With layers of fresh whipped cream and juicy strawberries sandwiched between rustic, sweetened sourdough biscuits, this delicious sourdough strawberry shortcake is the perfect summer dessert.
Summer desserts star strawberries because they’re fresh, tart, nostalgic, and absolutely quintessential to summertime.
Whether picked fresh or packed home from the local farmer’s market, strawberry season brings bright flavor and color to so many of our favorite treats, such as sourdough strawberry quick bread, decadent strawberry cheesecake, and easy strawberry yogurt pops – all part of our timely round-up of 10+ strawberry recipes for summer.
Made from scratch with simple ingredients, lightly sweetened sourdough drop biscuits form the perfect base for this classic dessert. Scooped onto a baking sheet and baked until golden brown, each biscuit offers buttery, flaky layers and a rustic muffin top surface. These textures soak up the delicious juices of macerated strawberries and thick, silky cream. The mildly tangy sourdough flavor works in harmony with the toppings, balancing the sweetness and complementing the maple-sweetened cream.
Shortcakes are essentially sweetened biscuits, terms that I use interchangeably for this dessert. This recipe uses butter, cream, and maple syrup in the biscuit dough to achieve a rich, buttery texture. They’re not too sweet, but just sweet enough – perfectly paired with strawberries and cream.
The biscuits may be prepared right away or long-fermented for further flavor development and to help break down the phytic acid and make the nutrients more available.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Delicious, beautiful dessert – The colors and textures of rustic biscuits layered with a juicy strawberry mixture and fresh cream present beautifully and taste heavenly.
Great for summer gatherings – When doubled, this recipe serves a crowd. Serve half or whole shortcakes and place the strawberry sauce and whipped cream in separate serving bowls for friends to build their own dessert.
Perfect use for sourdough discard – For the sourdough bakers, discard always needs a job. This is one of those perfect sourdough discard recipes, listed alongside many others in my 20+ sourdough discard desserts list.
Ingredients
All-purpose flour – I use unbleached, all-purpose flour.
Sourdough starter or discard – You can use active starter or discard for the quick version of this recipe, but stick with active starter for the long-fermented version.
Butter – Keep your butter very cold before cutting it into the flour. Cold butter is key to the flakiest, most tender biscuits.
Maple syrup – Pure maple syrup contributes so much flavor to each component.
Strawberries – During strawberry season, fresh strawberries are the absolute best for this recipe. If you’re outside of strawberry season, frozen strawberries are a great substitute.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
How to Make Sourdough Strawberry Shortcake
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. In a medium-sized bowl, stir flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until thoroughly combined. Add cold, diced butter and cut in until the mixture is a coarse texture with pea-sized bits of butter. You can use a pastry cutter or even just your hands. Work quickly with your hands, as your body temperature will warm the butter, and you want it to stay cold.
Step 2: In a separate bowl, whisk heavy cream, maple syrup, sourdough starter, egg, and vanilla. Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture, then stir with a fork to bring it together. Knead the dry bits of flour into the dough a few times, taking care not to overmix or eliminate your bits of butter. Depending on your sourdough starter’s hydration, you may need to add more cream or flour. If the dough seems too wet, then add flour 1 tablespoon at a time, working it in; if too dry, add 1 tablespoon of cream at a time until the ball of dough holds together. You want a scoopable consistency that is not runny.
Step 3: Using a half-cup measuring cup, fill it with dough and tap it out onto a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. You could also use an ice cream scoop or large spoon, but we’re aiming for about 1/2 cup of biscuit dough per biscuit. Repeat with the rest of the dough, spacing evenly apart.
Step 4: Using a pastry brush, brush some cream onto the top of each unbaked biscuit and sprinkle generously with coarse sugar.
Step 5: Bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly golden on top. Halfway through the bake time, turn the cookie sheet around in the oven to get an even bake on the biscuits. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Step 6: While the biscuits are baking and cooling, prepare your toppings. To serve, slice the biscuits in half horizontally and generously spoon on the delicious berries and cream. Replace the biscuit tops and enjoy!
