When you hear the words “Strawberry Shortcake” what comes to mind? If your an American, it’s likely you have had Angel Food cake with Cool Whip and strawberries. That is not what we are making here. Shortcake is really a biscuit. The name Shortcake comes from the fats in the biscuit that keep the gluten from forming long strands. A true Strawberry Shortcake is a biscuit with whipped cream and strawberries. Making the shortcake, the biscuit part, from scratch makes all the difference in the world. Once you have made it from scratch you won’t want the supermarket version of this dessert again.

Feel free to make the biscuits ahead of time and/or clean and slice strawberries ahead of time. These taste best the same day you assemble them. If you want a sweeter version, add more sugar to the cream and place more sugar on top of the egg washed biscuits before baking them.

The recipe and detailed instructions are at the end of this post. For this recipe, we need bread flour, salt, baking powder, unsalted butter, an orange, heavy cream, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, strawberries, and powdered sugar. Looks like we have it all. Ready, set, bake…

I quadrupled the recipe for a special event, so the amounts in the picture are not per the recipe.

Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder in your mixing bowl. (You could use a whisk instead.) Using the paddle attachment add the butter and mix until the butter is the size of peas.

Stir the orange zest into the cream and pour into the flour mixture. Mix only until a soft dough is formed (this takes less than 20 seconds, don’t over mix). Place dough on a floured work surface.

Using your hands pat out to a 6-inch square and give the dough a single turn. Roll the dough into a rectangle measuring 3 1/2 x 9 inches and about 3/4 an inch thick.

Cut the stip of dough in half lengthwise. Cut each half into 4 triangles and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush the tops with the egg wash, then sprinkle with the granulated sugar. Bake the biscuits at 400°F (205°C) for about 15 minutes.

Cool baked biscuits on a rack. Clean and hull the strawberries. Cut the berries into thin slices lengthwise, cover and save for later. You can prepare the strawberries ahead of time or while the biscuits are baking.

Whip the heavy cream, 4 teaspoons (20 g) sugar, and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Depending on the sweetness of your strawberries, or if you prefer a sweeter version, you may want to add more sugar than the recipe calls for. Place in a pastry bag with the tip of your choice.

Cut one of the biscuits in half horizontally. Pipe the whipped cream onto the bottom half, coving it with a zig-zag pattern. Cover the cream with sliced strawberries. Pipe a second layer of cream on top of the berries. Make a second layer of berries. Place the top of the biscuit on the top and dust with powdered sugar. Repeat with the remaining biscuits.