American Heritage Baking—Let’s Bake and Learn
by Nancy Baggett

Strawberry Shortcake—A Taste of Spring in Every Bite

by Nancy Baggett

Spring is the season for fresh, local strawberries. If their arrival is highly anticipated today, imagine the excitement they created in past centuries when most families had been doing without fresh fruit all winter long. As the plants blossomed and green nubs of berries slowly turned to red in the garden, eager harvesters could hardly stand to wait for the annual feasting to begin.

Gussied up and showcased in a dessert, the berries must have seemed an unbelievably glorious gift of the season. No wonder the colorful, festive-looking sweet treat we now call strawberry shortcake caught on. And given the fabulous taste, no wonder it’s still one of America’s best-loved desserts many decades later.

Exactly who came up with the idea of this now iconic dish is unknown. We do know that “short cakes” have been part of the American repertoire since the early nineteenth century. Recipes began appearing soon after chemical leaveners (first pearlash, then saleratus, then baking soda, and finally, baking powder) became available to American home cooks. Early short cakes were not cakes as we now know them, but buttermilk or sour milk biscuits, often served along with tea or a meal. Mrs. Lydia Maria Child included a typical recipe in her 1833 cookbook, The American Frugal Housewife; see the sidebar.

Titled simply “Strawberry Cakes,” the first shortcake dessert recipe (also in a sidebar) appeared in Eliza Leslie’s 1850 work, Ladies’ New Receipt Book. Her recipe called for splitting biscuit-like cakes in half horizontally, spooning a generous layer of crushed, sweetened berries over the bottom halves, then covering the berries with the biscuit tops. Instead of the dollop of whipped cream added today, her garnish was a white icing. Another slightly later version of the dish I’ve seen called for a topping of custard sauce.

The notion of using biscuits as the base for a dessert was not as novel as it might seem now. In parts of the South in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, it was a common custom to create a humble sweet treat by drizzling leftover biscuits with cane or sorghum syrup or honey. Some folks there still enjoy “sopping” their biscuits with syrup.

Since many modern cooks don’t realize that the original “short cakes” weren’t cakes, the dessert sometimes now features a sponge or pound cake base. The traditional biscuits are a far better choice: They hold up and absorb the lovely strawberry juice without becoming soggy, and they are a better foil for the sweetness of the berries. Following is my version of the classic, slightly updated from my mother’s recipe.

Strawberry Shortcake (printable recipe)

The trend nowadays is toward less sweet desserts, but because ample sugaring brings out both the juice and taste of the berries, it’s best not to skimp when you sweeten strawberries for shortcake. Of course, the exact amount of sugar needed depends on the tartness of the fruit; use your taste buds to tell.

3 cups all-purpose white flour, plus more for shaping the dough
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) very cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 1/3 cups buttermilk (or whole or reduced-fat milk, combined with 2 teaspoons lemon juice), plus a little more if needed
Berries
6 to 7 cups capped, chopped fresh strawberries (about 2 1/4 pounds untrimmed)
1/2 to 3/4 cup granulated sugar, or to taste
Lightly sweetened whipped cream
Whole or halved fresh strawberries for garnish

Place a rack in the middle third of the oven; preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Generously grease a large baking sheet or coat with nonstick spray.

Thoroughly stir together 3 cups flour, the sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Sprinkle the butter over the flour mixture. Cut in using a pastry blender, forks, or the fingertips until the butter is incorporated in very fine bits; scrape up the flour underneath to be sure it is evenly incorporated. (Alternatively, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process in 4 or 5 on/off pulses to blend the ingredients. Sprinkle the butter over the flour mixture. Process in on/off pulses until the butter is in very fine bits; scrape up the flour underneath to be sure it is evenly incorporated. Turn out the flour-butter mixture into a medium bowl.)

Being very careful not to over-mix, gently stir 1 1/3 cup buttermilk into the flour-butter mixture until the dough just comes together; if necessary, add enough more buttermilk to produce a soft, moist dough. Sprinkle evenly with 11/2 tablespoons flour. Knead in the bowl 5 or 6 times to form a smooth mass, adding a little more flour to prevent stickiness, if necessary. Let stand 1 minute. With flour-dusted hands, shape and smooth the dough into a flat disc. Generously dust a large sheet of wax paper or baking parchment with flour and center the dough on it. Evenly dust the dough with a little more flour. Top with another sheet of paper. Press or pat out the dough into a generous 1/2-inch thick round; it should be evenly thick. Peel off the top sheet, then lightly pat it back into place. With the paper layers still attached, flip over the dough; peel off and discard the second sheet.

Using a 3 1/2- to 4-inch round cutter (or a wide-mouthed glass or discarded 28-ounce vegetable or fruit can) dipped in flour, cut out the shortcake rounds. Dip the cutter in flour as needed. Re-combine the dough scraps and continue forming rounds until all the dough is used. Space the rounds about 2 inches apart on the baking sheet.

Bake in the middle third of the oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the biscuits are nicely browned on the top and bottom (lift up one to check). Transfer to a wire rack and let cool. Store airtight for up to two days; or freeze for up to three weeks. (Thaw before using.) Makes about 7 large biscuits, up to 12 smaller ones.

For the berries: At least 1 hour before serving time and up to 8 hours if preferred, in a non-reactive bowl combine the chopped berries with sugar; use the larger amount for tart berries. The sugar will gradually dissolve and berries will release their juices and become soupy.

To serve: At serving time, using a bread knife or other large serrated knife, split the biscuits in half horizontally. Center the bottom half of each on a serving plate, cut side up. Top each half generously with the berries, then place the biscuit tops over the berries and press down lightly. Spoon a few more berries over the tops, if desired, then garnish each dessert with a generous dollop of whipped cream. Add a few whole berries or berry halves to the plates, if desired.

Makes 6 or 7 generous shortcake servings.