Strawberry Shortcake with Homemade Whipped Cream

Strawberry shortcake with homemade whipped cream is a great summer dessert! In this post, you’ll learn how to make your own shortcake from scratch, and tips for improving this classic dessert. Plus a super easy recipe for homemade whipped cream.

“Poetry and music are very good friends. Like mommies and daddies and strawberries and cream – they go together.” – Nikki Giovanni

Strawberry shortcake is a great summer treat, fresh strawberries topped with homemade whipped cream and sandwiched between warm from-scratch shortcakes what could be better? Honestly, I’m not sure somedays, whether I’m eating it for breakfast, after a long day’s work, an hour after strawberry picking, or any other time, I find myself wondering that very thing, what could be better than this? Strawberry shortcake has been a favorite of mine for a long, I’m not sure I can even remember a summer when we didn’t have it at least once.

And while I’m not sure there is a better treat, I did learn over the years that strawberry shortcake in and of itself could be improved. For the longest time we used to use whipped cream from a spare can or even cool whip, and don’t get me wrong I still have quite a soft spot for both of those, especially the second one. But homemade whipped cream just has a way of hitting differently, thick, cool and creamy. It’s easy to make and I promise makes any dessert but especially this one a million times better.

The second thing I learned was that homemade is always better. I’m pretty sure my family and I have used just about everything under the sun for this dessert, angel food cake, biscuits, crescent rolls, and croissants, to name a few. Then one year I decided certainly homemade shortcakes would be better, and although these technically aren’t even shortcakes, they are amazing and they too make this dessert so much butter.

And finally, I learned to use fresh berries if at all possible. Now, this doesn’t always work out, and even frozen strawberries and terribly out-of-season berries from the store can make a good strawberry shortcake. But fresh berries, strawberries right off the plant, I’ll just say I’m not sure there is anything better in the world.

How To Make Strawberry Shortcake

Ingredients.

for the shortcake.

2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
2 tsp. sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup milk

For the berries.

1 quart strawberries, sliced
sugar to taste.

For serving.

butter
1 batch of homemade whipped cream(recipe below)

Directions.

In a bowl mix the sliced strawberries and sugar to taste, mix well and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 450F.

In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, cream of tartar, and salt, and stir well. Cut in the butter and using your hands mix it into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add the milk and mix until it comes together into a soft dough. The dough won’t be smooth it may even be a bit wet or sticky you just want it to come together.

Turn the dough out unto a well-floured surface, turn the dough over a few times to make sure it is coated lightly with flour so it won’t stick to the surface.

Roll out the dough to roughly 1-1 1/2 inches thick, using a biscuit cutter or a wide-mouth canning jar lid, cut out 10-12 shortcakes.

Place the cut shortcakes on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 10-12 min. or until golden brown.

After the shortcakes are finished baking, place them on a cooling rack and let them cool just enough to handle before assembling.

To Assemble.

Cut a shortcake in half and lightly butter both sides. Place one half on a plate or dessert dish, and top with a large scoop of strawberries(be sure to drizzle on some of the juice as well!) followed by a generous spoonful of whipped cream, place the remaining half of the shortcake on top and enjoy!

Notes.

The shortcakes can be stored in an air-tight container or a freezer bag on the counter for 3-5 days.

Both the strawberries and whipped cream and be prepared the night before you plan of serving these.

You can either make thicker shortcakes and cut them in half before preparing, or you can make thinner ones and use two per serving instead of one.

How To Make Homemade Whipped Cream

Ingredients.

1 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp. powdered sugar
2-3 tsp. vanilla extract.

Directions.

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and using beaters mix until it forms stiff peaks. And that’s it!

Homemade whipped cream will last in the fridge anywhere from 2-5 days. You can use it in coffee, or hot chocolate, as a topping for pies, cakes, ice cream, and more!

So There you have it! Homemade strawberry shortcake with homemade whipped cream. I hope you’ll give this recipe a try, you won’t regrate it I promise! And if you liked this recipe be sure to check my recipe for strawberry rhubarb pie as well.