Julie Clark
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Streusel-Topped Strawberry Shortcake (Amish Recipe That Feeds a Crowd)
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This isn’t the shortcake you buy next to the strawberries at the grocery store. This is a from-scratch, pan-style Amish shortcake with a buttery sugar streusel baked right into the top. And that streusel is the whole reason people keep coming back for it.
It bakes in a 9×9 pan and cuts into 9 generous squares, which makes it perfect for summer cookouts or potlucks. No mixer needed. No individual biscuits to fuss with. Just thick, tender shortcake with a crackly sweet top and juicy macerated strawberries piled on top.
The recipe comes from an Amish cookbook I received at my wedding shower, and after 27+ years of making it, I haven’t found anything I’d trade it for.
What Makes This Shortcake Recipe Different
Most strawberry shortcake recipes give you a biscuit. This one gives you a thick, soft pan cake with a crumbly butter-and-sugar streusel baked right on top. That tender inside crumb and slightly crunchy sweet top is why people ask for the recipe every time.
Flavor: The shortcake itself is only lightly sweet so the juicy strawberries stay the star. All the sweetness lives in that streusel topping. Don’t skip it.
Texture: Thick biscuit-style crumb that bakes up soft, tender and golden brown. The key is not over-mixing. Stir just until the dough comes together and stop.
Try our easy strawberry cheesecake trifle and oatmeal pie, too!
What’s the difference between this Amish shortcake and a regular biscuit shortcake?
Traditional biscuit-style shortcakes are cut into individual rounds and split before serving. This Amish version bakes in a square 9×9 pan and cuts into 9 squares, which makes it far easier to serve a crowd. Need more? Double it into a 9×13 with the same bake time.
What are the ingredients in shortcake?
Shortcake has 7 simple ingredients that are pantry staples.
In the shortcake, the original recipe calls for shortening instead of butter. Butter makes it rich, shortening allows the sugar flavor to shine through. I like the shortening, but make it with butter the most often since readers love the butter!
Use aluminum free baking powder since there are 4 teaspoons to prevent any metallic aftertaste.
How to Prepare Strawberries for Shortcake
For the fresh strawberries, you’ll want to plan ahead. They’ll need 3-4 hours at minimum to sit in the fridge and create all of those sweet juices that will sink into your shortcake.
Cut and quarter about 4 pounds of strawberries (more or less, depending on how many you need to serve) and sprinkle about ½ cup of sugar on them. Add more or less sugar, depending on the sweetness of the berries and the taste you would like. This process is called macerating strawberries. The sugar pulls out the juices, so mix that sugar into the strawberries, cover the bowl and pop it in the fridge.
These strawberries are great served on our homemade strawberry angel food cake and frozen custard, too!
How to Make Strawberry Shortcake
There’s no need to use an electric mixer for this because you don’t want to over mix it. Simply use a large mixing bowl and a heavy duty spoon.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and spray a 9×9″ baking pan with cooking spray. You can also line the pan with parchment paper if you want to easily be able to remove the entire shortcake.
- In a large bowl, add the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and butter or shortening. Cut the ingredients together to make coarse crumbs.
- Add the milk and egg to the dry ingredients, mixing just until combined. Do not over mix or the shortcake will be tough. You want it to be tender. The batter will be very thick. Spread the mixture evenly in the prepared pan. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, use two forks or a pastry cutter to cut together the flour, sugar and butter. This mixture will be crumbly. Sprinkle it on top of the shortcake batter.
- Bake for 25-27 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Can I double this recipe?
Yes. Many times that amount of shortcake is just not enough, so I double it and put it in a 9×13 pan. I didn’t have to bake it any longer when I did this, and was surprised by that. If you decide to double the recipe, leave extra time for a few more minutes baking, just in case. And sometimes when I double it, I double the topping…because like I said…the topping is the best part!
Homemade Whipped Cream
You can top strawberry shortcake with Cool Whip, whipped cream in a can, ice cream or simply with heavy cream poured on top.
But what I love most is homemade whipped cream. It’s so easy! Simply pour a cup of heavy whipping cream and about ⅓ to ½ cup of powdered sugar in a stand mixer. Add ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract, then using the whisk attachment, whip on high speed until soft peaks form. That’s it!
Cover and refrigerate homemade whipped cream until you are ready to serve it.
Recipe Variations
- Love lemon? Try adding lemon zest to the batter and a little bit of fresh lemon juice to the strawberries.
- More fruit is always a good idea. Try adding raspberries and blueberries.
