Mom’s Classic Strawberry Shortcake

By Ann Fulton

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While this classic recipe is traditionally served as dessert, my family has long enjoyed it for the occasional dinner when local strawberries are in season. Served with milk or yogurt, it’s great for breakfast, too!

 

 

Growing up, making strawberry shortcake with freshly picked, local berries was tradition. 

My sister and I loved to toss the sliced berries with a few spoonfuls of sugar and watch as the natural juices accumulated into a rosy syrup. The texture of the modestly sweet shortcake was light and somewhere between a scone and actual cake. 

In those days, after spooning a generous amount of sweet, macerated berries and accompanying juices over the warm cake, we poured milk into the bottom of our bowls and ate it as one would enjoy cereal or stovetop oatmeal. 

The thing that might seem really strange to some is that my family enjoyed this meal for dinner-not as dessert but as the main course! In the fall, we served apple dumplings in similar fashion.  

When I got married, however, I realized that not every family shared this dessert-for-dinner tradition. When I made strawberry shortcake for the first time as a newlywed, my husband actually thought I was kidding and looked in the oven where he was sure he’d find the real dinner hiding!

While this classic recipe is traditionally served as dessert, my family has long enjoyed it for the occasional dinner when local strawberries are in season. Served with milk or yogurt, it's great for breakfast, too!

The following shortcake is my mom’s classic recipe. It’s easy, completely delicious, and allows for a store-bought shortcut in the form of Bisquick.

For those who need it, the company sells a spot-on gluten-free option. And happily, if you don’t have either on hand, I have a spot-on Homemade Bisquick Mix, which you can quickly whip up at home using all-purpose or gluten-free flour.

Not too sweet, this shortcake allows the strawberries to shine. Desired level of sweetness can be adjusted to taste via an extra sprinkle of sugar on top.

Though I still enjoy the warm shortcake served with milk, I also enjoy it with a hearty spoonful of vanilla yogurt. Of course, traditionalists may absolutely opt for whipped cream…whether served for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or dessert! 

While strawberries are in season, you may also enjoy Gluten-Free Almond Coconut Shortcakes, which is naturally grain- and dairy-free, naturally sweetened, and another family favorite. Feel free to try either recipe with fresh peaches (with a few raspberries mixed in for good measure) or other fruits and berries you enjoy.  

While this classic recipe is traditionally served as dessert, my family has long enjoyed it for the occasional dinner when local strawberries are in season. Served with milk or yogurt, it's great for breakfast, too!

Recently, my friend, Emily, made this recipe to see what her family thought about shortcake for dinner, and they enjoyed the baking as much as the eating!

While this classic recipe is traditionally served as dessert, my family has long enjoyed it for the occasional dinner when local strawberries are in season. Served with milk or yogurt, it's great for breakfast, too!

In addition to being the mom of two little boys, Emily is a gifted potter, and she made the berry bowl and other dishes pictured here. If you’d like to see more of her work, visit This is Happiness Studio.

 

Mom's Classic Strawberry Shortcake
Yield: 6 servings
While this classic recipe is traditionally served as dessert, my family has long enjoyed it for the occasional dinner when local strawberries are in season. Served with milk or yogurt, it's great for breakfast, too!
Ingredients
  • 2⅓ cups biscuit mix (like Bisquick or this homemade version)
  • ½ cup milk, plus a few extra tablespoons as needed
  • 2-3 tablespoons sugar
  • 3 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1 pint strawberries (stems removed, sliced, and tossed with 2 tablespoons additional sugar)
  • Warm milk, whipped cream, or yogurt for serving
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 425℉.
  2. In a mixing bowl, stir together the biscuit mix, ½ cup milk, sugar, and melted butter. Stir in additional milk, a tablespoon at a time if needed, until the batter comes together. Mix until just combined.
  3. Drop by 6 large spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet or spread the batter into a 9×9 pan. (No need to grease.)
  4. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden. Individual shortcakes will take a minute or two less. (If you only have an 8×8 pan, the increased thickness will likely require closer to 15 minutes. Either way, check a few minutes early and be careful not to overcook.)
  5. Serve warm with strawberries and milk, yogurt, or whipped cream.
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 You may enjoy making the shortcake with a homemade version of Bisquick. 

Homemade Bisquick -- a healthier version of a store-bought favorite...great gluten-free option

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Comments

  1. Patricia Kile

    While living at home growing up both my husband & I also ate strawberry shortcake as a meal. I was raised in Chester County, PA. My husband in Tioga County, PA. Always used the recipe on the Bisquick box. Then all of a sudden a number of years ago, the recipe stopped appearing. Does anyone know why Betty Crocker stopped printing it?

    Reply
    1. Ann Post author

      Shortcake for dinner is the best, Patricia! If you try, I think you’ll find this recipe to taste nearly identical to the recipe on the old Bisquick box. We often prepare it in a baking dish, too, and then cut into big squares.

      Reply
  2. ALISON FLEISCHMANN

    Love the simplicity ofyour recipe but you (and others) do not indicate how many your recipe serves.
    VERY frustratng

    Reply
    1. Ann Post author

      Hi Alison, Most of my recipes include a yield, although this older post does not. I do mention the option of using a 9-inch square pan, so you can easily visualize the number of servings based on the size piece desired. In this case, I’d say you can get nine good-size squares.

      Reply
  3. Pingback: The Fountain Avenue Kitchen – Gluten-Free Almond-Coconut Strawberry Shortcakes

  4. Diane Heberlein

    The minute I saw the picture, it brought back memories. This was sunday night”supper” on a warm night at it’s best. This is one of those “in my head” recipes that my daughter needs to learn form doing.Thank you for the memories., and something in writing she can follow.
    D

    Reply
    1. Ann

      Thank you for the great comment! Meals with memories are extra special, and strawberry shortcake has so many memories attached for me, too!

      Reply