Strawberry sauce and whipped cream
Step 1: Warm the rinsed, trimmed strawberries in a saucepan with maple syrup (or sweetener of choice). Mash the berries with a wooden spoon until you have a rough, saucy consistency. Simmer the berries for a few minutes, stirring frequently, to thicken the sauce. Cool before serving.
Step 2: Pour the cold heavy cream into a large mixing bowl or stand mixer bowl with a whisk attachment. Whip the cream on medium speed until it forms soft peaks. Add the maple syrup and continue whipping until stiff peaks form.
How to Make Long-Fermented Sourdough Shortcakes
For anyone sensitive to grains and gluten, the main benefit of sourdough is found in long fermentation. Long fermentation breaks down phytic acid in grains, increasing digestibility and nutrient absorption. Any recipe can be converted to sourdough to benefit gut health.
Step 1: In a medium-sized bowl, stir flour and salt until thoroughly combined. Cut in cold, diced butter until the mixture has a coarse texture with pea-sized bits of butter. You can use a pastry cutter or your hands.
Step 2: Add maple syrup and sourdough starter to the flour and butter mixture, stirring to combine. Knead the dry bits of flour into the dough a few times, taking care not to overmix. Cover with a tea towel and allow to sit for 8-24 hours at room temperature.
Step 3: After the fermentation period, add the heavy cream, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking powder and baking soda over the top of the dough, then knead until combined. If it seems dry, add a touch more cream; if too wet, add a bit of flour. Refrigerate the mixture for at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.
Step 4: When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Using a 1/2 cup measuring cup, scoop the dough and tap it out onto a greased or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
Step 5: Using a pastry brush, brush some cream onto the top of the biscuits and sprinkle generously with coarse sugar. Bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly golden on top, then transfer the biscuits to a cooling rack.
Step 6: While the biscuits are baking and cooling, prepare your toppings. Instructions above! To serve, slice the biscuits in half horizontally and generously spoon on the delicious berries and cream. Replace the biscuit tops and enjoy!
Tips
- It’s important to use very cold butter for the biscuit dough. If the butter isn’t cold enough, it will melt into the dough, and the biscuits will not be as tender.
- When kneading the dough, don’t overmix. You always want to see little bits of butter in the dough.
- Wait until the biscuits are completely cool before cutting into them to avoid crumbling.
- Adding fresh lemon juice or lemon zest to the strawberry sauce brightens the flavor.
- Frozen strawberries will work the same as fresh ones. Warm them in a saucepan with the maple syrup, mash them to your preferred consistency, simmer, and cool.
- A splash of vanilla in the whipped cream (added at the same time as the maple syrup) deepens the flavor.
- Cream will whip up more quickly if you use a very cold bowl. Sometimes I put my mixing bowl in the freezer for ten minutes before whipping up the cream. It comes together in half the time.
Recipe FAQs
Refrigerate the strawberries and whipped cream separately in airtight containers. They will keep for 5 days or so. Place biscuits in an airtight container at room temperature for several days. Assemble the dessert right before serving to keep the biscuits from becoming soggy.
Strawberry shortcake can be left out for up to two hours due to the whipped cream’s fat content.
Yes, this is a great dessert to prepare beforehand! Prepare the day before and store the strawberries and whipped cream in the fridge. Assemble just before serving.
The biggest trick is using cold ingredients. The butter and cream should be kept very cold until just before mixing up the biscuit dough. Try to handle the dough as little as possible, mixing quickly and only until it comes together.
While similar, shortcakes and biscuits differ in their fat and sugar content. Shortcake biscuits include butter, cream, and sweetener, while regular biscuits tend to be savory and buttery, but don’t typically include cream.
More Sourdough Recipes from the Farmhouse
- Sourdough Beignets
- Sourdough Bundt Cake
- Homemade Sourdough Oatmeal Cream Pies
- Easy Sourdough Blueberry Bread
- Sourdough Strawberry Cream Cheese Cobbler
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love it if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone.
