Gaby’s Strawberry Shortcake

This classic strawberry shortcake recipe is a lovely, fresh dessert! I made mine fancy by mixing fresh basil into the simple strawberry filling.

Strawberry Shortcake Recipe

As I’ve gotten older, a funny thing has happened where I’ve become less obsessed with chocolate desserts and more in love with fruity desserts – especially if those fruits happen to be strawberries! I can enjoy chocolate cake in moderation, but when it comes to strawberries, I want them all. To me, strawberry shortcake is the perfect not-too-sweet, fresh & fruity summer treat.

So naturally, when I flipped through my friend Gaby’s gorgeous new cookbook What’s Gaby Cooking: Everyday California Food, I went straight for the strawberry shortcake recipe. Well, actually, there were two strawberry recipes that spoke to me. One was a delectable-looking breakfast flatbread with ricotta and strawberry basil jam, and the second – this classic strawberry shortcake. There are few flavor combos that I love more than strawberries and basil, so I did a bit of a mashup where I added basil to this otherwise traditional strawberry shortcake. Simple, classic, and a celebration of (soon to be) summer.

How to make strawberry shortcake

How to make Strawberry Shortcake:

  1. Start by mixing your chopped strawberries with sugar, and set them aside to chill for a few hours. This helps the berries release some of their juices, making for a delicious fruity filling. If you’re using basil like I did, wait to stir it in until the last minute.
  2. Pulse the biscuit dough together in a food processor, divide it into 9 portions, and let it chill for 20 minutes. Then: bake!
  3. Beat together heavy cream, vanilla, and powdered sugar to make the fluffy whipped topping.
  4. When the biscuits are done baking, slice them in half, layer in the filling, and dollop on the cream.
  5. Devour!

Strawberry Shortcake on plates

If you love this strawberry shortcake recipe…

Make this Coconut Cream Strawberry Tart, this Summer Strawberry Crumble, or this Strawberry Salad next!


5.0 from 4 reviews

Strawberry Shortcake

 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
This classic strawberry shortcake recipe is a lovely, fresh dessert! I made mine fancy by mixing fresh basil into the strawberry mixture.
Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 9
Ingredients
for the strawberries
  • 1 pound fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
  • ⅓ cup granulated sugar
  • optional addition: ¼ cup sliced basil
for the biscuits
  • 3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons lemon zest
  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1½ tablespoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cup (1½ sticks) cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  • 1½ cups heavy cream
  • 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
for the cream:
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • ⅔ cup powdered sugar
  • seeds of 1 vanilla bean
Instructions
  1. To make the strawberries: Combine the strawberries and sugar in a large bowl and toss to coat. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight if time allows, until juicy. Just before serving, stir in the basil.
  2. To make the biscuits: In a food processor, combine the flour, lemon zest, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Pulse for 30 seconds, or until the ingredients are evenly combined. Add the butter and pulse for 20 to 30 seconds, until the butter is cut into pea-sized chunks. Add the cream and vanilla to the food processor and process for 30 seconds, or until you have a dough. Remove the dough from the food processor and divide it into 9 equal portions about 3 ounces each. Form each portion of dough into a biscuit about ¾ inch thick. Transfer the biscuits to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and chill for 20 minutes in the fridge.
  3. While the biscuits chill, preheat the oven to 400°F.
  4. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake until the biscuits are medium golden brown, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack to cool.
  5. To make the cream: Combine the cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla bean seeds in a large stand mixer and whip until medium stiff peaks form.
  6. To assemble: Slice the biscuits in half. Top the bottoms of each biscuit with a large spoonful of the strawberries. Place the top half of the biscuit on top of each and finish with a large dollop of the cream. Serve immediately.

 

 

24 comments

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Rate this recipe (after making it):  

  1. Joan
    05.04.2018

    The same thing happened to me with chocolate and what a surprise that was.
    I have become obsessed with everything lemon!!!

  2. OH LA LATKES
    04.24.2018

    These strawberry shortcakes look so delicious. I’d love to try these as I can only imagine the absolutely great combination of fresh strawberries and basil.

    E || OH LA LATKES

  3. Torre Nova
    04.23.2018

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  4. I am in love with personal biscuits for Strawberry Shortcake instead of the pound cake (though that’s awesome too). I’ve never thought of Basil as an accent though! Thanks for sharing I can’t wait to try it. 🙂

  5. Gaby Dalkin
    04.22.2018

    YESSS! Thanks SO much for sharing <3

  6. Vaoov. It looks very nice. I want to do it. Thank you.

  7. melinda
    04.21.2018

    Can this recipe be made with gluten free flour?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      04.21.2018

      I can’t say for sure without trying, sorry!

  8. Suzanne Slade
    04.21.2018

    Basil?? Is the baking soda amount correct? Just baked a batch and the baking soda flavor is overwhelming.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      04.21.2018

      I didn’t taste the baking soda when I made these.

  9. Joycelyn
    04.21.2018

    Sounds lovely although biscuits/shortcakes needing a gentle hand, I’d not mix the dough in a food processor.
    I also have the same wonderment as others, where’s the basil?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      04.21.2018

      The recipe worked out great for me!
      sorry! I just stirred it into the strawberries just before serving – the recipe is fixed now 🙂

  10. Michelle G.
    04.21.2018

    These look delicious, but I can’t find the basil in the recipe.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      04.21.2018

      sorry! I just stirred it into the strawberries just before serving – the recipe is fixed now 🙂

      • Michelle G.
        04.21.2018

        Thank you! 🙂

  11. Terri
    04.21.2018

    Whete is the basil?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      04.21.2018

      sorry! I just stirred it into the strawberries just before serving – the recipe is fixed now 🙂

  12. Minerva
    04.21.2018

    Where is the basil?

    • Daniele Kay
      04.21.2018

      yeah, where is the basil???

      • Jeanine Donofrio
        04.21.2018

        sorry! I just stirred it into the strawberries just before serving – the recipe is fixed now 🙂

  13. Natalie
    04.21.2018

    Looks so delicious! I love the combination of strawberries and basil!

A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.