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Imagine this: a light, fluffy biscuit, layered with sweet, juicy strawberries and topped with a dollop of whipped cream. That’s the joy of a strawberry shortcake for one, especially when it’s just for you! This single serve strawberry shortcake recipe hits all the right notes for a delightful, satisfying dessert without any fuss.
Craving more single serving strawberry recipes? Check out our mouth-watering Strawberry Crisp, our creamy Strawberry Milkshake, our refreshing Strawberry Watermelon Sorbet, or our sweet Fruit Quesadilla. If berries are your thing, don’t miss our assortment of Simple Berry Recipes for One, each bursting with berry goodness!
Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love This Easy Strawberry Shortcake Recipe
- Understanding Strawberry Shortcake: A Classic Dessert Explained
- Ingredients
- Preparing Strawberries For Strawberry Shortcake
- Recipe Variations
- How To Make A Strawberry Shortcake For One
- Expert Tips
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
- Strawberry Shortcake For One Recipe
Why You’ll Love This Easy Strawberry Shortcake Recipe
- Quick and Easy: This individual strawberry shortcake recipe comes together in under 30 minutes, perfect for a last-minute dessert craving.
- Uses Common Ingredients: You probably already have most of the ingredients on hand!
- Fresh and Flavorful: Sweet, fluffy biscuit, juicy strawberries, and creamy whipped cream – a flavor and texture explosion!
- Customizable: Feel free to swap the strawberries for other fruits like peaches or blueberries.
- Made-from-Scratch Goodness: This single serve strawberry shortcake recipe boasts a homemade biscuit that’s tastier and more rewarding than using a baking mix.
Understanding Strawberry Shortcake: A Classic Dessert Explained
What Is A Strawberry Shortcake?
Strawberry shortcake stands out as a classic dessert, adored for its perfect blend of flavors and textures. It typically features a sweet biscuit or cake base, layered with ripe, juicy strawberries and topped off with a generous swirl of whipped cream. This dessert is a real treat, with its soft cake, juicy strawberries, and creamy whipped cream all blending together perfectly.
The roots of strawberry shortcake stretch back to early European strawberry desserts and have evolved from the British tradition of serving sweet biscuits or cakes with cream and fruit. Gaining immense popularity in America during the 19th century, it has become a staple summertime favorite.
Cake vs. Shortcake: What’s the Difference?
Preferences vary when it comes to the base of a strawberry shortcake. Some love it with a cake base, while others, like me, prefer a biscuit base. The reason? A biscuit provides a sturdy foundation that holds up well against the moisture from the strawberries and the cream. Although many of us grew up enjoying shortcakes made with convenient Bisquick baking mix, the unbeatable taste of a lightly sweetened homemade biscuit is well worth the minimal extra effort.
In many parts of the world, ‘biscuit’ might conjure images of a cookie. However, in the United States, a biscuit is akin to a scone, known for its crisp exterior and soft, fluffy interior. Making your own homemade biscuit is easy and satisfying, and it really enhances the taste of a classic strawberry shortcake.
Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this single serving strawberry shortcake recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder.
- Flour: Stick with all-purpose flour. For a gluten-free version, King Arthur, Measure For Measure Gluten-Free Flour is a great choice.
- Sugar: Just a little sugar is needed to sweeten the shortcake biscuit.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda: These help the biscuit rise.
- Cinnamon and Salt: Added for flavor enhancement.
- Butter: Use cold, salted butter and keep it refrigerated until use. Cold butter is key to achieving flaky biscuits with crisp edges.
- Milk: You can use regular milk, or a dairy-free option like almond or soy milk.
- Strawberries: About 1/4 cup of fresh, sliced strawberries are ideal. Got extra strawberries? Add them to Sheet Pan Pancakes, a Strawberry Icebox Cake, a Trifle, or Knickerbocker Glory.
- Whipped Cream: While store-bought is an option, homemade whipped cream is recommended for better flavor. It’s simple to make with heavy cream or heavy whipping cream, a bit of sugar, and optional vanilla extract. Dairy-free alternatives also work well.
- Powdered Sugar: Optional, for topping.
Preparing Strawberries For Strawberry Shortcake
For the best individual strawberry shortcake, start with choosing the right strawberries and preparing them correctly:
- Selecting Strawberries: Choose firm, fully red strawberries. Remember, strawberries don’t ripen after being picked.
- Storing Strawberries: Keep them in the refrigerator and ensure they remain dry until you’re ready to use them.
