This old-fashioned shortcake recipe for strawberry shortcake skips the dry biscuits—bake it as one buttery shortbread-style cake and cut into wedges or squares. Crisp outside, chewy inside, and perfect with berries and whipped cream!
My favorite Homemade Strawberry Shortcake
If I’m being honest (and I’m always honest)… I’ve never really been a fan of traditional strawberry shortcake. I know—shocking! I love a good biscuit and adore strawberries, but every shortcake I’ve tried has been dry and bland. Then one night at book club, my friend Misti served this shortcake-cookie hybrid, and everything changed. It was buttery and crisp on the outside, soft and chewy in the center—now that’s a shortcake I can get behind. Waaayyy better than store-bought!
Success Tips for the Best Shortcake Recipe for Strawberry Shortcake
- Don’t overmix – A light hand keeps the shortcake tender and prevents it from getting tough.
- Bake it as one big cake – Skip the fuss of individual biscuits and cut it into squares or wedges after baking.
- Keep the butter cold – This helps create those crisp, golden edges and a soft, chewy middle.
- No biscuit cutter, stand mixer or hand mixer required!
Easy Shortcake Recipe Ingredients
- All-purpose flour: I always use organic, unbleached all-purpose flour for my baked goods, unless otherwise specified.
- Sugar: I used organic pure cane sugar; it’s a bit more coarse, but I love the caramel notes. You may use white granulated sugar.
- Baking Powder & Salt: I use aluminum-free baking powder and kosher salt.
- Butter: I used salted butter, but if using unsalted butter add ¼ teaspoon of salt to your dough.
- Egg: Adds richness and lift for the strawberry shortcake cake!
- Vanilla Extract: Just a touch, because vanilla!
- Milk: I used organic whole milk. I haven’t tested with a lower fat%, let me know if you try it! You may also use ½ & ½ and cold heavy cream.
- Strawberries: kind of a must for this easy Strawberry shortcake!
- Homemade Whipping Cream: Optional, but it lends to a delicious strawberry and cream-tasting dessert. You’ll need heavy whipping cream, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar.
Get the full recipe in the recipe card below.
Why You’ll Love This Easy Shortcake Recipe
- Not Your Typical Shortcake – This isn’t a fluffy biscuit-style dessert. It’s baked in a cake pan, but the texture is more like a sweet scone or buttery shortbread cookie—chewy, crisp on the edges, and just sweet enough. It’s become my go-to version, and readers have said it reminds them of their grandma’s or even their Amish neighbors’ recipe!
- Hint of Nutmeg – Just a touch of fresh nutmeg enhances the simple ingredients and adds a cozy, old-fashioned flavor.
- One-Pan Easy – No biscuit cutters or scoops needed. Just press the dough into a pan, bake, slice, and serve. It’s an easy, crowd-pleasing dessert—especially with fresh strawberries and whipped cream.
How to make Homemade Shortcake from Scratch
I think of this as more of a strawberry shortcake cake, make it in a square pan for strawberry cookies or bars. Preheat oven to 425°F (220 ° C) and grease a 9 or 8″ baking pan (round or square), or line with parchment paper.
Update: Just like in my orange scones recipe, I love grating the butter on a box grater, pop it in the freezer while you get the rest of the ingredients together.
Sift dry ingredients; flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and fresh grated nutmeg in a large bowl.
Using a pastry blender, food processor (do not overmix) or two knives or even your hands, cut in butter into small pieces until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
In a small bowl beat egg, vanilla and milk together.
Using a fork, gently stir into flour mixture just until blended.
Spread shortcake batter, pressing with your fingers evenly into the prepared baking pan. This is not a pourable cake batter, more like a sugar cookie dough.
Bake in preheated oven about 15-19 minutes for 8″ pan, a little less for a 9″ pan. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.
Pro Tip: Baking at a higher temperature yields a crisp, golden brown top and a gooey center. If you prefer a more typical shortcake texture, then reduce the temp to 350°F (175° C) and bake longer, test around 20-25 minutes.
Make Whipped Cream
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or large bowl with a hand mixer, on medium speed whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add powdered sugar and vanilla, increase the speed and whip until stiff peaks form.
Equipment
Ingredients
Shortcake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour I used organic unbleached AP Flour
- ¾ cup cane sugar may use white granulated sugar
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg substitute with ground nutmeg
- ½ cup butter cold, grated or cut into small cubes
- 1 large egg
- ⅓ cup whole milk you may also use heavy cream, half and half or other % (though won't be as rich)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Strawberries
- 16 – 24 ounces strawberries fresh ripe, quartered or diced
- 1 – 3 tablespoons cane sugar may use white sugar
Whipped Cream
- 1 cup heavy cream I use organic heavy whipping cream
- 1 – 3 tablespoons powdered sugar to taste
- ¼ – ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F (220 ° C) and grease 8 or 9" baking pan. See notes if a cakier shortcake is desired.
- Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and fresh grated nutmeg in a large mixing bowl. Using a pastry blender, food processor (careful not to over mix) or two knives or even your hands, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.2 cups all-purpose flour, ¾ cup cane sugar, 4 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg, ½ cup butter
- In a measuring cup, beat egg, vanilla and milk together. Using a fork, gently stir liquid into flour mixture, just until blended.
- Spread shortcake batter, pressing with your fingers evenly into prepared baking pan. This is not a pourable cake batter, more like a cookie dough.
- Bake in preheated oven about 15 minutes for 9" pan, 15-19 for 8" pan (see notes for cakier shortcake).
- Cool in pan for 10 minutes before inverting to wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, store the shortcake in airtight container on counter up to 5 days. Or wrap well in plastic wrap and place in ziplock baggie and freeze up to 3 months.
How to Assemble Strawberry Shortcake
- Cut fresh strawberries into quarters or smaller chunks, place in bowl, sprinkle with 1-3 tablespoons of sugar (to taste), tossing to coat. This process is called maceration. Cover and allow the strawberries to sit on the counter for 20 minutes.16 – 24 ounces strawberries, 1 – 3 tablespoons cane sugar
- If desired, remove ¼ cup of strawberries and mash with fork or masher, returning to the mixture.
- In the bowl of stand mixer or using a hand mixer, add heavy cream and whip on medium speed until soft peaks form, add vanilla and powdered sugar and increase speed to medium-high until stiff peaks form.1 cup heavy cream, 1 – 3 tablespoons powdered sugar, ¼ – ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Place slice of shortcake cake on plate or bowl, spoon desired amount of berries over the top, top with whipped cream, serve immediately!
Notes
Tips & Substitutions
- PAN OPTIONS • Our motto at TFC is “Make It Yours”! So try different pans, an 8×8 or 9×9 square, 7×11, press into a tart pan or maybe 1 ½ x the recipe and make it in a 9×13 inch pan.
- FRESH BERRIES • Nobody said you HAVE to use strawberries, try fresh cherries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, heck even mango, apricots, peaches, nectarines and pineapple would be amazing! Of course you’d have to change the name. ????
- SPICE SWAP • Not a fan of nutmeg? Try a teaspoon of cinnamon, vanilla extract or leave out the spice all together.
- MAKE AHEAD • Make and cool the shortcake completely, then refrigerate (up to 7 days) or freeze (up to 3 months) in air tight container. In fact, many times shortbread recipes like this are better the next day.
- CHEWY PREFERENCE • My directions will yield one crispy outside, but chewy, gooey inside old-fashioned shortcake. see below baking if you want a different result:
- Crisp outside, chewy, gooey inside: Bake as directed.
- Cakier inside: Bake at 350-375°F for 20-30 minutes.
- Gluten-Free Strawberry Shortcake Cookie Recipe | Substitute the all-purpose flour with a good cup-for-cup GF Flour or my favorite variation is using half almond flour (or oat flour) and half Gluten-Free All-purpose flour.
- Vegan Strawberry Shortcake Recipe | Try using coconut oil or vegan butter in place of butter and plant based milk in place of whole milk and use a plant based whipped cream, omit the egg all together or use a your favorite vegan egg replacement.
Nutrition
Make a Strawberry Shortcake Bar Cookies or Slab Cake
If you do not want to fuss with making individual mini strawberry shortcake desserts, then I suggest you keep your cake in whatever-sized pan you chose, cool completely (very important), and then do the following:
- Spread a layer of macerated strawberries over the top of the shortcake, then spread a layer of whipped cream, garnishing with a few whole strawberries OR
- Flip it around and place the whipped cream on the shortcake first, then top with the strawberry mixture garnishing with fresh mint. Slice into fresh strawberry shortcake cookies and serve, refrigerate until ready to serve.
Storage Tips
Once cooled, store the shortcake in an airtight container on the counter up to 5 days. Or wrap well in plastic wrap and place in a ziplock baggie and freeze up to 3 months.
MAKE AHEAD • Make and cool the shortcake completely, then refrigerate (up to 7 days) or freeze (up to 3 months) in an air-tight container. Many times shortbread recipes like this are better the next day.
Tips & Variations
- PAN OPTIONS • Our motto at TFC is “Make It Yours”! So try different pans, an 8×8 or 9×9 square, 7×11, press into a tart pan or maybe make 1 ½ x the recipe and make it in a 9×13 inch pan.
- FRESH BERRIES • Nobody said you HAVE to use strawberries, try fresh cherries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, heck, even mango, apricots, peaches, nectarines, and pineapple would be amazing! Of course you’d have to change the name. 🤪
- SPICE SWAP • Not a fan of nutmeg? Try a teaspoon of cinnamon or leave out the spice altogether.
