When it comes to strawberry shortcake, making a delicious biscuit is the key. Then finding juicy ripe berries is a must, and to top it all off, I like to spread fresh strawberry glaze right over the biscuit before adding sliced berries and whipped cream. We really love the way this shortcake tastes – it’s just so creamy and delicious with all of the other ingredients. Serve extra strawberry glaze in a pitcher or bowl to pass around the table. If you can’t find ripe strawberries, use any kind of berry that looks ripe and juicy, such as blackberries, olallieberries, or raspberries.
When making the shortcake biscuits, used chilled butter and be sure to handle the dough only as necessary to crumble the butter into the flour and gather the dough into a ball. Too much handling can make the dough tough.
The strawberry glaze is the same one I used on top of fresh strawberry pie, and one day it occurred to me that it would add a little extra pizazz to strawberry shortcake. It also helps to keep the berries on the biscuits when you assemble the dessert.
I’ve listed powdered sugar as an ingredient for the whipped cream, but you really don’t need it in the cream when you have the glaze. The unsweetened whipped cream is a nice contrast to the sweetness of the glaze and the biscuits. But, if you like to add the sugar, it’s not going to hurt a thing!
Springtime Strawberry Glaze Shortcake
Ingredients
Shortcake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 6 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 stick 4 ounces or ½ cup butter
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup whipping cream
- 1/4 cup sour milk milk with ½ teaspoon cider vinegar mixed in
Strawberry Glaze
- 2 cups fresh strawberries stems and leaves removed
- 1 cup water
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
Strawberries
- 2 pints of fresh strawberries Reserve 1 fresh berry per serving for garnish.
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whipped Cream
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar optional, but definitely not necessary
Instructions
Shortcake
- Preheat oven to 425 F.Spray or grease a baking sheet, or cover with parchment paper. Your choice!
- In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.Cut the stick of butter into small pieces and add to dries.Using fingertips or a pastry cutter, cut butter into dries until butter is blended in crumbly.
- In a large glass measuring cup or a small bowl, beat egg with cream and sour milk, and stir wet mixture into dries with a large fork until well-blended.Gather it into a large ball and turn out onto a floured cutting board.Roll out until about ¾ inches thick.Cut into 12 round biscuits with a biscuit cutter.Dip cutter into flour as needed to keep from sticking.
- Place biscuits onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for approximately 12-14 minutes, or until golden brown on top.Remove from oven and cool on a cooling rack until ready to use.Can be prepared a day or two ahead.
Strawberry Glaze
- Place strawberries and water in a saucepan.Bring to a boil and boil for about 4-5 minutes.Turn off heat, and mash berries with a large spoon.Pour mixture through a sieve, scraping the fruit through the sieve to get as much flavor as possible.Discard any leftover strawberry pulp that won’t get through the sieve.Use a spatula to scrape the bottom of the sieve, because there is a lot of good stuff that will accumulate there.Add it to the sieved liquids.
- Mix cornstarch with about 1-2 tablespoons of hot water, in order to make a paste. This prevents the cornstarch from getting lumpy.Add cornstarch-water and sugar to the strawberry mixture.Bring to a boil, and continue on a rolling boiling for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon.Remove from heat and cool completely.Refrigerate until ready to use.
Strawberries
- Remove stems, leaves, and any bad spots from the strawberries.Cut into bite-sized pieces and toss together with powdered sugar and vanilla. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Whipped Cream
- Whip cream until stiff peaks. Fold in vanilla and sugar.
To Serve:
- Cut shortcakes in half horizontally.Place a spoonful of berries over the bottom half.Then add a large spoonful of the strawberry glaze and a dollop of the whipped cream.Place top half over the bottom portion and repeat the process.Garnish with a whole or half strawberry on top!Serve extra glaze in a bowl for added flavor.
