Strawberry shortcake has two camps - biscuit and sponge - and this is the sponge camp's best argument: pale, tender cake rounds that soak up strawberry juice without falling apart, a heap of berries made jammy with a little sugar and time, and whipped cream piled on with a spoon and allowed to slump, exactly as it does in the photograph. No piping, no layers to level, nothing between you and strawberry season except an hour.
The berries do half the work before the cake is even out of the oven. Sliced and sugared, they release a deep red syrup - macerating, in bakery language - and that syrup is spooned over the cake first, so every bite tastes of strawberry rather than just meeting one on top. Our easy peach cobbler uses the same trick with a different fruit; here it is the whole point of the dessert.
The sponge itself is a simple whisked cake - eggs and sugar beaten until thick and pale, flour folded in gently, butter for richness - baked in a sheet pan and cut into rounds, or baked in a round pan and sliced, as the pieces on the plate were. Serve it the evening you make it, assembled at the table if you like, while the cream is still soft. More summer baking lives in our Desserts collection.
Macerate the berries first, always
Start the strawberries before anything else. Thirty minutes in sugar and a squeeze of lemon pulls out their juice and softens their texture from squeaky-fresh to spoonable, and the syrup that collects is liquid flavour you will pour over the cake. Ripe, red-through berries need only 1/4 cup of sugar; pale, out-of-season berries take the full amount plus an extra 10 minutes. Never skip the lemon - its acidity is what keeps the syrup tasting bright rather than jammy-sweet.
Whipped cream that stays soft, not stiff
The cream in the photograph is barely past soft peaks - it drapes and slumps over the berries instead of standing in stiff swirls. To land there, chill the bowl and whisk, use cream straight from the refrigerator, and stop the moment the whisk leaves trails that slowly sink back. Over-whipped cream goes grainy and buttery, and there is no way back except folding in more liquid cream. A spoonful of the strawberry syrup folded through at the end turns it faintly pink and is entirely worth it.
Ingredients
- 2 lb fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced (900 g)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar, divided (100 g)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (15 ml)
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature (200 g)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar, for the sponge (150 g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (5 ml)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (120 g)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder (4 g)
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt (2 g)
- 4 tablespoons melted butter, cooled (56 g)
- 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, cold (360 ml)
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar (16 g)
Amounts are for the yield below. US customary measures first, grams in brackets for scale users.
Step-by-step instructions
- Macerate the strawberries. Toss the sliced strawberries with 1/2 cup (100 g) of the granulated sugar and the lemon juice in a large bowl. Set aside for at least 30 minutes, stirring twice, until the berries are glossy and sitting in a pool of deep red syrup.
- Heat the oven and prep the pan. Heat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 9-inch round cake pan or an 8-inch square pan with parchment and grease the sides. The cake is delicate; the parchment is what guarantees it leaves the pan whole.
- Whisk the eggs and sugar. Beat the eggs, the remaining 3/4 cup (150 g) sugar and the vanilla with an electric mixer for 4 to 5 minutes until the mixture is pale, thick and falls from the whisk in a ribbon that holds for 2 seconds. This trapped air is the cake's lift - do not shorten the beating.
- Fold in the flour. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt over the eggs and fold in gently with a spatula, keeping as much air as possible. Drizzle the melted butter around the edge and fold just until no flour pockets remain. Pour into the pan and smooth the top.
- Bake and cool. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes until the sponge is golden, springs back when pressed lightly and pulls slightly from the sides. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out and cool completely. Slice into thick rounds or wedges - the pale, tender slices on the plate.
- Whip, assemble and serve. Whip the cold cream with the powdered sugar to soft, draping peaks. Set a sponge slice on each plate, spoon over berries and plenty of their syrup, pile on the whipped cream so it slumps over the top as pictured, and finish with a few more berries. Serve at once.
Nutrition estimate
| Nutrient | Per serving |
|---|---|
| Calories | 342 kcal |
| Protein | 5 g |
| Carbohydrates | 44 g |
| Fat | 17 g |
| Saturated fat | 10 g |
| Sodium | 150 mg |
| Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 33 g |
Nutrition figures are estimates calculated from standard ingredient data for the yield stated. Your actual values will vary with brands, substitutions and portion sizes — treat them as a guide, not a guarantee.
Storage & reheating
Assembled shortcakes must be eaten within the hour - the syrup softens the sponge and the cream slackens. The components keep separately: the baked sponge, wrapped, for 2 days at room temperature or 1 month frozen; the macerated berries for 2 days in the refrigerator (their syrup deepens overnight); whipped cream is best made fresh, though leftovers keep 1 day refrigerated and re-whisk briefly. Nutrition values are estimates and will vary with berry sweetness and slice size.
Easy Strawberry Shortcake with Whipped Cream
Tender sponge rounds, juicy macerated strawberries, and a tall pile of whipped cream.
Ingredients
Tick ingredients off as you prep, and tap a step below to mark it done as you cook. Scaling adjusts the listed amounts - seasoning to taste stays your call.
Instructions
- Macerate the strawberries. Toss the sliced strawberries with 1/2 cup (100 g) of the granulated sugar and the lemon juice in a large bowl. Set aside for at least 30 minutes, stirring twice, until the berries are glossy and sitting in a pool of deep red syrup.
- Heat the oven and prep the pan. Heat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 9-inch round cake pan or an 8-inch square pan with parchment and grease the sides. The cake is delicate; the parchment is what guarantees it leaves the pan whole.
- Whisk the eggs and sugar. Beat the eggs, the remaining 3/4 cup (150 g) sugar and the vanilla with an electric mixer for 4 to 5 minutes until the mixture is pale, thick and falls from the whisk in a ribbon that holds for 2 seconds. This trapped air is the cake's lift - do not shorten the beating.
- Fold in the flour. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt over the eggs and fold in gently with a spatula, keeping as much air as possible. Drizzle the melted butter around the edge and fold just until no flour pockets remain. Pour into the pan and smooth the top.
- Bake and cool. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes until the sponge is golden, springs back when pressed lightly and pulls slightly from the sides. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out and cool completely. Slice into thick rounds or wedges - the pale, tender slices on the plate.
- Whip, assemble and serve. Whip the cold cream with the powdered sugar to soft, draping peaks. Set a sponge slice on each plate, spoon over berries and plenty of their syrup, pile on the whipped cream so it slumps over the top as pictured, and finish with a few more berries. Serve at once.
Recipe by Ahsan ul Haq · FryDaily. Printing? This card is designed to print cleanly on its own.