- CHEWY TEXTURE • My directions will yield one crispy outside, but chewy, gooey inside old-fashioned shortcake. see below baking if you want a different result:
- Crisp outside, chewy, gooey inside: Bake at 425°F (220 ° C) for 15 minutes
- Cakier inside: Bake at 350-375°F for 20-30 minutes.
- How to make a strawberry shortcake cake: Bake 2-3 of this recipe, cool each layer completely, then stack the cake on the bottom, add whipped cream and strawberry filling, continue layering and top with more whipped cream smoothing with a rubber spatula. Slice into wedges! YUM!
Gluten-Free Strawberry Shortcake Recipe
Substitute the all-purpose flour with a good cup-for-cup Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour or my favorite variation is using half almond flour (or oat flour) and half Gluten-Free All-Purpose flour.
Dairy-Free Strawberry Shortcake
Try using coconut oil or vegan butter in place of butter and plant-based milk in place of whole milk and use a plant-based whipped cream, omit the egg altogether, or use your favorite vegan egg replacement.
*I have not tried either of the two variations, but I believe with the nature of the shortcake it should still turn out fine.
High Altitude Strawberry Shortcake Adjustments
Increase the oven temperature to 450°F (230 °C) and start checking for doneness around 15-16 minutes. You want it golden on top, not browned.
Easy Strawberry Shortcake Recipe FAQs
The name “shortcake” is derived from an old English cooking definition of short which referred to something made crisp with the addition of fat. Traditional shortcake is made with butter, resulting in a crisp and dense texture without a big rise.
While similar, they are different. The difference is that shortcake is made with milk, egg and a chemical leavening agent such as baking powder, which gives it a different texture.
Shortbread (one of my most popular recipes!) is made with more butter, typically no leavening, liquid, or eggs, and is more of a cookie than a cake.
Cutting in is a term used when the desired result is a lighter biscuit-style baked good.
To cut in, cube or grate your butter and use a pastry blender, knives, or even your fingers to blend butter into small crumbs; it is not creamed in, and typically uses cold butter.
The process of sugar drawing out the liquid in the strawberries in this case.
How to Assemble Old-Fashioned Strawberry Shortcake
You can make this cake in a round or square pan, cut into triangles like I did, or into neat squares, then add the following:
- Cut fresh strawberries into quarters or smaller chunks. Combine strawberries, sprinkle with 1-3 tablespoons of sugar*, tossing to coat (try adding lemon zest from half a lemon too if you’d like). This process is called maceration*, pulling juices from the berries. Cover and allow the strawberries to sit on the counter for 20 minutes.
- If desired, remove ¼ cup of strawberries and mash them with a fork or masher, then return the mixture to the bowl. This will make it even juicier!
- Place a slice of shortcake cake on a plate or bowl, add sliced strawberries to the top of the shortcakes, finish with a dollop of homemade whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Serve immediately!
*Many recipes call for a lot more sugar when macerating strawberries; since this shortcake recipe is already sweet, I think a more tart strawberry adds a nice touch. Sweeten to taste.
Like this recipe?
Don’t forget to give it a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating and leave a comment below the recipe!
More great recipes using fresh fruit:
- Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake <– you read that right!
- Orange Scones
- Old-Fashioned Banana Pudding
- Buttermilk Rhubarb Bread
- Carrot Cake Cupcakes
- Raspberry Blueberry Scones
- Tropical Mango Fruit Salad
- Strawberry Apple Maple Salad
- Strawberry Ice Cream Cake
- Strawberry Cheesecake Pancakes
- A quick bread, Strawberry Bread with Strawberry Butter
Elisa
Love this Easy Strawberry Shortcake Cookie Recipe, looks delicious and is easy and quick. Perfect for summer days. Will try it soon. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Thank you!
Dannii
This was delicious. Such a great summer dessert.
Glad you liked it!
Shadi Hasanzadenemati
I’m always ready for a delicious dessert! Can’t wait to make it this weekend!
Hope you love it!
Sharon Chen
Thanks for the tip, I love the crispy top with a gooey center! It’s amazing!
So glad you loved it!
Beth
Holy cow, this was so good! I made it for dessert last night, and everyone is already asking when we’re going to have it again.
Yay!! Love hearing that!
Tasia ~ two sugar bugs
These shortcake cookies look incredible! I love the crisp outside with chewy center and the addition of nutmeg has to make them irresistible!
Yes, that is what I love so much about this too!
Tasia
Loving this cookie like shortcake!! I can’t wait to try it.
Tasia ~ two sugar bugs
Oh girl!! You know this shortcake has my name all over it! That texture looks so chewy and rich. I can’t wait to try it!
Haha, yes, don’t I know it, we are sisters in that way!!