Growing up Strawberry Shortcake to me were those little package of four sponge cakes that they sold at the grocery store. They were shaped liked large Rolos and tasted something like the cousin of a Twinkie, without the filling. This is what I knew, this is what I liked.
We went to Michigan one Summer to visit my grandparents. While there my aunt mentioned that we would be having Strawberry Shortcake for dessert that night. Yum I thought. When dessert came there sat an alien creature to me. Umm, “it’s a biscuit”…I am good at stating the obvious. My mother explained that this is how she knew strawberry shortcake, on a warm buttered biscuit instead of cold, odd textured sponge cake. I poked at it and being a pain in the butt kid, without really eating it declared that I didn’t like it. My dad declared this too. My mom knew my dad would protest so she had already gone to the store and bought our versions.
It wasn’t until years later that the biscuit variety of Strawberry Shortcake was placed in front of me again. This time I was far less picky and gave it a try. It’s my favorite way to eat Strawberry Shortcake.
I didn’t plan on making shortcake this time of year. Strawberries aren’t really in season but my husband and I have a problem. We like bread with our dinner. Sometimes that appears in biscuit form. And though my husband can throw back a lot of biscuits, the average recipe makes about 12. So I have a lot of leftover biscuits.
I had an overwhelming craving when I stared at those leftover biscuits to make Strawberry Shortcake. This is simple and straightforward flavors, with just the key lime juice being the exotic ingredient. I like to use the key lime to add a refreshing element to the strawberries.
So if you have only ever eaten the little yellow sponge cake discs I challenge you to try the biscuit version. It would make my mama proud.
After seeing my Strawberry Shortcake, Crazy Cocker Spaniel will have nothing to do with hers!
Biscuit Strawberry Shortcake
6 Southern Biscuits
2 pints fresh strawberries
2 TBSP key lime juice
1 1/2 cups sugar (this will greatly depend on your sweet tooth)
Whipped Cream
butter for biscuits
Southern Biscuits
2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons shortening
1 cup buttermilk, chilled
zest of 1 key lime
Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using your fingertips, rub butter, zest, and shortening into dry ingredients until mixture looks like crumbs. (The faster the better, you don’t want the fats to melt.) Make a well in the center and pour in the chilled buttermilk. Stir just until the dough comes together. The dough will be very sticky.
Turn dough onto floured surface, dust top with flour and gently fold dough over on itself 5 or 6 times. Press into a 1-inch thick round. Cut out biscuits with a 2-inch cutter, being sure to push straight down through the dough. Place biscuits on baking sheet so that they just touch. Reform scrap dough, working it as little as possible and continue cutting. (Biscuits from the second pass will not be quite as light as those from the first, but hey, that’s life.)
Bake until biscuits are tall and light gold on top, 15 to 20 minutes.
Adapted from Alton Brown on Foodnetwork.com
Strawberry Filling:
Take strawberries and roughly slices them. Add key lime juice and sugar. Mash lightly with a fork. Refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight (I prefer overnight).
To make the shortcake:
Take warm biscuit, cut in half. Slather butter on both sides of the biscuit. Add strawberries on top bottom biscuit. Add some whipped cream. Top with the other half of the biscuit.
Rosa says
A delicious dessert! I still have to try that speciality…
Cheers,
Rosa
anna says
Ooh, strawberry shortcake is definitely better on a biscuit!
Sara says
to me, this is real shortcake, not that tastes like nothing spongecake crap.
Bellini Valli says
The Canadian or British version of shortcake is more “Twinkie” like because it is made with a type of spongecake and not a biscuit. I love both kinds as long as they include whipped cream.
nina says
I do not want to confuse matters even more, but we call this a scone!! Either way, it looks delicious with the key lime sauce, yum!!!
Melinda says
Yes, I grew up with the those twinkie-like spongey cake used for strawberry shortcake in USA. I think/know I prefer a British scone biscuit now.
But, I wish I had the sweet Oregon strawberries I remember of yore!
CCS is a smart dog.
Lydia says
Yum! Love strawberry shortcake prepared the old-fashioned way…even better than the angel food cake version. My favorite variation, however, is with a cornmeal-laced biscuit or even full-on cornbread. I’ll post my recipe someday; perhaps when strawberries are in season again!
