Strawberry Shortcakes with Peppery Buttermilk Biscuits
Strawberry shortcake is one of my forever favorite summer desserts. It’s perfectly simple, celebratory of the season, and always welcome at the table. Every summer when the roadside stands would pop up, my mom and I would always stop for pints of these juicy, sweet summer jewels. It was always exciting to watch her sprinkle them with extra sugar and layer them over top of fresh scones or store-bought shortcakes.
So with summer in full swing and strawberries at their sun-warmed and deeply sweet peak, we’re leaning into my childhood favorite dessert and pairing them with buttery, peppery buttermilk biscuits that are flaky and just lemony enough to balance the sweetness. A big spoonful of whipped cream is a must and few torn leaves of basil and mint brighten it up even more! It’s a dessert made for eating outside, or at least imagining you are despite the foggy weather of San Francicso summers.
Shortcake Tips
Biscuit dough can be mixed, shaped and frozen so double your batch and tuck a few away in the freezer for later. Just defrost in the fridge overnight then add a few extra minutes to the bake time to account for the colder dough.
The whipped cream can be made a few hours in advance and stored in the fridge to save some time.
Don’t skip the herbs! The aromatic balance of mint and basil plays well with the peppery biscuits and sweet strawberries.
Strawberry Shortcakes with Peppery Buttermilk Biscuits
With summer in full swing and strawberries at their sun-warmed and deeply sweet peak, we’re leaning into a favorite summer dessert and pairing them with buttery, peppery buttermilk biscuits that are flaky and just lemony enough to balance the sweetness. A big spoonful of whipped cream is a must and few torn leaves of basil and mint brighten it up even more! It’s a dessert made for eating outside, or at least imagining you are despite the foggy weather of San Francisco summers.
Ingredients
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 pints strawberries
- 2 tablespoons cane sugar
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 lemons, zested
- 1 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
- 1 cup buttermilk, plus 1 tablespoon
- Flakey salt
- Mint leaves
- Basil leaves
- 2 cups of heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 4 tablespoons of powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place a large glass bowl in the fridge.
- Cut 12 tablespoons of cold butter into small cubes and return them to the fridge to keep cold.
- Wash, core, and slice 2 pints of strawberries. Place in a bowl, add 1 tablespoon sugar and toss to evenly coat. Place the strawberries in the fridge and let the sugar do its magic (macerate) while you bake the biscuits.
- In a large bowl, whisk together 2½ cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons kosher salt, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 tablespoon sugar, 2 teaspoons baking soda, the zest of 2 lemons, and 1 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper.
- Add in the chilled cubed butter. Using a biscuit cutter or the back of a fork, work the butter into the dry ingredients until the butter is pea-sized and looks like chunky sand. (You can also use your hands for this step, smashing the butter between your thumb and forefinger but you may need to chill the dough after, you don't want it to melt)
- Make a hole in the middle of your dry ingredients and add 1 cup of buttermilk. Use a fork to stir the flour into the buttermilk until it clumps together and is too hard to stir.
- Using your hands, knead the dough a few times in the bowl until the loose floury bits are worked into a shaggy dough ball. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead a few more times until the dough comes together into an almost loosey goosey ball.
- Pat the dough into a 6" by 6" square. Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces, stack them all up, and evenly press down to begin forming the flaky layers.
- Press the dough into a 6" by 6" square again. Cut into 4 equal pieces, stack and press down.
- Form into an 8" x 6" rectangle. Cut the dough in half longwise. Cut each half into 3 equal pieces to form 6 biscuits total.
- Transfer the biscuits to the prepared baking sheet. Brush the biscuits with some extra buttermilk (about a tablespoon in total), crack a little more black pepper over top, and finish with a big sprinkle of flaky salt.
- Bake the biscuits until fluffy and lightly golden brown, about 20-22 minutes. Allow to cool for a few minutes.
- While the biscuits are cooling, make the whipped cream. Add 2 cups of heavy whipping cream, ½ cup buttermilk, and 4 tablespoons of powdered sugar to the chilled glass mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer, whip on medium speed for about 5 minutes until stiff peaks form. Store in the fridge until ready to use.
- To assemble, roughly chop a small handful of fresh mint and basil leaves and toss them into the macerated strawberries. Split the biscuit in half and place the bottom half in a bowl. Add and big dollop of the whipped cream, spoon over some of the strawberries, garnish with a few extra basil leaves and finish with the biscuit top.
