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, reduce to 1/4 tsp if using salted butter
- 1/4 cup butter, cold, salted or unsalted
- 1/4 cup solid vegetable shortening, or substitute equal amount of additional butter
- 1/4 cup sour cream, full-fat recommended, or Greek yogurt
- 1/4- 1/2 cup milk, full-fat recommended
- 3 Tablespoons butter, softened, salted or unsalted
For the strawberries:
- 1 1/2 qt. fresh strawberries, rinsed, then halved or sliced
- 1/3 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice, optional
Whipped cream:
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream, 35% b.f.
- 1 Tablespoon white sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla, optional
Instructions
- Prepare the strawberries: Combine the strawberries, white sugar and lemon juice in medium bowl. Stir to combine well, then let stand at room temperature at least one hour.
- For shortcake: Preheat oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, white sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the butter and shortening, working it thoroughly into flour mixture using a pastry cutter or two knives. .Lightly mix in the sour cream with a fork. Add just enough of the milk to make a soft dough.
- Remove dough to a lightly floured work surface. Roll out dough to 3/4 inch thickness on a lightly floured surface (circle will be 6 to 7 inches). Spread with softened butter. Fold dough over (it will be about 1-3/4 inches thick). Divide dough in half. Take one piece of the dough and roll to 3/4 inch thick. Use a 3-inch cutter (or glass) to cut two rounds. Place onto prepared baking sheet. Reserve scraps. Roll the second piece of dough and cut 2 more rounds, placing onto baking sheet. Gather the scraps from both pieces, roll, then cut 2 more rounds from the scraps, for a total of 6 rounds, placed with a couple of inches between on the prepared baking sheet.
- Prick the biscuits with a fork once or twice, then bake in preheated oven for 16-18 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the oven, then immediately transfer to a cooling rack to cool. *Can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container once completely cooled.
- To prepare the whipped cream: Add cold whipping to a medium bowl. Whip the cream with an electric mixer (or stand mixer with the whisk attachment) until soft peaks form, then whip in the sugar and vanilla, whipping further until firm.
- To serve: Split the shortcakes in half. Place the bottom half on a plate and using a slotted spoon, spoon strawberries over top. Spoon a little of the juice over the strawberries. Top with whipping cream, then a few more strawberries. Top with top of shortcake.
Notes
More Strawberry Recipes to Love!
Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
Nothing better during the summer season than this classic Jennifer! My favorite!
Thanks so much, Mary Ann :)
Strawberries have been so good lately and this delicious dessert is just another way I get to enjoy them! Such a summer classic!! YUM!
Thanks Dawn and yes, the Ontario strawberries are in full force here now, too. Can’t get enough of them :)
I love these and actually appreciate the fact that the short bread is not baked sweet – so much better for a contrast to the sweetened strawberries and whipped cream!
Thanks Milena and I really enjoy it for the same reason. Really lets the strawberries shine :)