Plant City–Style Strawberry Shortcake
Juicy sliced Florida strawberries, lightly sweetened, are piled onto warm, flaky biscuits with fresh whipped cream. The recipe makes 4 large biscuits, one shortcake per person. Scale the people count in the app to 2, 4, 6, or 8 — ingredients adjust from this base of 4 servings.
Open interactive cooker (change people count)
Food safety
Rinse strawberries under running water right before hulling and slicing, and keep cut berries refrigerated. Keep whipped cream cold at 40°F or below. Do not leave cut berries or cream out more than 2 hours (1 hour if above 90°F).
Allergens: wheat, milk
Equipment
- baking sheet
- parchment paper
- mixing bowls
- pastry blender or fork
- knife
- electric mixer
Ingredients (for 4 servings)
- 1.5 pounds fresh Florida strawberries, hulled and sliced
- 3 tablespoons sugar (for berries)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons sugar (for biscuits)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons cold butter, cubed
- 3/4 cup cold milk
- 1 cup heavy cream, cold
- 1 tablespoon sugar (for cream)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
1. Rinse the strawberries under cool running water just before hulling, pat dry, and slice. Toss with 3 tablespoons sugar and refrigerate 20 minutes until juicy.
2. Heat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Whisk the flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the cold butter with a pastry blender or fork until the pieces are the size of small peas.
4. Stir in the cold milk just until a shaggy dough forms. Pat into a 6-inch square about 1 inch thick and cut into 4 squares.
5. Bake 14 to 16 minutes until risen and golden brown on top and bottom. Cool 5 minutes.
6. Beat the cold cream, 1 tablespoon sugar, and vanilla to soft peaks.
7. Split each biscuit, spoon strawberries and juice over the bottom half, add whipped cream, and set the top in place. Serve right away.
8. Refrigerate leftover berries and cream within 2 hours (1 hour if the room is above 90°F).
Skill taught
Cutting cold butter into flour for tender, flaky biscuits.
Affordable substitution
Use frozen sliced strawberries, thawed, and store-bought biscuits or pound cake instead of homemade biscuits.
Optional variation
Add a little orange zest to the biscuit dough, or mix blueberries in with the strawberries.
Leftovers & storage
Store biscuits, berries, and cream separately. Refrigerate berries and cream within 2 hours (within 1 hour if above 90°F) at 40°F or below and use within 2 days; keep biscuits covered at room temperature up to 2 days.