Strawberry Shortcake with White Chocolate Whipped Crea

I have served these gorgeous shortcakes on numerous occasions. When strawberries are in season, this recipe for a Classic Strawberry Shortcake with White Chocolate Whipped Cream will wow your company. Or just treat your family to a delectable dessert!

This is truly the Best Strawberry Shortcake Recipe in my repertoire. The gourmet whipped cream pushes it over the top!

Why You Should Make this Best Strawberry Shortcake Recipe

• The flaky, buttery homemade shortcake base is far superior to the packaged sponge cake versions you can find in the supermarket.
• The white chocolate whipped cream is to die for. Sweetened whipped cream is fantastic, but white chocolate pushes it over the top!
• The macerated strawberries have a touch of orange liqueur for a touch of elegance and to push them over the top!

Frequently Asked Questions

Classic Strawberry Shortcakes with a Twist

I decided to bake up some sweet, flaky, buttermilk shortcakes with Grand Marnier spiked strawberries for our Easter dessert.  This time of year, I always gravitate towards berry recipes, like this exquisite Strawberry Dream Dessert. My family was also thrilled with these Strawberry Shortcakes made with an olive oil cake, too!

For this shortcake, instead of spoonfuls of ordinary whipped cream, dollops of white chocolate mousse contribute a heavenly, indulgent topping. This shortcake was a dreamy spring dessert.

How to Make Strawberry Shortcake Biscuits

The main tip for making flaky shortcakes or biscuits is to not overwork the dough. The goal is to have tiny cold bits of butter throughout, which in turn will melt and steam in the oven, making little pockets of air.

• I’m sure you’ve heard raves about old-fashioned buttermilk biscuits. Well, these are buttermilk shortcakes. As with biscuits, buttermilk works its magic in making tender biscuits.
• If you don’t want to buy a quart of buttermilk, it’s easy to make a substitute at home. PRO-Tip: To make buttermilk, add a tablespoon of lemon juice or neutral-flavored vinegar, like white or cider, to a 1 cup Pyrex measuring cup. Fill the cup to the 1 cup mark with milk. Let sit for about 5 minutes to allow the mixture to thicken or curdle slightly. Stir and use what you need for the recipe.
• There is both butter and shortening in this strawberry shortcake recipe. The butter provides flavor and some of the necessary fat needed, but the shortening helps ensure flakiness.
• Using a technique I picked up via Cook’s Illustrated, I used my fingers to flatten pieces of cold butter in the biscuit dough. The flat pieces of butter assist in making more layers in each biscuit. For the most tender, flaky shortcakes, do not overwork the dough.
• Then after rolling out the dough on a flour-dusted Silpat, I folded it over twice, like a letter, then rolled it again. Sort of a modified lamination, as when making puff pastry or croissant dough, which helps build layers in the finished baked goods.
• PRO-Tip: Using a round biscuit cutter, press straight down to cut without twisting. The twisting process will inhibit the biscuit’s ability to rise properly.
• Like with puff pastry, the dough bakes up best when cold, so don’t overwork the dough which will warm the butter pieces. You may want to pop your baking sheet with the cut biscuits in the freezer for a few minutes before popping them in the oven.

The whipped mousse topping is simply made by melting white chocolate with some heavy cream, then allowing this ganache to cool and folding it into stiffly whipped cream. Orange liqueur added to sliced berries gives them a touch of elegance. Perfect for a holiday dessert. As we enter fresh berry season in the northern hemisphere, I hope you will try this out of the ordinary strawberry shortcake for any special occasion. 

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Ingredient Notes

Here is what you need to make strawberry shortcake:

• All-Purpose Flour – no special flour needed
• Baking Powder – Check the expiration date! (if you have some in your pantry, it may have expired. It doesn’t stay potent for much for than a year!)
• Baking Soda
• Sugar – regular granulated sugar
• Shortening – contributes to tenderness
• Butter – key to flakiness
• Buttermilk (see PRO-Tip above on how to make your own buttermilk at home)
• Fresh Strawberries – seasonal is best, or look for red, fragrant berries
• Heavy Cream – Must have 36% cream to whip properly
• Grand Marnier – alcohol enhances the flavor of any recipe, just like salt does. If you’d prefer to omit this, plain sweetened strawberries are delicious, too

This strawberry shortcake recipe was originally posted in April 2013. Photos and text were updated in 2019, 2021.

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The Recipe: Strawberry Shortcake with White Chocolate Whipped Cream

An exquisite strawberry shortcake recipe topped with white chocolate whipped cream

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Yield 8 servings

Ingredients

For biscuits/shortcakes:

• 2 1/2 cups flour plus more for rolling dough
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons shortening
• 1/2 cup cold butter
• 1 1/4 cup cold buttermilk

For mousse:

• 8 ounces good quality chocolate, I used Guittard
• 1 2/3 cup heavy cream

For strawberry topping:

• 3-4 cups of strawberries, sliced
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier, optional

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450º. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. Cut in shortening in with pastry blender till resembles corn meal. Cut butter into 8 pieces and, one at a time, rub them into the flour with your fingers till they are flattened into thin sheets.
3. Put the bowl in the freezer for 15 minutes.
4. Add all the buttermilk except the last two tablespoons. Carefully toss with a spatula till well moistened. If the dough is too dry, add the remaining buttermilk. Lightly flour a Silpat or your countertop and roll the dough out to approximately 11 x 16. Fold the dough into thirds, then roll to about an inch thick.
5. Cut into biscuits using round biscuit or cookie cutter. Dip the cutter into flour if it sticks to the dough. Gather scraps to make last couple biscuits. Bake about 15 minutes or till lightly browned.
6. Make mousse while biscuits are cooking: Melt white chocolate with ⅔ cup cream in a microwave, stopping and stirring at short intervals till chocolate is melted, and ganache is smooth. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
7. Beat remaining 1 cup of cream to stiff peaks. Fold about ⅓ of cream into cooled (should be thickened, but not firm) chocolate. Then fold in the rest of the cream. Chill for 2 hours before serving.
8. For berries: slice strawberries and sweeten with sugar. Mix in Grand Marnier. Chill till ready to serve.
9. To serve, break shortcakes in half, top bottom with a large dollop of mousse followed by spoonfuls of berries. Top with rest of shortcake.

Notes

Biscuit Recipe adapted from Cook's Illustrated and Mousse Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1 shortcake
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 893Total Fat: 50gSaturated Fat: 28gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 96mgSodium: 714mgCarbohydrates: 104gFiber: 8gSugar: 49gProtein: 12g