These Strawberry Shortcake Cookies and Strawberry Scones are some of my other favorite desserts to make this time of year. Strawberry Shortcake is actually quite simple. It’s broken down into 3 components: the strawberries, the biscuit/shortcake, and the whipped cream. It all gets sandwiched together to create this mile-high, impressive, drool-worthy dessert. The secret to my Classic Strawberry Shortcake is making the shortcakes with a lemon infused sugar. It is simply granulated sugar mixed with fresh lemon zest; just rub it between your fingertips and this helps release the lemons natural oils into the sugar to infuse more lemony flavors into the biscuits. The lemon notes really explode with flavor in each bite of the tender and moist, flaky layers of shortcake. April begins strawberry season and there is no better way to showcase these sweet treats then when they are piled high on top of my buttery, lemony sweet biscuits that are filled with sweet whipped cream and then topped with coarse sugar and finished with a light dusting of powered sugar and a fresh mint sprig.
Why this recipe works
No chill time; it’s a quick recipe! Everything can be made in advance so when you’re ready to serve, it’s easy peasy! The strawberries are macerated which helps sweeten the berries just a bit more. This compliments the dessert perfectly (and only takes 30 minutes!) It is so fresh and flavorful. The dough for the shortcakes require no special equipment.
Flour: I like to use All purpose flour. It is so dependable and great for this recipe. Sugar + lemon zest: Adding lemon sugar to the biscuit dough as a zing of citrus to the biscuits and pairs perfectly with the sweetness of the strawberries. Feel free to omit the lemon if you prefer. Baking powder: be sure to the baking powder accurately. Too much and the air bubbles in the batter will be too large and break causing the batter to fall and the cakes will have a fallen center. If you don’t use enough baking powder the biscuits will be tough and have a compact crumb. Baking soda: baking soda adds additional leavening and helps give the biscuits a golden brown top and bottom. Salt: Salt has a binding effect on gluten, therefore it adds strength to the flour plus it adds flavor to the biscuits. I just a fine salt. If using kosher salt, you can add a bit more salt. Unsalted butter, cold: The colder your butter, the flakier your biscuits. I like to cut into them cubes and then add them in, or you can slice into thin 1/2 Tbsp. pieces. Buttermilk: By using buttermilk, your biscuits will have that “buttermilk tang” and the flakey layers will be tender. The buttermilk reacts with the baking soda to make them fluffy and tall. Heavy cream, cold: Adding just a bit of heavy cream adds a little more fat to the biscuits and makes them more moist.