Other Strawberry Shortcake Recipes
The Best Strawberry Shortcake
The streusel topping on this Amish Strawberry Shortcake makes a delicious shortcake that can be served many different ways!
Servings 9
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Ingredients
For the strawberries:
- 4 pounds strawberries (cleaned, hulled and quartered)
- 1/2 cup sugar (to taste)
For the shortcake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder*
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup butter or vegetable shortening**
- 2/3 cup 2% milk
- 1 large egg (beaten)
For the topping:
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons salted butter cold
Instructions
Prepare the strawberries:
- The strawberries will need about 3-4 hours to sit in the fridge and make juice, so plan ahead. In a large bowl, mix together the cut strawberries and sugar. You can add more sugar as you'd like. Cover and place in the fridge. 4 pounds strawberries, ½ cup sugar
Make the shortcake:
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and spray a 9×9" baking pan with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, add the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and shortening. Cut the ingredients together to make coarse crumbs. 2 cups all-purpose flour, 4 teaspoons baking powder*, ¾ teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, ⅓ cup butter or vegetable shortening**
- Add the milk and egg to the crumbs, mixing just until combined. Do not over mix or the shortcake will be tough. It will be very thick. Spread the mixture evenly in the prepared pan. Set aside. 2/3 cup 2% milk, 1 large egg
- In a small bowl, use two forks or a pastry cutter to cut together the flour, sugar and butter. This mixture will be crumbly. Sprinkle it on top of the shortcake batter. ½ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup all-purpose flour, 3 tablespoons salted butter
- Bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. To serve, top pieces of cake with strawberries, whipped cream, or ice cream.
Video
Notes
*Double-acting baking powder works best here. If your baking powder has been open more than 6 months, test it before using. Use aluminum free baking powder to prevent a metallic taste.
**Vegetable shortening (like Crisco) keeps the shortcake tender. Butter can be substituted but will produce a slightly denser, richer result.
Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.
The calories shown are based on the cake being cut into 9 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 slice of cake with strawberries on top. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box are calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.**
Nutrition
Calories: 401kcal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 32mg | Sodium: 245mg | Potassium: 559mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 34g | Vitamin A: 189IU | Vitamin C: 119mg | Calcium: 140mg | Iron: 3mg
LOVE LOVe LOVE, this. I have made this at least 10 times and each time it was a hit.
This recipe was very good with one exception. I thought it tasted too salty. I used salted butter in place of the shortening, but otherwise followed the recipe to the tee. Next time I would use the shortening and eliminate the salt.
I can’t wait to make this! Will the cake still be good if I make it the night before my event?
I made this tonight to go with the fresh strawberries we picked today. Thank you for sharing! It is my favorite short cake recipe so far. The top crunch layer gave it the extra grand texture and flavor.
OMG….this is the best strawberry shortcake recipe….I also made this with mixed berries and peaches….delicious!!!!
Incredilbe! It’s wheat harvest time, here in Kansas, took this out to the field last night for supper! Yummmmy! I hope you don’t mind I shared the think to your recipe! Thank you!!
I made this for our family’s Easter celebration. I served about 20 people with one 13×9 pan (I doubled the recipe as well as the topping) and everyone LOVED it!!!! I’ve made several homemade strawberry shortcakes over the years, but this is by far my favorite and will be the recipe I use every time! 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Just made this and it was fantastic. Next time, I think I will add a sprinkle of cinnamon to the crumb topping.
I am going to try this today…just went out and picked tons of berries. I grew up in Amish country (and still live here) and I have never experienced this streusel topping, so I can’t wait to try it. I grew up eating this type of biscuit-y shortcake and I CANNOT bring myself to eat those spongy things they try to pass off in the grocery stores. Thanks for sharing! Can’t wait to gobble this up later!
Calls for shortening – can I use butter or margarine instead?
I made this for our monthly family dessert get together tonight and it was a huge hit! My husband loves lemon so I added the zest and juice of one lemon to the cake batter (double batch) along with 1t of soda. It couldn’t have been better. I’m so glad I lost my old recipe and had to go searching for a new one.
Looks delish can’t wait to try this . Thanks for recipe.
This is so good!! I’ve made this recipe twice since finding it on Pinterest a few weeks ago. I also made a modified version as a coffee cake. Thank you for sharing!
This looks so yummy! I think I will try this tomorrow for dessert and then breakfast Monday at work 😉
Thanks for the inspiration
Maria
Looks so tasty! Pinning
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