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Indulge in a scrumptious, single-serving strawberry shortcake using our foolproof, customizable recipe. Experience dessert bliss in every bite!
When you’re craving something sweet and satisfying but don’t want the hassle of making an elaborate dessert, this strawberry shortcake recipe for one is perfect. Enjoy a classic treat without the stress of leftovers or complicated preparation
Table of Contents
- What Is A Strawberry Shortcake?
- Why This Recipe Works
- What Is The Difference Between A Cake And A Shortcake?
- Ingredients In Strawberry Shortcake
- Ingredient Notes
- How To Prepare Strawberries For Strawberry Shortcake
- How To Make Strawberry Shortcake
- Expert Tips
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Variations
- Freezing Strawberries
- Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
- Strawberry Shortcake For One Recipe
What Is A Strawberry Shortcake?
Strawberry shortcake is a delightful dessert typically consisting of a sweet biscuit or cake layered with fresh strawberries and whipped cream. This popular dessert offers a delicious balance of flavors and textures, with the tender cake, juicy strawberries, and creamy whipped cream working in perfect harmony.
Strawberry shortcake has a long and cherished history. It traces its roots back to early European strawberry desserts and the British tradition of serving sweet biscuits or cakes with cream and fruit. The dish gained popularity in America during the 19th century and has become a beloved summertime treat.
Why This Recipe Works
- Use fresh or frozen strawberries: This strawberry shortcake recipe is the perfect recipe to use when you have fresh strawberries on hand. If it’s not strawberry season, use frozen and thawed strawberries instead.
- Easy to customize: Although this is a made-from-scratch strawberry shortcake recipe, feel free to use a different kind of fruit instead. I love using peaches to make a peach shortcake or adding a mixture of fruit to make a mixed fruit shortcake.
- Easy to make: You’ll be surprised by how quickly this dessert comes together. The shortcake is as easy to make as a homemade biscuit and it bakes in less than 15 minutes!
- Recipe doubles well: If you’d like to make extra, just double the ingredient amounts.
RELATED: 15 Easy Single Serving Dessert Recipes
What Is The Difference Between A Cake And A Shortcake?
Some people love their strawberry shortcake made with cake, while others (myself included!) prefer a strawberry shortcake made with a biscuit. I like using a biscuit because it stands up nicely to the moisture of the strawberries and the whipped cream.
My mother always made shortcakes with Bisquick baking mix and while they were always delicious, there’s nothing better than a lightly sweetened homemade biscuit made from scratch. It’s so easy too – definitely skip the mix and make your own.
In many parts of the world, the word biscuit refers to a cookie. In the United States, a biscuit is similar to a scone that is crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.
Ingredients In Strawberry Shortcake
Ingredient Notes
See below for ways to use leftover ingredients.
- Flour: Use all-purpose flour. To make gluten-free strawberry shortcake, I recommend using King Arthur, Measure For Measure Gluten-Free Flour.
- Sugar: A small amount of sugar sweetens the shortcake biscuit.
- Baking powder and baking soda: These ingredients help the biscuit to rise.
- Cinnamon and salt: For flavor.
- Butter: Use cold salted butter. Keep the butter in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it. Cold butter is essential in making the best-tasting biscuits. It ensures the biscuit will be flaky with crisp edges.
- Milk: Regular milk or dairy-free milk like almond or soy milk can be used.
- Strawberries: I use about 1/4 cup of fresh sliced strawberries.
- Whipped cream: You can use store-bought but I would encourage you to make your own. Homemade whipped cream can be made with just heavy cream or heavy whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla extract (optional). Unlike store-bought whipped cream, you control the amount of sugar. A dairy-free whipped cream alternative works well too.
- Powdered sugar (optional, for topping)
This is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why I used them. For the full recipe please scroll down to the recipe box at the bottom of the post.
How To Prepare Strawberries For Strawberry Shortcake
- Select firm, fully red strawberries. Strawberries do not continue to ripen after picking.
- Store your strawberries in the refrigerator and keep them dry until you are ready to use them.
- Wash the strawberries. The simplest and quickest way to wash strawberries is to rinse each berry thoroughly under cold, running water. Do this by placing the strawberries in a colander, then pick up each strawberry and rub it gently with your fingers to remove dirt. Pat the strawberries dry with a paper towel.
