Growing up, if you’re like me, summer wasn’t complete without indulging in homemade strawberry shortcake a time or two (or ten). And it’s no wonder this old-fashioned dessert continues to be loved and cherished over the years. Think buttery, tender shortcakes with generous spoonfuls of fresh strawberries and topped with cool whipped cream. The ingredients are so simple, the flavors so classic, making it really the perfect summertime treat. Our recent team outing to Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit had me thinking nonstop about making my own homemade strawberry shortcake with owner Carrie Morey’s biscuit secrets, and it being National Strawberry Shortcake Day tomorrow and all…well it just seemed like the perfect time to indulge.
Now, I prefer my strawberry shortcake to have buttermilk biscuits (as opposed to shortcake), simply because that’s how I grew up eating them, and that’s all part of the memory. And since Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit‘s buttermilk biscuits are the best in the biz, I put my recent learnings to test and made my first batch of homemade buttermilk biscuits. Carrie’s secrets like ‘you must mix the ingredients by hand, “snapping” each hunk of butter’, and ‘you want to avoid over-rolling the dough before cutting with a biscuit cutter’, really did come into play. And I’m proud to say my first batch of biscuits turned out very, very well.
As you’ll see when making this at home, like any true strawberry shortcake recipe, this one is best made with ripe strawberries at the height of the season. You’ll want to macerate the strawberries with sugar for an even sweeter, almost syrupy consistency (this can be done the day before and refrigerated overnight). I don’t like my strawberries super super sweet, but it’s all up to your preference. Just remember when macerating any fruit, you can always add more sugar, but you can’t take it away, so start with less. After an hour or so, you can add more if you want.
And one last tip, if and when you’re making your homemade whipped cream, try whipping with an immersion blender to get an even smoother texture. (And of course, there’s no shame in a can of whipped cream from Whole Foods too, really). I personally love my strawberry shortcake to be served with the biscuits warm, topping them with a generous helping of strawberries and whipped cream if not from straight out of the oven itself. I think you’ll agree that the result is simply heavenly! Truly, MKR
