Sweet and Tender Strawberry Shortcake Biscuits

Sweet and tender buttermilk biscuits, baked in a cast iron skillet, form the base of this classic Southern summertime dessert - strawberry shortcake! Layered with fresh strawberries and topped with homemade whipped cream, these strawberry shortcake biscuits are the perfect southern summertime dessert! Simply follow step-by-step instructions for assembling this flavorful dessert.

I am not the biggest sweets fan (except when I was pregnant then baby really changed haha!) but there are some desserts that I just can't say no to. Pound cake or warm blueberry cobbler with vanilla ice cream and fruit pizza are all some of my favorite sweet treats - ESPECIALLY during the summer!

And what is more classic and southern that screams summer than strawberry shortcake?! It is such an easy no-fuss recipe that everyone loves.

• tender and sweet buttermilk biscuits
• in-season ripe summer strawberries that have been marinated with some sugar to make a sticky sweet syrup that soaks right into the biscuits
• and a huge pile of fluffy homemade whipped cream!

Man oh man - this is just what is needed with a cold bubbly glass of rose after a day in the sun by the pool with friends and family. If you are throwing a summer soiree, dinner party, picnic, or any type of get-together - strawberry shortcake biscuits are the perfect sweet ending to the meal!

Key Ingredient Notes

As a Southern cook, strawberry shortcake is a staple summertime dessert. I have made this hundreds of times with angel food cake as a base, pound cake, the little circle cakes from the grocery, and these sweet buttermilk biscuits. Here are a couple of ingredient tips I have learned along the way.

• Strawberries - if you can get local farm fresh strawberries this will taste 1000x better! I can eat a whole pint of them in one sitting they are so good! But if you do not have access to them or they aren't in season, fresh strawberries from the grocery will work perfectly as well.
• Homemade Whipped Cream - trust me on this, you want to make your own whipped cream for this recipe! No Cool Whip or Ready Whip over here!! Making your own is so easy and only requires 5 minutes and 2 ingredients and it tastes 100000x better! You will never go back to the fake stuff again - promise!
• Baking Powder - make sure you have fresh baking powder - like within the past 6 months. I write the date on the lid so I don't forget to replace it every 6 months, even if it isn't used all the way (and it usually isn't). If you have old baking powder, this will affect the rise of the biscuits - they will not turn out as tall and tender as they should.
• Baking Soda - same as the baking powder - this needs to be fresh!
• Buttermilk -   no need to go out and get this specifically from the store. Make your own buttermilk at home in just 5 minutes. Way easier and what I do 99% of the time I need buttermilk for a recipe - which is often in southern cooking 😉

Equipment Needed

You will need a couple of tools that will make this recipe just a bit easier.

• Pastry Cutter - this will help cut the fat into the dough making it ultra tender and flaky
• Food Processor - alternatively, you can also use a food processor to chop up the butter in the flour. This way is a little faster - both work and just a personal preference. I do both
• Rolling Pin
• Biscuit Cutter or Cookie Cutter - the tool needed for cutting out the biscuits
• Cast Iron Skillet - the key to cooking these biscuits
• Pastry Scraper - I use this to slice the biscuits for this recipe (a knife can also be used), but also to clean off the countertops after.

To use a pastry cutter or a food processor for this recipe? It is a personal preference and I have done both! I grew up only using a pastry cutter and cutting in the fats by hand in a large bowl. But I have also used a food processor to make it a little faster. If using a food processor though - only use it to cut the butter into the flour! After that, transfer it to a large bowl and add the rest by hand so that the dough will not be overworked and tough. Do not the buttermilk to the food processor, and use that to mix! It will overwork it and will not result in tender tall biscuits.

Using a cast iron skillet to bake biscuits is what has been done in my family for generations. It gives it the perfectly baked bottom and just overall better flavor - while I have no way to prove that, it's just what has been done for generations and I continue to do the same.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Homemade Biscuit-Making Tips

It can be easy to mess up homemade biscuits. Here are some tips that will help you in your baking process.

• ONE - do not overwork the dough! This is the most important tip! To keep strawberry shortcake biscuits tender and soft - so the key is you CANNOT overwork the tender dough. Bring together the dough with your hands and use gentle pressure with the rolling pin. You do not want to be squeezing, pressing, rolling hard, and bringing the dough together a bunch. This will result in dense biscuits that will not be tender and rise tall. The dough will be crumbly throughout the process and that is ok and correct.
• TWO - use cold fats. Using cold butter will help the biscuits have a tender flaky texture. When the cold butter pieces hit the hot heat of the oven, the water in the butter will evaporate leaving pockets of air that will create the flaky layers we love. If the butter gets too warm throughout the process this will hinder this from happening. It is important that your butter and buttermilk be straight out of the fridge and that you work quickly with the dough. If it has been out a while, pop the biscuits in the freezer for 10 minutes after you have brushed them with melted butter and topped them with coarse sugar before baking to help them chill again.
• THREE - cutting the fats into small pieces. You want to make sure the biscuit dough resembles a crumbly texture with pea-sized butter pieces cut into the dough before adding the buttermilk. By having small pieces of fat in the dough, you are ensuring a tender and flaky biscuit every time. Using a pastry cutter or a food processor will make this easy to do.
• FOUR - prepping your skillet - on a paper towel, take some lard or shortening and rub it all around your cast iron skillet before placing the biscuits it. This helps prep the pan and prevents the biscuits from sticking to the bottom while baking.

This recipe yields 10 biscuits and is perfect for a summertime dessert after a long day in the sun with your friends and family. To make ahead of time, bake and cool the biscuits. Place on a baking sheet and place in the freezer for 30 minutes to flash freeze. Put the frozen biscuits in a freezer-safe ziptop bag sealed airtight for 6 months. To thaw - move to fridge for 24 hours before use. Make the strawberries and whipped cream up to 24 hours before serving or the day of.

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