National Strawberry Shortcake Day!! Welcome Summer!

Strawberries are the first indication that summer has arrived! And it’s often celebrated with strawberry shortcake – but one man’s short is another man’s cake!

Where did Strawberry Shortcake come from?

Shortcakes have been around in Britain for thousands of years. The term “short” comes from an Old English cooking term that means crisp or crumbly from adding fats to the dough. These tasty cakes came to America.

The true shortcake is neither bread, nor cake, nor pastry, though bearing what might be called a ‘differing likeness’ to each. It is a modernized form of the pandowdies of our grandmothers.

—May 1894 issue of The New England Kitchen (Boston)

With the introduction of baking soda, Mary Randolph in Virginia Housewife (Baltimore, 1824) created “soda cakes”. These new cakes became the foundation for the American shortcake. By 1862 strawberry shortcake was made with these sweet soda biscuits, strawberries, sugar and cream.

In the 1920s, some bakeries were substituting the soda biscuit with chiffon or pound cake. Hostess even sold sponge cake “fingers” to be used as the base of this dessert. So how you make it depends on your preference – cake or biscuit!

And today’s strawberry shortcake is still the same delicious dessert – biscuit or cake – covered with sweet, macerated  strawberries and slathered with fresh whipped cream.

Strawberries first – 

Macerate the strawberries first. Slice each berry and place in a medium bowl. Sprinkle with the sugar,

then gently stir to coat each berry. Let sit for at least two hours.

Making the Shortcakes – 

Making the shortcakes is pretty easy.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Put all the dry ingredients into a large bowl and whisk it all together.

In another bowl, whisk the egg with the half and half and vanilla. Stir in 3/4 cup of the slightly cooled and melted butter and mix well.

Mix the wet ingredients with the dry to form a loose dough, sort of like drop biscuits.

Drop large spoonfuls onto a parchment lined cookie sheet.

Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes – they will be golden brown. Remove from the oven and brush the tops with the remaining melted butter. Cool on a wire rack.

Building the Strawberry Shortcake – 

Whip the cream until it forms stiff peaks.

Cut each shortcake in half lengthwise.

Top each half with about 1/4 cup strawberries –

spoon some of the juice at the bottom over the shortcakes.

Slather the strawberries with whipped cream and garnish with torn pieces of fresh mint.

Welcome summer!

© Copyright 2023 The Lazy Gastronome

5 from 5 votes

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Classic Strawberry Shortcake

Made with sweet biscuits, sweet strawberries and loads of whipped cream - the same as the original shortcakes.

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, summer

Keyword: shortcake, soda cake, strawberries, sweet biscuit, whipped cream

Servings: 8 shortcakes

Author: HelenFern

Ingredients

Strawberries

• 4 cups fresh strawberries
• 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar

Shortcakes

• 4 cups All-purpose flour
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1 Tablespoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup melted and slightly cooled sweet, unsalted butter (use less salt if you use salted butter)
• 1-1/2 cup half and half
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whipped Cream

• 1-1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup powdered sugar (we like it less sweet)
• Fresh Mint for Garnish

Instructions

Strawberries

1. Macerate the strawberries first. Slice each berry and place in a medium bowl. Sprinkle with the sugar, then gently stir to coat each berry. Let sit for at least two hours.

Shortcakes

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Put all the dry ingredients into a large bowl and whisk it all together.

3. In another bowl, whisk the egg with the half and half and vanilla. Stir in the slightly cooled and 3/4 cup of the melted butter and mix well.

4. Mix the wet ingredients with the dry to form a loose dough, sort of like drop biscuits.

5. Drop large spoonfuls onto a parchment lined cookie sheet.

6. Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes - they will be golden brown. Remove from the oven and brush the tops with the remaining melted butter. Cool on a wire rack.

Building the cakes

1. Whip the cream until it forms stiff peaks.

2. Cut each shortcake in half lengthwise. 

3. Top each half with about 1/4 cup strawberries - spoon some of the juice at the bottom over the shortcakes. 

4. Slather the strawberries with whipped cream and garnish with torn pieces of fresh mint.

Recipe Notes

Welcome summer!

© Copyright 2023 The Lazy Gastronome

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