Strawberry Shortcakes with Lemon Buttermilk Biscuits | Erdbeer-Shortcake mit Zitronen-Buttermilch-Biscuits

Strawberry Shortcake (Made with True Shortcake Biscuits)

Strawberry shortcake is a classic dessert made with lightly sweetened strawberries layered between tender, buttery shortcake biscuits and fresh whipped cream. A true shortcake is a biscuit-style pastry—not a sponge cake—and has a crisp top, a soft crumb, and a delicate richness from butter. It’s one of the oldest American summer desserts, with roots in early European baking traditions.

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 What Makes a Real Shortcake?

A shortcake is a biscuit or scone-style dough made with:
• flour
• butter or shortening
• milk or buttermilk
• baking powder
• a little sugar

The term short refers to the shortening (fat) that tenderizes the dough and keeps it crumbly rather than bready.

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A Brief History

• Shortcakes appeared in Europe as early as the late 1500s.
• Shakespeare referenced shortcake in The Merry Wives of Windsor.
• The earliest strawberry shortcake recipe dates to 1847.
• In the U.S., strawberry shortcake became a summer tradition around 1850, when strawberry farms expanded and rail transport made berries widely available.
• By the early 1900s, strawberry shortcake was a national dessert, with entire “shortcake parties” held to celebrate the berry season.

Today, biscuit-style shortcake remains the classic version.

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Strawberry Shortcakes with Lemon Buttermilk Biscuits

The following recipe features tender lemon–buttermilk biscuits paired with macerated strawberries and lightly sweetened whipped cream. The dough is quick to prepare and bakes into soft, flaky layers perfect for holding juicy berries.

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Lemon Buttermilk Biscuits (for Strawberry Shortcake)

Ingredients

Biscuits

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 5 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small cubes
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice

Strawberries

• 2 pints fresh strawberries, sliced
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon Amaretto or Grand Marnier (optional)

Whipped Cream

• 1 pint heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon sugar

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Instructions

1. Make the biscuits

1. Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C).

2. In a large bowl sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt.

3. Cut in the cold butter using a pastry cutter or fork until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs or dry oatmeal.

4. Stir in the lemon zest.

5. Add the buttermilk and lemon juice and mix gently until the dough begins to come together.

6. Turn the dough onto a floured surface. Knead lightly for no more than 30 seconds.

7. Roll out to 1/2-inch thickness and cut into biscuits (3-inch cutter). Re-roll scraps once to make 8 biscuits total.

8. Optional: brush tops with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar.

9. Bake 10–12 minutes, until lightly golden. Cool completely.

2. Prepare the strawberries

Slice the berries and mix with sugar and the liqueur. Let stand at least 1 hour so they release their juices.

3. Whip the cream

Beat the heavy cream with sugar until soft peaks form.

4. Assemble the shortcakes

Split the cooled biscuits. Layer the bottom half with strawberries and cream, then place the biscuit top over the filling. Serve immediately.

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Tips for the Best Strawberry Shortcake

• Do not overwork the dough—this keeps the biscuits tender.
• Let the strawberries macerate long enough to create natural syrup (“strawberry sauce”).
• Add orange zest, orange juice, or a splash of liqueur for extra flavor.
• Roll biscuits to 3/4 inch for taller, bakery-style shortcakes.

Erdbeer-Shortcake mit Zitronen-Buttermilch-Biscuits

Ein echter Strawberry Shortcake wird nicht mit Biskuitkuchen zubereitet, sondern mit einem zarten, buttrigen Shortcake-Biscuit. Diese amerikanische Dessertklassik kombiniert säuerlich-frische Erdbeeren, luftig geschlagene Sahne und warme, weiche Biscuits – ein traditionelles Sommerdessert mit langer Geschichte.

Schon im 16. Jahrhundert tauchten „short cakes“ in Europa auf, und Shakespeares The Merry Wives of Windsor erwähnt sie ebenfalls. In den USA entwickelte sich ab etwa 1850 die Tradition des Strawberry Shortcake als Festessen zur Eröffnung der Erdbeersaison. Die Kombination aus knusprigem Biscuit, saftigen Erdbeeren und Sahne gilt bis heute als einer der beliebtesten Sommerklassiker.

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Zitronen-Buttermilch-Biscuits

Zutaten

Biscuits:
• 2 Tassen Mehl
• 1 EL Backpulver
• 1/2 TL Natron
• 2 EL Zucker
• 1/2 TL Salz
• 5 EL kalte Butter, gewürfelt
• 3/4 Tasse Buttermilch
• 2 TL Zitronenabrieb
• 2 TL Zitronensaft

Erdbeeren:
• 500 g Erdbeeren, in Scheiben
• 1 EL Zucker
• 1 TL Amaretto oder Grand Marnier (optional)

Sahne:
• 1 Becher Schlagsahne
• 1 TL Zucker

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Zubereitung

1. Biscuits zubereiten

1. Backofen auf 220°C (425°F) vorheizen.

2. Mehl, Backpulver, Natron, Zucker und Salz mischen.

3. Die Butter mit einem Pastry-Cutter einarbeiten, bis die Mischung groben Krümeln ähnelt.

4. Zitronenabrieb zugeben.

5. Buttermilch und Zitronensaft einrühren, nur bis der Teig gerade zusammenkommt.

6. Teig auf bemehlter Fläche kurz (!) kneten – maximal 30 Sekunden.

7. Auf 1,5 cm ausrollen und Kreise ausstechen.

8. Optional: Mit geschmolzener Butter bestreichen und mit etwas Zucker bestreuen.

9. 10–12 Minuten backen, bis die Oberfläche leicht goldbraun ist.

2. Erdbeeren marinieren

Mit Zucker und Liqueur mischen und 1 Stunde durchziehen lassen.

3. Sahne schlagen

Mit dem Zucker steif schlagen.

4. Shortcakes zusammensetzen

Biscuits halbieren, die Unterseite mit Erdbeeren und Sahne füllen, Deckel daraufsetzen. Sofort servieren.