- Another way to wash strawberries is through a vinegar wash. I use vinegar to clean most of my produce. This method cleans off any pesticide residue. In a bowl, mix four parts of water with one part of vinegar (I use either apple cider vinegar or white vinegar). Let the strawberries soak in the bowl for 10 minutes. Then, rinse the strawberries thoroughly with fresh cold water.
- Cut off the stem and leaves. This is called hulling a strawberry. Use a sharp knife to cut off the top part and then slice the strawberries.
How To Make Strawberry Shortcake
These step-by-step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make a single strawberry shortcake. See the recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
See the recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
- Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Make the biscuit: Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a medium-sized bowl.
- Cut the butter into small pieces and add them to the bowl. Blend in the butter using your fingers, a pastry cutter, a fork, or a food processor until coarse crumbs form.
Pro Tip: I always use my fingers to rub the butter and flour together. The technique is easy and effective.
- Pour in the milk and stir until the mixture is just combined. If the dough appears too wet, add an additional 1/2 tablespoon of flour.
Pro Tip: The secret to a tender shortcake biscuit dough is to go easy on the mixing. Stir until the dough comes together, a few lumps are okay.
- Spoon the dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or Silpat and shape it into a circle.
- Bake until the biscuit is golden brown, 12-15 minutes. Let it cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes.
- Transfer the biscuit to a cooling rack to continue cooling for about 10 minutes.
- Assemble the strawberry shortcake: Slice the biscuit in half, spoon the sliced strawberries on the bottom half, and top with whipped cream. Place the top half of the biscuit over the whipped cream and dust with powdered sugar, if desired.
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Expert Tips
- Don’t wash your berries until you are ready to use them. Washing makes them more likely to spoil quickly.
- Use cold ingredients: The trick to making a perfect shortcake biscuit every time is to ensure your ingredients are cold. Don’t take the butter, milk, or eggs out of the refrigerator until you are ready to make the biscuit.
- Don’t overwork the dough. Once you add in the milk stir the dough very little to combine. Remember to handle the dough as little as possible. Over-mixing the dough will lead to a chewy biscuit instead of a light and flaky one.
- Measure ingredients correctly: It’s so important to measure flour properly when you are baking cakes and breads. To measure flour correctly, use a spoon to scoop flour into a dry measuring cup and slightly overfill. Then, use the back of a knife or other straight-edged utensil to level the flour across the cup. Do not scoop the flour. When you scoop, the flour gets packed too tightly and you will end up with more flour than the recipe calls for.
- Want to use cake instead of a biscuit for the shortcake? No problem, use our easy mini pound cake recipe or our single white cake recipe instead of making the biscuit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. The shortcake biscuit can be stored covered in the refrigerator but is best eaten a day or so after baking.
Although I prefer using fresh strawberries in this strawberry shortcake recipe, you can use frozen and thawed strawberries if fresh is not available to you.
Macerating can add flavor to strawberries by coating the berries with sugar. This helps to draw out the juices making a sweet syrup.
Years ago, I used to macerate the strawberries in this recipe but I don’t do it anymore. I prefer a strawberry shortcake that isn’t too sweet and love the fresh taste of just the strawberries.
If you want to macerate the berries, place the sliced strawberries in a small bowl. Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon of the sugar over the top and stir gently. Set the bowl aside while you make the biscuit dough.
You can use whipped cream purchased from the grocery store but homemade whipped cream takes just minutes to make and tastes so rich and wonderful.
Check out our small batch whipped cream recipe to see just how easy it is to make homemade whipped cream.
Yes! If you’d like to make individual strawberry shortcakes, double or triple the ingredients in this recipe to make more.
Variations
- Strawberry Lemon Shortcake: Prepare the shortcake as directed, except stir in 1/2 teaspoon of finely shredded lemon peel into the flour mixture after cutting in the butter.
- Mixed Berry Shortcake: Prepare strawberry shortcake as directed, except substitute 1/4 cup of mixed fresh berries (blueberries, raspberries, and/or blackberries) for the strawberries.
- Peach Shortcake: Prepare the strawberry shortcake as directed, except substitute fresh sliced peaches for the strawberries.
- Banana Shortcake: Prepare as directed, except substitute sliced bananas or sauté the bananas in butter and brown sugar and make a Bananas Foster Shortcake.
- Apple Shortcake: Prepare as directed, except make a small batch of fried apples to use instead of strawberries.
