Fresh Strawberry Shortcake with Yogurt Cream

One of the best things you can easily whip up from scratch! homemade Fresh Strawberry Shortcake with Yogurt Cream – lemony soft + sweet biscuit-like shortcakes layered with glossy, syrupy strawberries, and tangy sweet soft whipped vanilla cream! An elevated version of a classic that we all know and love

*This post is sponsored by Brown Cow Yogurt. As always, all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the businesses that make Lion’s Bread possible.

Hi Everyone! These Fresh Strawberry Shortcake with Yogurt Cream are probably my recipe of the year! Berries and Cream have been a favorite of mine since I was kid, and this is the most elevated scratch made version of it. For me, a great dessert should be, in a word, a balance. A balance of creamy and tart, crunchy and smooth, and just sweet enough. That’s exactly what we have here. Since this recipe has only a few ingredients, try to use the best quality ingredients that you can find. Go for local berries if you can, pure vanilla extract always, unbleached flour, and really high quality yogurt. The richness in Brown Cow Whole Milk Plain Yogurt comes through in a big way here, and brings a beautiful tang to the rich whipped cream. I’ve also added it into the shortcakes, which gives them a really tender crumb.

What is Strawberry Shortcake?

This American version of Strawberry Shortcake is a sweet biscuit-like little cake, split in half, and filled with fresh strawberries and sweetened whipped cream. The syrupy sweet juices from the fresh berries tend to soften the biscuits a bit, in the best possible way, and the perfect bite would be cake + berry + cream all on one spoon! The British word shortcake means a cake that has a short crumb, not chewy or too flakey, but more crumbly and rich.

There are several different versions of this dessert, including pound cake, angel food cake, sponge cake layers. These individual biscuits are the most traditional, and the most delicious in my opinion.

How is Shortcake different than a Biscuit?

Biscuits are generally made of flour, butter, leavener, and buttermilk/milk, and salt. The butter is often quickly laminated in and creates flakey layers. These shortcakes have a short crumb, and have egg, yogurt, a bit of sugar added in to enrich them. The texture is more crumbly, rather than flakey, and the perfect vehicle for all of those macerated strawberries and fluffy yogurt cream.

How to macerate strawberries?

Unless you’re using impossibly ripe, freshly picked strawberries (by all means, please do use them here if have them!) grocery store strawberries usually need a little bit of…help. In order to draw out their juices and sweetness, I love to macerate them. In other words, we want to soften the strawberries but soaking them in their own juices. Hull and quarter the berries, place them in a bowl, and add about 1/4 cup of granulated sugar, and about 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice. Give them a good stir to make sure they’re all coated with the sugar. At this point, I cover the bowl, and let them sit for at least an hour, either at room temperature or in the fridge.

After an hour, give them another stir, and you might be amazed at the transformation. The syrupy sweet juices pool at the bottom of the bowl, and the berries are soft and incredibly sweet. This method can make even the most “meh” strawberries taste delicious, so imagine how incredible peak summer berries would be! Use this method with raspberries, blackberries, blueberries as well! It’s the perfect topping for your morning oatmeal, granola, or ice cream and frozen yogurt.

How to make the best Shortcakes

Speaking specifically about the shortcakes, there are a few tips that will help you be successful. First, make sure all of your ingredients are cold, especially the cream, yogurt, and egg. This will give your shortcakes a better rise when they hit the hot oven. Also a more flakey, crumbly, tender crumb. Second, DO NOT over mix your dough. Use a wooden spoon to mix the dough gently by hand, only until the dough comes together, and there are no dry patches of flour. Over mixing will develop the gluten, which leads to a chewy shortcake (not at all what you want). Third, the dough should be a bit sticky and hydrated. Resist the urge to add too much extra when shaping the shortcakes. A light dusting on the board, the surface fo the dough and your hand should suffice.

For larger shortcakes, cut the dough into 6 rectangles. You can absolutely make these a bit smaller, and cut out 8 biscuits instead.

Ingredients

• Brown Cow Whole Milk Plain Yogurt – I’ve fallen in love with this brand, truly. The richness and flavors of their yogurt are incredibly delicious on their own, and a dream to bake with. I’m using their Plain yogurt here, but you could definitely use their Cream Top Vanilla Yogurt instead. To find it at a retailer near you, visit their handy store locator tool here.
• cream – always go with unsweetened heavy whipping cream, not half and half, or any fancy creamers.
• flour – it’s unbleached all purpose flour for me. Specifically King Arthur Baking Company. I really appreciate their attention to quality and detail, and fair business practices.
• egg – for all of my recipes I use large AA organic eggs. Better yet, try to find some fresh local eggs. Their yolks should be bright orange, and they add incomparable richness to any bake.
• vanilla – always always always use pure vanilla extract. I know it’s pricier, but the flavor it adds is so worth it. Some great vanillas are from Madagascar and Mexico.
• fresh lemon zest – it’s important to wash and dry your whole lemons before zesting to remove any dirt, dust, wax on the peel, and possible pesticides.
• berries – of course, try to get the freshest, ripest berries that you can. But, if you’re like me, and can only get delicious strawberries for about 2 months out of the year, make the best of your grocery store berries by macerating them (see above!).

