Julie Clark
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Flaky Shortcake Biscuits for Strawberry Shortcake
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These are the shortcake biscuits you’ve been looking for as a strawberry shortcake base. They are tall, layered, buttery, with a hint of lemon and a crackly coarse sugar crusted top.
The shortcake biscuits use a two-flour blend for tenderness, buttermilk for flavor, and a folding lamination technique that builds the flaky layers inside. Split the warm biscuits open, load with macerated strawberries and fresh whipped cream, and you’ll never buy those little yellow sponge cakes again.
The Shortcake Biscuit That Makes a Perfect Strawberry Shortcake
When it comes to strawberry shortcake, the fresh strawberries generally take center stage. After all, strawberry season yields the juiciest, sweetest berries that are irresistible.
But our family? We make sure we start with the perfect base. Our Amish strawberry shortcake is our traditional recipe, but this spring I took my buttermilk biscuit recipe, added a little sugar and infused lemon as our trade secret ingredient.
We start by pressing lemon zest directly into granulated sugar until the bowl smells like a lemon drops. That lemon sugar becomes the flavor base for the whole biscuit. I do this for our lemon poppy seed bread, lemon blueberry bread and lemon blueberry cake, too!
Coarse sugar gets sprinkled on top which makes a “sugar crunch” while the biscuits bake, just like our lemon raspberry cake and peach cobbler.
This is my go-to for Mother’s Day brunch, Memorial Day picnics and for the first strawberries of the season. My kids have grown up thinking this is what strawberry shortcake is, and they’re right.
You’ll also love Kinslee’s favorite cornbread shortcakes! Try our strawberry shortcake cupcakes and strawberry cheesecake bars, too.
Enjoy! Julie
Shortcake Biscuit vs. Regular Biscuit: What’s the Difference?
Shortcake biscuits are sweeter, slightly richer, and designed to absorb fruit juices without turning to mush. Regular biscuits are savory-forward and meant to be eaten fresh, usually with butter or gravy.
Can you use Pillsbury biscuits for strawberry shortcake? You can, but they’re softer, more bread-like, and don’t have the structural layers or the flavor. If you have just 25 minutes, homemade biscuits are worth it.
Why This Recipe Works
There are a few things in this recipe that most shortcake biscuit recipes skip, and they make a real difference.
- The two-flour blend. Using equal parts all-purpose and cake flour gives you the structure of AP flour with the tenderness of cake flour. All all-purpose flour makes the biscuit chewier than you want for shortcake. All cake flour and it falls apart. The combination is the sweet spot.
- The 6-fold lamination. This is what separates a fluffy biscuit from a flaky biscuit. Each fold creates new layers of butter and dough, and when those layers hit the oven, the butter steams and the layers separate. You’ll see them when you split the biscuit open.
- The hot start. Baking at 475° for the first 5 minutes sets the outside quickly and gives you that golden, slightly crackly crust. Then dropping to 425° finishes the interior without burning the top.
What do you need to make shortcake biscuits?
This buttery biscuits recipe sticks with pantry staples for most home bakers.
If you only have salted butter, reduce the salt to ½ teaspoon.
Buttermilk reacts with the baking soda for lift and adds a tangy richness that makes these taste like they came from a bakery. If you’re out, you can make a quick substitute by adding 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to regular milk and letting it sit for 5 minutes. Real buttermilk is best here, though.
How do you make shortcake biscuits?
Step 1: Make the lemon sugar. Place your granulated sugar and lemon zest in a large bowl. Use a rubber spatula to press the zest firmly into the sugar for 20–30 seconds.
Step 2: Add dry ingredients and cut in the butter. Whisk in both flours, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the cold butter cubes and work it in until the mixture is shaggy and crumbly. Don’t overwork it here. Those butter chunks are your layers.
Step 3: Add buttermilk. Pour in the buttermilk and mix just until the dough comes together. It will be slightly sticky. That’s fine, just don’t overmix.
Step 4: Fold 6 times. Turn the dough onto a floured surface. Pat it into a rough horizontal rectangle, about 1½ inches thick. Fold the left side over the right, then pat out again. Fold the bottom up to the top, then pat out. Repeat this process for a total of 6 folds. Dust very lightly with flour if it starts to stick.
Step 5: Cut the biscuits. Pat the dough to about 1 inch thick. Press a sharp biscuit cutter straight down and pull straight up, but don’t twist! Twisting seals the edges and kills the rise. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Step 6: Top and bake. Brush the tops with melted butter and sprinkle generously with coarse sugar. Bake at 475°F for 5 minutes, then reduce heat to 425°F (without opening the oven) and bake 8–10 more minutes, until the tops are deep golden brown and the biscuits have risen and separated into visible layers.
Step 7: Cool slightly and serve. Let them cool for 5 minutes before splitting. Split open, load with fresh strawberries, strawberry topping, blueberry sauce or raspberry sauce and homemade whipped cream recipe, and serve immediately.