Freezing Strawberries
Strawberries freeze very well and freezing them is the best way to store them to enjoy later. Here’s how to freeze strawberries:
- Rinse the strawberries well (see the Preparing Strawberries section above).
- After rinsing, gently blot dry with a towel or a paper towel.
- Slice the stem off the top of the berry.
- Place the cut side down on a baking sheet lined with wax paper or parchment paper.
- Place uncovered in the freezer until completely frozen, at least 2 hours. This keeps the berries from sticking together when you store them.
- Once frozen solid, place the berries in a freezer-safe storage container. Once packed, store in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this single strawberry shortcake recipe, you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
- Strawberries: Strawberry Scones, Watermelon Strawberry Sorbet, Strawberry Ice Cream, Avocado Salad With Berries, Strawberry Milkshake, Fruit Quesadilla
- Cinnamon: Snickerdoodles, Apple Dutch Baby, Mini Cherry Pie, Mini Tres Leches Cake
- Milk: Rice Pudding, Apple Cider Donuts, Blueberry Cobbler, Coffee Cake
- Whipped Cream: Mini French Silk Pie, Peach Crisp, Banana Cream Pie, Blueberry Crumble
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Recipe
Strawberry Shortcake For One
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons salted butter , cold
- 2 tablespoons milk
- ¼ cup sliced strawberries
- whipped cream (homemade or store-bought)
- Optional: powdered sugar for topping
For the whipped cream
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a medium-sized bowl.
- Cut the butter into small pieces and add them to the bowl. Blend in the butter using your fingers, a pastry cutter, a fork, or a food processor until coarse crumbs form.
- Pour in the milk and stir until the mixture is just combined.The secret to a tender shortcake biscuit dough is to go easy on the mixing. Stir until the dough comes together, a few lumps are okay.
- Spoon the dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or Silpat and shape it into a circle.
- Bake until the biscuit is golden brown, 12-15 minutes. Let it cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes.
- Transfer the biscuit to a cooling rack to continue cooling for about 10 minutes.
- Assemble the strawberry shortcake: Slice the biscuit in half, spoon the sliced strawberries on the bottom half, and top with whipped cream. Place the top half of the biscuit over the whipped cream and dust with powdered sugar, if desired.
Video
Notes
- Don’t wash your berries until you are ready to use them. Washing makes them more likely to spoil quickly.
- Use cold ingredients: The trick to making a perfect shortcake biscuit every time is to ensure your ingredients are cold. Don’t take the butter, milk, or eggs out of the refrigerator until you are ready to make the biscuit.
- Don’t overwork the dough. Once you add in the milk stir the dough very little to combine. Remember to handle the dough as little as possible. Over-mixing the dough will lead to a chewy biscuit instead of a light and flaky one.
- Measure ingredients correctly: It’s so important to measure flour properly when you are baking cakes and breads. To measure flour correctly, use a spoon to scoop flour into a measuring cup and slightly overfill. Then, use the back of a knife or other straight-edged utensil to level the flour across the cup. Do not scoop the flour. When you scoop, the flour gets packed too tightly and you will end up with more flour than the recipe calls for.
- Want to use cake instead of a biscuit for the shortcake? No problem, use our easy mini pound cake recipe instead of making the biscuit.
- Use either store-bought or homemade whipped cream.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Love this recipe! I never want to bother making desserts for myself, but this is so easy. I use my small cuisinart , and pop them in my toaster oven. Voila! I have dessert for 2 days.
Excellent! The warm biscuit is soft, buttery and tender. As shown in the video it has a tendency to crumble slightly. The outside crust is delicious. I made the biscuit a few hours ahead, froze it, then baked straight from the freezer. Because it was frozen when it went into the oven it took about 20 minutes to bake. I added a few drops of fiori di sicilia to the whipped cream.
Very easy recipe for the biscuit and actually makes enough dough to make two smaller biscuits or one good sized one. It’s makes a very tender biscuit. I added orange zest to the biscuit dough and macerated the berries in brown sugar and a little orange juice. I’ve been craving strawberry shortcake for a couple of weeks and this hit the spot!
Thank you! I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
Love your recipes and always love when I can say….thank you for helping those of us who are “home alone” finding ways to enjoy meals and treats that satisfy and yet are easy to prepare and don’t cost an arm and leg to pull together!
Terrific recipe.
Absolutely delicious. Reminds me of the shortcake my mom used to make.