- Washing Strawberries: The easiest way to wash them is by rinsing each berry under cold running water. Place them in a colander, gently rub each strawberry with your fingers to remove dirt, and then pat dry with a paper towel.
- Vinegar Wash Option: For a deeper clean, especially to remove any pesticide residue, use a vinegar wash. Mix four parts water with one part vinegar (I use apple cider vinegar) in a bowl. Soak the strawberries for 10 minutes, then rinse thoroughly with cold water.
- Prepping Strawberries: Hull the strawberries by cutting off the stem and leaves with a sharp knife. Then, slice the strawberries as needed for the recipe.
Recipe Variations
- Blueberry Shortcake: Substitute blueberries for the strawberries.
- Peach Shortcake: Substitute strawberries with sliced peaches for a summery flavor.
- Chocolate Chip Biscuit Shortcake: Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of chocolate chips to the biscuit dough for a fun twist.
- Banana Shortcake: Use the same recipe, but replace strawberries with sliced bananas, or prepare bananas foster as a substitute.
- Apple Shortcake: Follow the recipe as is, but instead of strawberries, use a small batch of fried apples as the topping.
- Vegan Shortcake: Use plant-based ingredients for a vegan-friendly dessert.
How To Make A Strawberry Shortcake For One
These step-by-step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make a single serving strawberry shortcake. See the recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- For the biscuit, in a medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
- Add small pieces of butter to the mixture. Use your fingers, a pastry cutter, a fork, or a food processor to blend the butter until the mix looks like coarse crumbs.
Pro Tip: Rubbing the butter and flour with your fingers is an easy, effective method.
- Gently pour in the milk, stirring just until combined. If the dough seems too wet, add an extra 1/2 tablespoon of flour.
Pro Tip: For tender a tender shortcake biscuit, mix lightly; it’s okay if the dough is a bit lumpy.
- Drop the dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silpat, and shape it into a circle.
- Bake until golden brown, about 12-15 minutes. Let it cool on the sheet for 5 minutes.
- Move the biscuit to a cooling rack and let it cool for another 10 minutes.
- To assemble: Cut the biscuit in half. On the bottom half, layer the sliced strawberries and whipped cream. Cover with the top half of the biscuit and, if you like, sprinkle powdered sugar on top.
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Expert Tips
- Wash Berries Just Before Using: Only wash your berries when you’re ready to use them. Washing them ahead of time can cause them to spoil faster.
- Keep Ingredients Cold: For the perfect shortcake biscuit, use cold ingredients. Take butter, milk, or eggs out of the fridge only when you’re about to make the biscuit.
- Avoid Overworking the Dough: After adding milk, stir the dough minimally. Too much handling can make the biscuits chewy instead of light and flaky.
- Accurate Ingredient Measurement: Proper flour measurement is crucial for baking. Spoon flour into a dry measuring cup, overfill slightly, and level off with a straight-edged utensil. Avoid scooping directly with the cup, as it compacts the flour and adds excess.
- Cake Base Alternative: If you prefer a cake base, try our easy mini pound cake or small white cake recipe instead of the biscuit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Prepare the components ahead, but assemble just before eating.
Yes, you can use frozen and thawed strawberries in this recipe if fresh ones aren’t available. Though I personally prefer fresh strawberries, frozen and thawed ones work well too.
Macerating strawberries by coating them in sugar draws out their juices, creating a sweet syrup. I used to macerate the strawberries for this recipe but stopped because I enjoy a less sweet, fresher strawberry taste. If you choose to macerate, simply sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon of sugar over your sliced strawberries in a bowl, stir gently, and let them sit while you prepare the biscuit dough.
Best enjoyed fresh, but you can store deconstructed components in the fridge.
Absolutely, you can double the quantities in this recipe.
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder or you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
If you’ve tried this mini 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.
If you take a picture please tag us on Instagram (@onedishkitchen) we’d love to see it!
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Strawberry Shortcake For One
Watch How To Make This
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
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- For the biscuit, in a medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
- Add small pieces of butter to the mixture. Use your fingers, a pastry cutter, a fork, or a food processor to blend the butter until the mix looks like coarse crumbs. Tip: Rubbing the butter and flour with your fingers is an easy, effective method.
- Gently pour in the milk, stirring just until combined. If the dough seems too wet, add an extra 1/2 tablespoon of flour. Tip: For tender biscuits, mix lightly; it's okay if the dough is a bit lumpy.
