Simple Strawberry Shortcakes

If there’s a better combination of disparate parts than the ones that come together to form this stellar strawberry shortcake recipe, please alert the media (that’s us, we’re the media). The players: fresh strawberries (macerated in lemon juice and sugar), homemade whipped cream that’s so good you may be tempted to eat it as dessert alone (while your friends and family wait patiently for their plated desserts in the next room), and lemon-scented cream biscuits that stay tender, light, and tangy from a generous addition of sour cream to the dough, which comes together in the blink of an eye.

This is the time to seek out perfect strawberries, the ones that are only at the farmers market for a few weeks of the year. Other fresh berries calling your name? By all means, use those instead. And as berry season wanes, turn to sliced stone fruit instead. Come winter, remember the past and dream of the future—this dessert is for spring and summertime only. For more guidance on our best strawberry shortcake recipe, check out this video.

If you have extra sweet and juicy strawberries on hand, here are more of our favorite strawberry recipes, including a buttermilk-tahini shake (sans ice cream) and a snacking cake that’s perfect for all-day grazing.

Editor’s note: This recipe was originally published in June 2019.