Strawberry Shortcake For One

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

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.

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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.

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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

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:

1. Rinse the strawberries well (see the Preparing Strawberries section above).
2. After rinsing, gently blot dry with a towel or a paper towel.
3. Slice the stem off the top of the berry.
4. Place the cut side down on a baking sheet lined with wax paper or parchment paper.
5. Place uncovered in the freezer until completely frozen, at least 2 hours. This keeps the berries from sticking together when you store them.
6. 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

For more information on the cooking and baking dishes I use in our “recipes for one”, please visit our FAQ page.

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If you’ve tried this strawberry shortcake or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.

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