How to assemble Fresh Strawberry Shortcake with Yogurt Cream

This part reminds me of The Sandlot, but here goes: first you take the Shortcake, split it in half. Then you spoon on the macerated berries, then you dollop on some fluffy yogurt cream, then place the top of the shortcake on top. Sometimes, I like to add another tiny dollop of cream on top, with just a few more juicy berries. I’m telling you, the presentation is WOW!

Storing Shortcakes

These Fresh Strawberry Shortcakes are best eaten fresh out of the oven, once they’re mostly cooled. It’s also really important to assemble the shortcakes with the berries and cream right before you are going to serve them. The shortcakes can be made a few hours in advance, and stored at room temperature in an airtight container. When you’re ready to serve, just split them in half and fill. I know we all the ability to freeze baked goods, but i really wouldn’t recommend freezing these shortcakes. A LOT gets lost in the freezer here, and they’re just 99x more delicious when fresh.

Equipment

• bench scraper – a must when making bread and pastry
• my favorite baking sheets – I ALWAYS use these because my Mom uses them and swears by them. I truly believe the air cushion gives you an even bake, and prevents burning.
• the mixing bowl I can’t stop using – you’ve seen this in my videos, and I love it, truly the perfect size and is so well made.
• electric mixer – of course you can whip cream by hand, but I love using my KitchenAid for this task, along with 1000 other uses in the kitchen. It’s an investment that will last a lifetime

I’m so excited for you all to try this recipe, I know you’re going to love them! Be sure to tag me in your pictures @lions.bread so I can see everything that you’re making from the blog 🙂 I love seeing my recipes come to life in your kitchens! Want to save this recipe for later? Just click the “Pin It” button on any of the images to save this to your favorite Pinterest board.

Love these Fresh Strawberry Shortcakes?

Be sure to check out Fresh Strawberry Mascarpone Mousse, White Chocolate Mousse with Roasted Strawberries, and Easy Lemon Cream Danish

xo – LeAnne

5 from 1 vote

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Fresh Strawberry Shortcakes with Yogurt Cream

One of the best things you can easily whip up from scratch! homemade Fresh Strawberry Shortcakes - lemony soft + sweet biscuit-like shortcakes layered with glossy, syrupy strawberries, and tangy sweet soft whipped vanilla cream! An elevated version of a classic that we all know and love

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword shortcake, strawberry, strawberry shortcake

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 18 minutes

Ingredients

Shortcakes

• 2 cups unbleached all purpose flour 295 g
• ¼ cup granulated sugar 50 g
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ½ tsp kosher salt (I use Morton's)
• ½ cup Brown Cow Whole Milk Plain Yogurt cold, 123 g
• ½ cup cream
• 1 egg AA large
• 1 tsp freshly grated lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons cream, for brushing on top
• 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar, for the topping

Macerated Strawberries

• 2 pints strawberries hulled and quartered
• ¼ cup granulated sugar 50 g (more or less depending on sweetness)
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• small pinch of salt

Soft Whipped Yogurt Cream

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream 220 g
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 13 g
• ¼ cup Brown Cow Whole Milk Plain Yogurt 61 g

Instructions

Make the macerated strawberries

1. Combine the chopped strawberries, sugar, vanilla extract, and salt in a medium size bowl. Mix well to combine. Cover with plastic wrap, and let sit at room temperature or inthe fridge for at least an hour, or up to 3 hours.

Make the Shortcakes

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine. In a large measuring cup combine the cream, yogurt, and egg, whisk well. Make a well in the center, and add the egg and cream mixture. Use a wooden spoon to mix well, until the dough just comes together, and no dry patches of flour remain. If the mixture feels a bit dry, add another tablespoon of cream. Most importantly, do not overmix.

3. Pour the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Lightly dust the top of the dough with flour as well as your hand, and press the dough out into a rectangle about 8x10". Fold the dough in 1/3s like a letter, then press back out into a rectangle. fold in 1/3s again, the press back out into a rectangle. Use a bench scraper to cut the dough into either 6 large shortcakes or 8 smaller shortcakes.

4. Place the shortcakes on the prepared baking sheet. Use a pastry brush to brush the tops of the shortcakes with cream, and generously sprinkle turbinado sugar on top. Bake for 15-18 minutes until golden brown. Set aside to cool.

Make the whipped yogurt cream

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or a large bowl with an electric hand mixer, add the cream and sugar. Whip on medium speed until soft peaks form. Add the yogurt, and gently fold in.

Assemble

1. Most importantly, assemble the shortcakes right before serving, otherwise the shortcakes will get soggy and the whipped cream will deflate.

   Split the shortcakes in half. Spoon the juicy strawberries on the bottom half. Top with whipped yogurt cream, place the top of the shortcake on top. Feel free to add a bit more cream and berries on top for the WOW effect 🙂

   Serve immediately.

The post Fresh Strawberry Shortcake with Yogurt Cream first appeared on Lion’s Bread Blog.

** this post contains affiliate links, which means that I receive a small portion of the profit, at no extra cost to you.