- Drop the dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silpat, and shape it into a circle.
- Bake until golden brown, about 12-15 minutes. Let it cool on the sheet for 5 minutes.
- Move the biscuit to a cooling rack and let it cool for another 10 minutes.
- To assemble: Cut the biscuit in half. On the bottom half, layer the sliced strawberries and whipped cream. Cover with the top half of the biscuit and, if you like, sprinkle powdered sugar on top.
Notes
- Wash Berries Just Before Using: Only wash your berries when you’re ready to use them. Washing them ahead of time can cause them to spoil faster.
- Keep Ingredients Cold: For the perfect shortcake biscuit, use cold ingredients. Take butter, milk, or eggs out of the fridge only when you’re about to make the biscuit.
- Avoid Overworking the Dough: After adding milk, stir the dough minimally. Too much handling can make the biscuits chewy instead of light and flaky.
- Accurate Ingredient Measurement: Proper flour measurement is crucial for baking. Spoon flour into a dry measuring cup, overfill slightly, and level off with a straight-edged utensil. Avoid scooping directly with the cup, as it compacts the flour and adds excess.
- Cake Base Alternative: If you prefer a cake base, try our easy mini pound cake or small white cake recipe instead of the biscuit.
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.
Is this recipe supposed to include an egg? I kept all my ingredients refrigerated and the dough was still cold when I added it to the sheet pan but it still spread, did not rise, and sort of crumbled. Seems like it needed an egg to hold it together?
Hi Lina, the shortcake is simply a biscuit and no egg is needed. As you can see from the photos and from the video, the biscuit should not spread. I would check to see if your baking powder is fresh. Baking powder is an ingredient that helps baked goods rise. If the shortcake did not rise, chances are that this leavening agent was the reason. The crumbling could be caused by more flour being added to the dough which disrupted the ratio of dry to wet ingredients. How was the flour measured? If you dip your measuring cup into your bag of flour and use it as a scoop, you often wind up with a too-tightly packed 1/2 cup of flour, giving you more flour than you need. Instead, we recommend spooning the flour from he bag and into the measuring cup, then use something with a flat edge, like a knife, to level it off before adding it to the mixing bowl.
The video says 1-2 Tablespoons sugar but the recipe on the link says 1-2 teaspoons. Which is correct? Also if you used powdered sugar which I usually use how much of that would you use?
I’m assuming you are asking about the whipped cream? Thank you for catching that. The beauty of making homemade whipped cream is that you control the sweetness. In all honesty, I never measure the amount of sugar I use when I make whipped cream for myself. I would suggest you start with adding 1-2 teaspoons of sugar to your cream, whip it slightly and taste it, if you would like the whipped cream to be sweeter, add more until it is as sweet as you like it. I don’t use powdered sugar in whipped cream, but I would think adding the same amount instead of granulated sugar would work just fine.
I still haven’t tried it but will definitely today or tomorrow but I think for the heavy cream if you add the sugar to the cream while it is still liquid it won’t become thick so it’s best to whip up the heavy cream and once its thick add sugar. just telling yall
Amy, I recommend adding the sugar with the cream to thicken. The cream will thicken up with the sugar added. If you add the sugar after the cream has thickened, you will taste the granules of sugar.
I adapted the recipe to make it gluten free and vegan. I used gluten free flour, vegan butter and almond milk. Used a little more than 2 tablespoons of milk. Turned out perfect! I cut it in half because the whole shortcake would have been too much for me at once. I am not a huge fan of whipped cream so didn’t make it. Definitely will make it again. Fast and easy to make for a great dessert!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the strawberry shortcake. Thanks so much for your feedback.
This was TO DIE FOR. So good! I divided it into two and it was the perfect amount for my husband and me.
I’m so happy you loved the strawberry shortcake! Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know.
Joanie
A dessert I don’t have to share. WINNER! I love strawberry shortcake. Now I can make it anytime I want.
Oh my gosh, love this! SO often I just want ONE, and not make a huge batch of strawberry shortcake. What a great recipe for a great summer dessert!
There is nothing like homemade whipped cream and totally worth the extra effort, in my opinion! Strawberry shortcake is one of my favorite summertime desserts and this version looks fantastic! Perfect for nights when my husband is working late and I want something sweet all for myself!
This tastes absolutely amazing! I defiantly need to make more than one.😉
Looks so delicious! I definitely whip homemade whipped cream for this beautiful cake 😀 Thank you for the recipe<3