Make the best and easy strawberry shortcake and raspberry shortcake this summer. The delicious, crisp, crumbly cake is filled with freshly sliced summer strawberries, raspberries, and cream.
What is a shortcake?
Shortcake is a popular American dessert that has a crumbly texture like a biscuit or scone. This shortcake comes in multiple variations, and the most popular one is strawberry shortcake served with whipped cream. Other variations include raspberry shortcake, blackberry & clotted creams, and lemon berry shortcake served with lemon curd.
This raspberry and/or strawberry shortcake is a classic dessert that you can make for spring or summer holidays like Mother's Day, Father's Day, memorial day, the Fourth of July, and labor day.
This dessert is also perfect for summer BBQ parties, potlucks, and picnics—the best way to use fresh summer berries along with summer berry pie, popular strawberry turnovers, or berry panna cotta.
Ingredients
Berries: For the best result, always use fresh berries over frozen ones.
Whipped cream: When you make the shortcake from scratch at home, I highly recommend making the whipped cream, too using vanilla, heavy cream, and sugar.
Sugar: Regular white granulated sugar is used to get the desired sweetness for both shortcakes and berries.
Butter: Melted butter makes your shortcake rich. You can even use toasted or brown butter to enhance the taste.
Flour: Making shortcakes is similar to making biscuits or scones; you will need all-purpose flour.
Baking powder: Helps shortcake rise perfectly.
Salt: A pinch of salt enhances the overall flavor of your shortcake.
Liquid: Milk and heavy cream keep the shortcake rich and moist.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements
Step-by-step instructions
Prepare the berries
- Cut the strawberries into halves or quarters and add them to the bowl. Sprinkle 5 tablespoon of sugar. Mix well. Cover and keep this in the refrigerator for 1 hour so that the juices are released from the fruit.
- Similarly, add raspberries to the bowl. Sprinkle around 3 tablespoon of sugar and mix well. Cover and keep this in the refrigerator.
Make the biscuits
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper and keep this aside.
- Add flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar, and mix in a mixing bowl. To this, add heavy cream, milk, vanilla extract, and melted butter and mix to form a medium-stiff dough.
- Dust the working surface. Press the dough using your hands to get the rectangle of an appropriate thickness (approx ½ to 1 inch) and cut it into 6 or 8 equal pieces. (Cut the rectangle into half and cut each half into 3 or 4 equal pieces.
- Place these pieces on a baking sheet, leaving space between the shortcake pieces.
- Brush the top of the shortcake pieces with cream and sprinkle sugar.
- Bake it for 15 to 18 minutes or until golden brown, then allow it to cool completely.
Make whipped cream
- Whip vanilla extract, sugar, and heavy cream till you get medium stiff peaks.
How to serve shortcakes?
- Split each shortcake into half horizontally. Place the bottom half of the shortcake on a serving plate.
- Spoon some strawberries or raspberries along with their juices onto the cake. Add a dollop of whipped cream. Place the other half of the shortcake over it. Add a dollop of whipped cream on top and surround it with more strawberries or raspberries and its juices.
How to store strawberry shortcakes?
Strawberry shortcake or raspberry shortcake tastes the best when enjoyed fresh once you assemble them. Strawberry shortcakes kept assembled for long will turn soggy, so they do not make great leftovers.
To make strawberry shortcake ahead of time, bake the shortcake, wrap it tightly, and store it in the fridge until you are ready to assemble and serve; just before serving, warm it up in the microwave for 5 to 10 seconds.
Cut the strawberries and keep them in the fridge one day ahead. One hour before serving, toss it with sugar and let it sit so that the juices are released.
You can make whipped cream a day before or an hour ahead and store it in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.
Recipe FAQs
Shortcake is crumbly and crispy in texture, while the cake is mostly airy, rich, and light.
Even though the name suggests that the shortcake is a cake-based dessert, the word "short" indicates that the traditional recipe for shortcake is actually biscuit based.