Sourdough Strawberry Shortcake
Video
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, 420 grams
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt, 5 grams
- 3/4 cup very cold butter, cut into pieces
- 1/3 cup cold heavy cream, 80 grams
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup, 156 grams
- 1/3 cup stirred sourdough starter, 83 grams
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 8.5 grams
Whipped Cream:
- 2 cups heavy cream, 470 grams
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup, to sweeten
Fresh Strawberries and Strawberry Sauce
- 2 cups strawberries, 304 grams
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup, 20 grams
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. In a medium-sized bowl, stir flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until thoroughly combined. Cut in the cold, diced butter and cut in until the mixture is a coarse texture.
- In a separate bowl, whisk heavy cream, maple syrup, sourdough starter, egg, and vanilla. Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture, then stir with a fork to bring it together. Knead the dry bits of flour into the dough a few times, taking care not to overmix.
- Fill a half-cup measuring cup with dough and tap it out onto a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the dough, spacing evenly apart.
- Using a pastry brush, brush some cream onto the top of each unbaked biscuit and sprinkle generously with coarse sugar.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly golden on top. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- While the biscuits are baking and cooling, prepare your toppings. To serve, slice the biscuits in half horizontally and generously spoon on the berries and cream. Replace the biscuit tops and enjoy!
Strawberry sauce and Whipped cream
- Warm the rinsed, trimmed strawberries in a saucepan with maple syrup. Mash the berries with a wooden spoon until you have a rough, saucy consistency. Simmer the berries for a few minutes, stirring frequently, to thicken the sauce. Cool before serving.
- Pour the cold heavy cream into a large mixing bowl or stand mixer bowl with a whisk attachment. Whip the cream on medium speed until it forms soft peaks. Add the maple syrup and continue whipping until stiff peaks form.
Long-fermented sourdough shortcakes
- In a medium-sized bowl, stir flour and salt until thoroughly combined. Cut in cold, diced butter until the mixture has a coarse texture with pea-sized bits of butter.
- Add maple syrup and sourdough starter to the flour and butter mixture, stirring to combine. Knead the dry bits of flour into the dough a few times, taking care not to overmix. Cover with a tea towel and allow to sit for 8-24 hours at room temperature.
- After the fermentation period, add the heavy cream, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking powder and baking soda over the top of the dough, then knead until combined. Refrigerate the mixture for at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Using a 1/2 cup measuring cup, scoop the dough and tap it out onto a greased or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
- Using a pastry brush, brush some cream onto the top of the biscuits and sprinkle generously with coarse sugar. Bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly golden on top, then transfer the biscuits to a cooling rack.
- While the biscuits are baking and cooling, prepare your toppings. Instructions above! To serve, slice the biscuits in half horizontally and generously spoon on the delicious berries and cream. Replace the biscuit tops and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How could one revise the recipe to maintain the health benefits of fermentation?
Going to make these for my husband’s birthday but wanting to know if I can use discard vs active starter since it has baking soda and powder?
Thanks!
Yes, you can use discard.
can this be made with discard?
?
Hi! Did you try with discard??
Did you use just baking powder?
Yes, that is what causes the rise.
Once these are made how do you go about storing them? Are the room temp safe if so for how long or do they have to be stored in the refrigerator. I was curious was debating on using them to sell at my farmer’s market?
I’m getting ready to make this and am hoping the cookbook is correct listing 4 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder and no baking soda. That’s quite different than this recipe. But I am confident the cookbook should be correct. 🙂
Can you use discard or does it need to be active starter? These are wonderful.
Here for the same question….the book says 4.5 tsp baking powder
Easy recipe and very tasty, the biscuits are like a dessert on their own. Love that maple syrup is used as the sweetener. I used half all purpose flour and half freshly ground white wheat berries, turned out well.
Can I give this recipe 6 stars!? It got rave reviews here! I halved the biscuit recipe & baked in our toaster oven so as not to heat up the house w/the big oven.
Also, I mixed it in our food processor, barely pulsing until the dough came together. Super quick & still so tender & delicious! This is a keeper. Yet another winner from Farmhouse on Boone!!!
You left out mixing in the vanilla in the instructions, fyi.
Oops! Thanks for letting me know!
Just made these for 4th of July for my family and it’s been their favorite dessert so far! My FIL is insisting we sell them at the farmers market! Your recipes are always a hit with my family.
Same here – the recipes on this website are wonderful!