FOR THE STRAWBERRIES:

6 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced

¼ cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Zest of one lemon

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FOR THE SHORTCAKES:

2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

¼ cup granulated sugar

4 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 ½ teaspoon salt

1 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed

1 ½ cups cold buttermilk

2 tablespoons heavy cream, buttermilk, or butter for brushing on the biscuits

Coarse white or brown turbinado sugar for sprinkling

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FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM:

1 cup heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

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FOR THE STRAWBERRIES:

1. Place hulled and sliced strawberries in a large bowl and stir in the sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest.
2. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. The longer you let the berries macerate, the juicier and more delicious they will become!

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FOR THE SHORTCAKES:

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together until well combined.
3. Add the cubed butter to the flour mixture and using a pastry blender (or two forks if you don’t have one), cut the butter into the dry ingredients until coarse crumbs form.
4. Add the buttermilk and fold the ingredients together with a large rubber spatula or spoon until it comes together. Do not overwork the mixture – you want it to be crumbly and slightly wet in spots.
5. Transfer the dough to a well-floured work surface and gently bring it together. Using a rolling pin or generously floured hands, flatten the dough into a rectangle about 1 inch thick. Re-flour your hands or rolling pin and work surface as often as necessary to keep the dough from sticking.
6. Fold both sides of the rectangle into the center and then gently flatten it again into a 1-inch thick rectangle.
7. Repeat the folding and flattening process one more time.
8. Using a 3-inch biscuit cutter, cut into circles. When pressing down into the dough, do not twist.
9. Re-roll and cut any leftover scraps until you have about 10-12 biscuits.
10. Arrange biscuits in a 10-inch cast iron skillet. (Grease your skillet with vegetable oil or butter if it isn’t well-seasoned.) If you don’t have a cast skillet, place the biscuits close together on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Make sure the edges are touching each other.
11. Brush the tops of the biscuits with heavy cream, buttermilk, or a little melted butter and sprinkle lightly with coarse sugar.
12. Bake the biscuits for 18-22 minutes or until they are golden brown on top.
13. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10-15 minutes before assembling your shortcakes.
14. When ready to assemble, slice the biscuits in half. Place a layer of strawberries on the bottom half followed by a layer of whipped cream. Place the top of the biscuit on top of the whipped cream layer. Serve immediately.

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FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM:

1. Using either a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the heavy cream, granulated sugar, and vanilla at medium speed to medium-high speed.
2. Continue this process for approximately 3 minutes or until soft peaks form.

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Recipe Notes:

• If your strawberries aren’t super sweet to begin with, taste them as they macerate and add more sugar if necessary.
• Make sure your butter is cold! I like to cube mine before I do anything else and place it in a separate bowl in the fridge or freezer until ready to use.
• Feel free to use a food processor to make the biscuit dough if you have one! Just be careful not to overwork the dough once you add the wet ingredients.
• To ensure there’s no unpleasant chemical aftertaste in your biscuits, I highly recommend using a baking powder that is specifically labeled aluminum-free. I learned this tip from Sally’s Baking Addiction, and it makes a massive difference. I recommend Rumford Aluminum-Free Baking Powder.
• If you don’t have buttermilk, feel free to substitute whole milk instead. I would not use 2%, 1%, or skim as it will change the richness and texture of your biscuits.
• If you like the tang of buttermilk (which is one of my favorite parts about these biscuits!) but don’t have any on hand, you can make your own by adding 3 teaspoons of vinegar or lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup and filling it with enough milk to equal 1 ½ cups. Whisk the mixture together and let stand for about 10-15 minutes before using in the recipe.
• If you don’t have course sugar on hand to sprinkle on top of the biscuits, feel free to use granulated sugar instead. The course sugar adds a little texture and visual appeal but isn’t necessary.
• If you like a super sweet whipped cream, add more sugar. Because the macerated strawberries tend to be so sweet and delicious, I prefer a lightly sweetened whipped cream. But this is purely a personal preference, so make it how you like it!