At the heart of this beloved dessert are my mother’s flaky, buttery cream biscuits, a family favorite that practically melts in your mouth . Split, buttered, and layered with juicy, sweetened summer strawberries and clouds of softly whipped (or even clotted!) cream, every bite is pure indulgence — the kind that only comes around for a few short weeks each year.
This is the kind of old‑fashioned, from‑the‑heart dessert that turns fresh berries into something unforgettable. A true celebration of strawberry season — and a beautiful taste of home.
- 2 cups (240g) plain all purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 TBS baking powder
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 - 1 1/2 cups ( 230g to 345g) heavy cream
- 6 TBS butter, melted
- coarse sugar to dust
- 4 heaped cups fresh strawberries (a generous quart)
- caster sugar to taste (fine fruit sugar)
- softened butter for spreading
- 1 1/2 cups (345g) heavy/whipping cream
- Do not use self-rising flour. Plain all-purpose is all you need.
- I use kosher salt.
- Yes, that is the correct measure of baking powder.
- I use granulated sugar. In the U.K. use caster sugar.
- In North America use heavy whipping cream.
- I used salted butter as that is all I keep in the house.
- You can use sanding sugar, crushed sugar cubes or even demerara/turbinado sugar to dust
- I like to use smaller berries for this as they are the sweetest and have the most flavor.
- If you wish you can use clotted cream or even vanilla ice cream if you wish.
- Make the biscuits early in the day. Preheat the oven to425*F/220*C/ gas mark 7. Have ready a paper lined baking sheet. (I do this early in the day so that they are nice and cold when I go to make the dessert.)
- Whisk the flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar together in a bowl. Start slowly pouring in the cream, adding only 1 cup (230g) at first, stirring constantly. (Do not add it all at once.)
- Gather the dough together; when it holds together and feels tender, it is ready to knead. (If the dough appears to be too shaggy and the pieces are dry and wanting to fall away, then slowly add enough additional cream until you have a dough that holds together.)
- Tip out onto a floured board and knead the dough for 1 minute. (Do not over handle the dough. Be gentle.)
- Gently pat the dough into a square which is half an inch thick throughout. Cut into 12 squares. (Shaping it into a square means no waste or scraps. Every cut is a "first cut.")
- Dip the squares into the melted butter, coating all sides and place them onto the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with coarse sugar. (This add more buttery flavor and a hint of sweet sugar crunch to the biscuits.)
- Bake for 15 minutes until they are golden. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely. (I cool them on a wire rack.)
- Later in the day, slice the berries, reserving a few to decorate the tops of the shortcakes, if desired. Add sugar to taste. (I like to mash them a bit with a fork so that they become really juicy.)
- Split the biscuits, placing the bottom halves into each of 6 to 8 cut glass dessert bowls. Spread with softened butter. Top each with a generous spoonful of berries, a dollop of cream and the top halves of the biscuits. (Dessert perfection!)
- Serve immediately and pass more cream at the table.
Use cold cream for the lightest, flakiest biscuits
Cold heavy cream helps the dough come together tenderly and keeps the biscuits beautifully flaky, just like your mother’s original cream biscuits described in the recipe.
Add the cream gradually for perfect dough texture
Start with 1 cup of cream and only add more if the dough looks dry or shaggy — this ensures the dough holds together without becoming heavy.
Don’t over‑knead the dough
A gentle 1‑minute knead is all it needs. Overworking will toughen the biscuits, while the recipe’s light touch keeps them tender and melt‑in‑your‑mouth soft.
Dip the biscuit squares fully in melted butter
Coating all sides in melted butter gives the biscuits their signature crisp, golden exterior and rich flavor — a hallmark of this recipe.
Bake the biscuits early in the day
The recipe recommends making them ahead so they cool completely before assembling — warm biscuits will melt the cream too quickly.
Sweeten the strawberries to taste
Every batch of berries is different. Add sugar gradually until the flavor is just right — bright, juicy, and naturally sweet.
Butter the biscuit bottoms before adding berries
This old‑fashioned touch adds richness and helps protect the biscuit from getting soggy under the juicy berries.
Assemble just before serving
Shortcakes are at their best when the biscuits stay crisp, the berries stay juicy, and the cream stays cloud‑soft — so assemble and serve immediately for the perfect texture.
Use clotted cream for an extra‑special treat
If you have it, clotted cream turns this already fabulous dessert into “pure bliss,” as your recipe says — a truly indulgent summer moment.
Mom's Strawberry Shortcake
This is a must during Strawberry Season. It has ever been so since my very earliest memory. Crisp cream biscuits filled with softly whipped cream and fresh berries.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (240g) plain all purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 TBS baking powder
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 - 1 1/2 cups ( 230g to 345g) heavy cream
- 6 TBS butter, melted
- coarse sugar to dust
- 4 heaped cups fresh strawberries (a generous quart)
- caster sugar to taste (fine fruit sugar)
- softened butter for spreading
- 1 1/2 cups (345g) heavy/whipping cream
Instructions
- Make the biscuits early in the day. Preheat the oven to425*F/220*C/ gas mark 7. Have ready a paper lined baking sheet.
- Whisk the flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar together in a bowl. Start slowly pouring in the cream, adding only 1 cup (230g) at first, stirring constantly.
- Gather the dough together; when it holds together and feels tender, it is ready to knead. (If the dough appears to be too shaggy and the pieces are dry and wanting to fall away, then slowly add enough additional cream until you have a dough that holds together.)
- Tip out onto a floured board and knead the dough for 1 minute.
- Gently pat the dough into a square which is half an inch thick throughout. Cut into 12 squares.
- Dip the squares into the melted butter, coating all sides and place them onto the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with coarse sugar.
- Bake for 15 minutes until they are golden. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely.
- Later in the day, slice the berries, reserving a few to decorate the tops of the shortcakes, if desired. Add sugar to taste. You can mash them a bit so that they become really juicy.
- Split the biscuits, placing the bottom halves into each of 6 to 8 cut glass dessert bowls. Spread with softened butter. Top each with a generous spoonful of berries, a dollop of cream and the top halves of the biscuits.
- Serve immediately and pass more cream at the table.
Notes
If you have it by all means use clotted cream instead of whipped cream for the finished dessert. It's turns something which is already fabulous into something which is pure bliss! Mom would approve.
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I have a bumper crop of strawberries in our summer cottage garden and I'm dying to try this - it sounds so decadent, but delicious.
ReplyDeleteWe didn't have strawberries in summer so much where I grew up. In Sweden they are pretty much the symbol of summer, so I've gradually adopted them as well. Where I grew up, it was too hot and dry for them - watermelon was the summer fruit.
Oh pretty pretty!
ReplyDeleteIt's always the classics that I crave most. Delicious!
ReplyDeleteThe strawberries this year are delicious, thanks for the recipe!
ReplyDeletehttp://polaroidsandpuds.blogspot.co.uk/