Individual Strawberry Shortcake

My Individual Strawberry Shortcake pairs a buttery lemon shortcake with juicy strawberries. Top with lemon whipped cream for an easy, perfect dessert for one (or two)!

Nothing says summer like fresh strawberries, lightly sweetened whipped cream, and a tender lemon shortcake made from scratch. Smashing just half the strawberries speeds up the process and creates layers of texture—both syrupy juice and fresh berry bite in one bowl. And the portion size keeps everything super manageable!

I really wanted a nice zip from the lemon, so there’s fresh zest in the shortcakes. There’s also lemon juice in the strawberries and my favorite lemon whipped cream on top! You could also use this whipped cream with lemon curd for even more body! It is also fabulous with a spoonful of my easy strawberry jam. Pour on easy lemon curd and have yourself a strawberry lemon flavor party!

Ingredients

• All-purpose flour: I prefer to use all-purpose flour for this recipe because it has just the right amount of gluten to make a tender, and not tough, shortcake. Think similar to my buttery buttermilk biscuits, but made for dessert.
• Baking powder
• Kosher salt: Kosher salt is less salty than table salt. A teaspoon of kosher salt weighs less than other finer ground varieties. It adds flavor but also contributes to the shortcake structure.
• Granulated sugar
• Unsalted butter: The unsalted butter is integral to shortening the gluten strands, which get coated during the mixing process. This keeps them from forming a strong network and helps create a lovely, tender shortcake.
• Lemon juice and lemon zest
• Whole milk: I generally use whole milk in shortcakes for the added flavor and fat. It has a lower water content and the extra fat helps keep the shortcakes tender and moist.
• Heavy cream: The heavy cream adds fat to the shortcake for better flavor and texture.. It is necessary to use full-fat heavy cream, also known as heavy whipping cream, to make the whipped cream. Light whipping cream will not whip the same. It will over-whip easily and not be as smooth.
• Strawberries: You can use fresh or frozen strawberries in this recipe. Fresh berries are best to use, but you can also use frozen berries for strawberry shortcake in a pinch or when strawberries are out of season. I recommend tasting the strawberries when mixing them with the sugar so you can balance out their sweetness.
• Powdered sugar

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Variations

• Use different citrus. Change the lemon to key lime, blood orange, Cara Cara oranges, or Meyer lemons if you can find them!
• Swap in other berries. Blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries all make phenomenal shortcakes! When substituting berries, be aware of the natural sweetness of their juices. You might want to adjust the sugar in the recipe. Blueberry shortcake is one I’d like to try sometime soon. Let me know in the comments below which fruits you try!
• Flavor the whipped cream! You can add mascarpone, maple, crushed dehydrated strawberries, vanilla extract, or honey to the dollop of whipped cream!

How to Make Individual Strawberry Shortcake

Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below!

Make the Shortcakes:

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Step 2: In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, kosher salt and sugar. 

You could sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together first for an even lighter texture.

Step 3: Cut the butter into the flour mixture with a pastry knife or by rubbing the butter into the flour using your hands. Do this until the mixture holds its shape when you squeeze.

Step 4: Mix in the lemon zest until evenly distributed.

Step 5: Slowly add the milk to the mixture and toss with a fork. Continue to add milk until the mixture just comes together in a cohesive ball. It’s not the end of the world if you accidentally add a tiny bit of extra milk. The dough should be light, not sticky, and not crumbly.

Step 6: Divide dough into four equal portions, or pat into one larger circle. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for an hour.

Step 7: Press each piece of dough into a circle approximately 3/4 inch thick. Brush with heavy cream and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.

Yes, you can use a biscuit cutter. No, the circles don’t have to be perfect!

Step 8: Bake shortcakes on your prepared baking sheet for approximately 15 minutes or until the bottoms are golden and the tops are just beginning to brown. While your shortcakes cook, make your strawberry topping and whipped cream.

Make the Strawberry Lemon Filling:

Step 9: Wash, dry, and hull the strawberries. I use the pointy end of a vegetable peeler to do this as efficiently as possible with minimal waste. Quarter the berries and smash half of them in a bowl using a fork or whatever device you find easiest. They don’t have to be perfectly mashed, we just want to get the process going!

Step 10: Add the un-mashed berries to the bowl, sprinkle with sugar and lemon juice and stir. 

Taste your strawberries with the sugar and lemon to adjust sweetness if needed.

Make the Whipped Cream:

Step 11: Chill your whisk and bowl. Or save your arms and use a stand mixer instead.

Just know that if you get all ready to whip and realize that you forgot this step, relax, it will whip up just fine as long as the bowl didn’t just come out of the dishwasher.

Step 12: Pour whipping cream into your chilled bowl and sift powdered sugar directly over the whipping cream.

Step 13: Add the lemon zest. You can taste it at this point to see if you would like to add more zest.

Step 14: Whisk briskly to combine. If whisking in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, it is best to whip on medium-low speed. This will give you a dense, rich whipped cream that is akin to having whipped it by hand.

Step 15: Whisk vigorously until soft peaks form, about 5 minutes. Continue whisking if you want stiff peaks or if you want to pipe the whipped cream.

Assemble the Shortcakes:

Step 16: Strain the excess juice from the berries and reserve the juice. 

If you are serving them right away and you don’t care about the presentation, then you can absolutely skip this step.

Step 17: As you can see in my pictures I like to place one shortcake on the bottom, top it with strawberries and whipped cream and then repeat the process with another shortcake. I actually cut each shortcake in half and made 4 small portions. Drizzle with the reserved strawberry lemon juice.

Frequently Asked Questions

Before You Go

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