Flaky Shortcake Biscuits for Strawberry Shortcake
Flaky, buttery shortcake biscuits with real layers made in 25 minutes. Lemon sugar, cold butter, and a 6-fold technique make all the difference.
Servings 14
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- zest of 1 lemon
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 1/4 cups cake flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup unsalted butter (very cold)
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (for dusting the pastry mat & dusting while rolling)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted)
- 1/4 cup coarse sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 475º Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the sugar and the zest of 1 lemon in a large bowl. Use a rubber spatula to press the zest into the sugar for 20-30 seconds. It should become very aromatic. 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, zest of 1 lemon
- Add in the flours, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Whisk well. Use a pastry cutter to cut in the butter cubes to the dry ingredients until the mixture is crumbly. If you feel the flour with your hands, you should feel the butter chunks in it. That's the texture you want so don't over mix it at this point. 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, 2 ¼ cups cake flour, 1 ½ teaspoons salt, 1 ½ tablespoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 cup unsalted butter
- Add the buttermilk and mix just until combined. The dough will be slightly sticky. 2 cups buttermilk
- Turn the dough out onto a floured pastry mat and pat it into a horizontal rectangle that is about 1 ½ inches thick. Fold the left side of the rectangle over the right side and pat it out into a vertical rectangle. Fold the bottom half up to the top and press it out into a horizontal rectangle again. Repeat the steps above 3 times for a total of 6 folds. Be careful not to overwork the dough while you are doing this. The folding is what creates the pretty layers. Sprinkle a little flour on the layers if the dough starts getting sticky, but just pat gently and handle the dough lightly. ½ cup all-purpose flour
- After 6 folds, gently pat the dough into a rectangle that is about 1 inch thick. Use a sharp circle biscuit cutter and press down through the dough, then lift up. Alternatively, you can cut squares with a sharp knife. Do not twist the cookie cutter (or knife) or shuffle it around. Just push down, then pull straight up.
- Place biscuits on a silicone baking mat. Brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter, then sprinkle with coarse sugar. 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, ¼ cup coarse sugar
- Bake in the preheated oven for 5 minutes, then reduce the heat to 425º Fahrenheit (without opening the oven) and bake for an additional 8-10 minutes until golden brown.
- Allow the biscuits to cool and serve with sweet strawberries, peaches, raspberries or blueberries and whipped cream.
Video
Notes
- I recommend store-bought buttermilk for best results. In a pinch, make your own: mix 1 tablespoon vinegar with enough milk to make 1 cup. Let sit for 5 minutes. Using half & half or whole milk makes a thick, rich homemade buttermilk which is closer to store-bought.
- Try adding 1 teaspoon vanilla extract to the biscuit batter, too! It enhances the flavor the lightly sweet biscuits.
- Store biscuits in an airtight container at room temperature. Biscuits will last for 1-2 days at room temperature.
Nutrition
Calories: 332kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 43mg | Sodium: 367mg | Potassium: 227mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 512IU | Calcium: 106mg | Iron: 1mg
The Fold Is Everything (Don’t Skip This)
If you’ve made shortcake biscuits before and they came out fine but not flaky, this is probably why.
The fold technique is called lamination and is borrowed from pastry baking. Every time you fold the dough over itself, you’re creating a new layer of butter sandwiched between layers of dough. When those layers hit a hot oven, the butter melts and the water in it turns to steam. That steam forces the layers apart.
Six folds takes about 3 minutes. Here’s what to watch for:
- The dough should stay cold. If it starts to feel warm or greasy, put it in the fridge for 10 minutes before continuing. Warm butter = no layers.
- Pat, don’t roll. A rolling pin presses too hard and compresses the layers. Only use your hands.
- Lightly flour the surface, not the dough. You want as little extra flour as possible incorporated into the dough itself. A little stickiness is normal and fine. Too much flour makes a dry shortcake biscuit.
This is the same technique used in cheddar biscuits and once you learn it, you’ll use it every time.
Why did my biscuits not rise?
The most common reasons: expired baking powder (test it — it should bubble vigorously in hot water), butter that was too warm (it should be very cold and stay cold through the process), or overmixing the dough after adding the buttermilk.
Also, twisting the cutter seals the edges and prevents rise. Press straight down, lift straight up.
Can I Make Shortcake Biscuits Ahead of Time?
Yes, there are two ways.
Make-ahead unbaked: Cut the shortcake biscuits, place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Bake straight from the fridge. The cold dough actually bakes better because the butter stays firm longer.
Make-ahead baked: Bake completely, cool fully, and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Reheat in a 300°F oven for 6-8 minutes to refresh the crust before serving.
Can you freeze them? Yes. Freeze baked biscuits in a single layer, then transfer to a zip bag for up to 2 months. Reheat from frozen at 325°F for about 12-15 minutes.
The one thing I don’t recommend: Assembling the full shortcake ahead of time. The biscuit will go soggy within about 30 minutes of adding the strawberries and cream. Build them just before serving.