VeggieGirl says
Aww CCS!! Cute 🙂
Ahh, love your story about the Oregon strawberries – nostalgia is the best when it comes to food.
veron says
I’ll have strawberry shortcake in any form….though I like it best in between sponge cake…this one looks just as delicious and inviting!
Patricia Scarpin says
This is completely unusual here, Pea – it’s not part of our “menu”. When the Strawberry Shortcake character was released here, it got translated as “Moranguinho”, which means “Little Strawberry”.
Your dessert looks delicious and I bet it is miles away from the store-bought thing.
CookiePie says
Biscuit is definitely the best kind of strawberry shortcake! I bet yours is divine. And that pooch photo is hilarious 🙂
Laura says
This looks so beautiful! I love your dog too…my dog would’ve chewed up that fake shortcake in a second LOL. : )
Alisa - Frugal Foodie says
So glad you saw the biscuit light! I couldn’t imagine eating those spongy ones. Although, Strawberry Shortcake for us growing up was with slices of angel food cake. I didn’t try the biscuit ones either until I was an adult.
Lynn says
I definitely prefer your grown-up version! Did you pup hold out for one of them?
MyKitchenInHalfCups says
I’d say Crazy Cocker Spaniel is one smart cookie! This is the strawberry shortcake I grew up with and love to this day.
Any more I always make up my biscuits and scones early and freeze them all, then bake them over the next week so they’re always fresh. If I didn’t Gorn would eat them all in a day – not a good thing.
Kate says
To me, Strawberry Shortcake will always be the girl with the hat who lived in a strawberry cottage.
The Food Hunter says
That looks delicious. I’m a huge fan of strawberry shortcake in any form.
brilynn says
It’s a beautiful sunny day here and I think if I had one of those strawberry shortcakes in front of me I could be tricked into believing it was summer.
daphne says
Awww.. That looks awesome! I will hv the strawberry shortcake anyday too!
Pennies on a Platter says
Heehee!! That dog is tooo cute!! And, I LOVE strawberry shortcake!
Claire says
Looks yummy, but even this isn’t shortcake to me! My version is made in a cast iron skillet and is ALMOST cornbread-like in texture but not quite. It’s VERRRRYYY good…mmmm…can’t wait to have some!
elly says
Hah, I totally loved those shortcakes from the grocery store, too. Right above the strawberries and next to the scary strawberry glaze. 🙂 I didn’t have real shortcake till a couple years ago and it’s so different and so good. This version sounds great with a little lime!
Elyse says
Um, yeah, this looks nothing short of awesome. Definitely one of the best desserts around–yummy!!
joey says
The only type I’ve had has been the sponge cake version…but not the packaged ones in store. Over here bakeries make them like these tall billowing cakes packed with strawberries and cream…not “short” cakes at all! They are delicious but I am sure I will also like the biscuit ones! 🙂
grace says
i so love a good strawberry shortcake, and this certainly falls into that category. the soggy bottom biscuit layer is my favorite part. 🙂
Deborah says
I haven’t had a good strawberry shortcake in much too long!
steph (whisk/spoon) says
biscuit shortcake is the way to go, and yours looks awesome!! funny you only knew the sponge kind, because i grew up only knowing the biscuit kind.
Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) says
My husband’s a big fan of strawberry shortcake. I’m not, unless someone sticks chocolate in it!
Ashleigh says
First, I love your blog. Keep up the great posts!
This is EXACTLY the conversation I had with my husband. He didn’t know strawberry shortcake came in any other form but packaged sponge cake. Hehe. I on the other hand had never tried the packaged cake and grew up with “the real stuff”. Yum!
Mrs. L says
Okay, I will admit, even though I have eaten the biscuit version of a strawberry shortcake I have never actually made one. But I’ve put together those packaged spongecake ones a million times. Need to make the real thing one of these days.
Elle says
CCS is no dummy…she knows that real strawberry shortcake is one of the best things going. Yours is truly beautiful!
Ariana says
YUMM that looks amazing!!!
You have a cute blog, I like it a lot. I have my own food blog- but my pictures are nothing like yours!