Shortcake is made using flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, milk, butter, and heavy cream as the main ingredients. This is then topped with fresh berries like strawberry, blueberry, or blackberry.
Shortcake biscuits have a little more sugar and a little more baking powder for a crumbly texture than regular biscuits.
More Summer Desserts
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Recipe card
Easy Strawberry Shortcake Recipe | Raspberry Shortcake
Equipment
Ingredients
For the traditional homemade shortcake
- 4 tablespoon Melted butter or toasted brown butter
- 2 cups All-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon Baking powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ⅓ cup Sugar
- ¼ cup Heavy cream
- ½ cup Milk
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla extract
- Cream, to brush on top
- Sugar, to sprinkle
Other ingredients
- 8 oz Strawberries
- 6 oz Raspberries
- ½ cup Sugar
Whipped cream for topping
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ¼ cup Sugar
- 1 ½ cups Heavy cream
Instructions
Prepare strawberries and raspberries
- Cut the strawberries into halves or quarters and add them to the bowl. Sprinkle 5 tablespoon of sugar. Mix well. Cover and keep this in the refrigerator for 1 hour so that the juices are released from the fruit.½ cup Sugar, 8 oz Strawberries
- Similarly, add raspberries to the bowl. Sprinkle around 3 tablespoon of sugar and mix well. Cover and keep this in the refrigerator.6 oz Raspberries
Bake the shortcake
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper and keep this aside.
- Add flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar, and mix in a mixing bowl. To this, add heavy cream, milk, vanilla extract, and melted butter and mix to form a medium-stiff dough.4 tablespoon Melted butter or toasted brown butter, 2 cups All-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon Baking powder, 1 teaspoon Salt, ⅓ cup Sugar, ¼ cup Heavy cream, ½ cup Milk, ½ teaspoon Vanilla extract
- Dust the working surface. Press the dough using your hands to get the rectangle of an appropriate thickness (approx ½ to 1 inch) and cut it into 6 or 8 equal pieces. (Cut the rectangle into half and cut each half into 3 or 4 equal pieces.
- Place these pieces on a baking sheet, leaving space between the shortcake pieces.
- Brush the top of the shortcake pieces with cream and sprinkle sugar.Cream, to brush on top, Sugar, to sprinkle
- Bake it for 15 to 18 minutes or until golden brown, then allow it to cool completely.
Making whipped cream at home
- Whip vanilla extract, sugar, and heavy cream till you get medium stiff peaks.½ teaspoon Vanilla extract, ¼ cup Sugar, 1 ½ cups Heavy cream
How to serve shortcakes?
- Split each shortcake into half horizontally. Place the bottom half of the shortcake on a serving plate.
- Spoon some strawberries or raspberries along with their juices onto the cake. Add a dollop of whipped cream. Place the other half of the shortcake over it. Add one more dollop of whipped cream on top and surround it with more strawberries or raspberries and its juices.
Notes
- To make strawberry shortcake ahead of time, bake the shortcake, wrap it tightly, and store it in the fridge until you are ready to assemble and serve; just before serving, warm it up in the microwave for 5 to 10 seconds.
- Cut the strawberries and keep them in the fridge one day ahead. One hour before serving, toss it with sugar and let it sit so that the juices are released.
- You can make whipped cream a day before or an hour ahead and store it in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.
Meri Rasoi
Wonderfully clicked Kushi:)
Kushi
Thank You dear!
PIYALI SEKHAR MUTHA /My Tryst With Food And Travel
Mmmmmm drooling. Love the radiance the dessert is emanating. One look and you just can't stay away. Supremely delicious.
Kushi
Thank you so much Piyali 🙂
Jolly Homemade Recipes
Super delicious..strawberries is one of my fav fruit..Loved it dear Kushi !!
Kushi
Thank you dear Jolly 🙂
Jeena suraj
Lovely dear... Awesome colour and delicious looking
Kushi
Thank You Jeena:)
padma veeranki
Delicious shortcake with vibrant colour:)
Kushi
Thank You Padma 🙂