James Beard's Strawberry Shortcakes Recipe on Food52 (2024)

Make Ahead

by: Genius Recipes

April24,2021

4.7

17 Ratings

  • Serves 6

Jump to Recipe

Author Notes

In his twenty-plus cookbooks, James Beard never published his mother's shortcake recipe, which relies on a clever secret ingredient: hard boiled egg yolks. Lucky for us, he saw fit to share it with his friend Larry Forgione one night as the two were relaxing and talking food at Beard's townhouse. As Forgione tells it, Beard believed "there can be no dessert better, only fancier." Taste his version and you're likely to feel the same. From The James Beard Foundation, adapted from An American Place by Larry Forgione (Morrow, 1996) —Genius Recipes

  • Test Kitchen-Approved

What You'll Need

Ingredients
  • 2 cupsall-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cupplus 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoonplus 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 6 tablespoonsunsalted butter, chilled, cut into small cubes
  • 2 hard-boiled egg yolks, pushed through a small mesh sieve
  • 3/4 cupheavy cream, chilled
  • 2 tablespoonsunsalted butter, melted
  • 3 pintsfresh strawberries, washed, hulled, and halved or quartered, depending on size
  • 2 tablespoonssugar
  • 1 cupheavy cream
  • 1 tablespoonsugar
Directions
  1. Sift together the flour, 1/4 cup of the sugar, and the baking powder into a bowl. Add 6 tablespoons of the chilled butter pieces and, using your fingertips, work the butter into the flour mix until it has the consistency of coarse crumbs. Add the sieved hard-boiled egg yolks and the cream; gently mix until it the dough just comes together.
  2. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured board and gently knead to make a smooth dough (about two or three turns). Pat down the dough to make a 1-inch-thick round. Using a lightly floured 2 1/2-inch-round cookie cutter, cut out 6 shortcakes. Brush the tops with the melted butter and sprinkle with the reserved tablespoon of sugar. Place the shortcakes on a plate lined with waxed paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.
  3. Heat the oven to 350ºF. Transfer the chilled shortcakes to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake on the center rack of the oven for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden and firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.
  4. While the shortcakes cool, prepare the fruit filling and whipped cream: place the strawberries in a glass bowl and add the sugar. Gently stir and let sit for 1 to 2 minutes.
  5. Whip the cream and sugar together in a medium bowl until the cream just begins to thicken.
  6. Using a fork or serrated knife, cut the shortcakes in half lengthwise. Place the bottom halves on 6 plates and generously spoon the macerated fruit and juices over them. Top with a heaping dollop of lightly whipped sweetened cream. Top with the top halves of the shortcakes.

Tags:

  • Fruit
  • Milk/Cream
  • Strawberry
  • Make Ahead
  • Spring
  • Memorial Day
  • Mother's Day
  • Vegetarian
  • Dessert

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • LagunaGreg

  • student epicure

  • Megan

  • julia boyd

  • Elizabeth Smith

Recipe by: Genius Recipes

39 Reviews

LagunaGreg June 14, 2021

My kids said “ By far the best one you’ve ever made!” Ditto on bake time. Didn’t add extra cream but had to wrestle it together since it was crumbly out of the bowl. Still resulted in a super tender crumb.

Samantha December 13, 2020

Didn't need to add an extra 1/4 c. cream like some of the other reviews mentioned. I think the key is fluffing up the flour and then spooning it into the measuring cup. I did however have to cook mine about 15 minutes extra. These have a super tender crumb.

[emailprotected] July 4, 2020

Original recipe calls for a 450 degree oven - probably why people are commenting on the longer baking time

nancy H. May 24, 2020

Amazing! I did add extra cream and baked longer as others suggested. I also added the zest from one lemon and they were so so good.

student E. July 5, 2019

Absolutely delicious! I also had to add extra cream (~1/4 c) and bake longer.

AJ August 9, 2018

I made this recipe for a summer bbq with friends. It came out awesome. The only changes I made was using a fork to mash the yolks and baking for 7 minutes longer. This is now a classic for me.

Carol December 21, 2017

Hi,this sounds really great.I was wondering if I could use the fine plate of my potato ricer instead of a sieve? The RSVP brand of ricer has two plates one is very fine.It is easy to wash and also dishwasher.Seems easier than a gooey sieve ,if you have it.My daughter saw this on American Test Kitchen and bought it for me.Thanks

Kristen M. December 21, 2017

I haven't tried this, but it sounds like it would work well! Thanks for sharing the idea.

Megan May 21, 2017

Well.. I made these tonight and realized after they had been baking about 10 minutes that I had forgotten the baking powder!! They took much longer to get golden and did not rise of course, but they were still insanely good! Like a very large soft-baked shortbread cookie. I made them to go with this rhubarb compote (https://food52.com/recipes/4275-rhubarb-with-earl-grey-tea-cardamom-and-orange-zest) and served with vanilla ice cream. So good. These will be my go-to recipe for sweet biscuits. Much better than any I've tried before.

julia B. July 8, 2016

These are incomparable !! The lightest most tender shortcakes in the world....the crisp delicate crust and ethereal crumb will have guests swooning and make this your favorite biscuit recipe ever. I like them best a little smaller...they rise better and bake more thoroughly when I use a 1 3/4 to 2 inch cutter. Serve 2 if necessary. Make sure to get them quite golden...if they're too pale, you'll miss the contrasting textures. I wrap mine individually in foil to reheat - opening the foil toward the last couple of minutes to crisp the exterior. As good as the first round....Superb recipe.

celiabarbour June 6, 2016

SOOO good, we hardly needed the strawberries and cream. Thank you!

Elizabeth S. August 8, 2015

There was a baking powder aftertaste when I tried one of these.

Pam July 4, 2014

Made these twice to many accolades. Both times it took almost 25 minutes to get them to the golden stage. Did anyone else find that?

Barb168 May 12, 2014

What are the cooked egg yolks' function in this recipe? Flavor? Texture?

witloof May 6, 2015

Texture. Hard boiled egg yolk in pastry is a common ingredient in the baking traditions of Austria.

Caetie May 5, 2014

These are amazing. Some of the best textured biscuits I've ever had, definitely the best I've ever made. Added some thyme to the dough and doubled it to serve 16 medium sized portions, but otherwise made as is. Made the dough about 4 hours ahead of time and chilled until baking, they also reheat nicely in the toaster the day after as well!

lynn S. April 16, 2014

Can you refrigerate the dough up to a day ahead before baking it?

Kristen M. April 17, 2014

I haven't done it myself, but I think that would be just fine -- there's no issue with the leavener, and it may even make them more tender.

Moni February 2, 2014

Since the directions did not say whether to use 3/4 cup or 1 cup cream, I assumed it was 3/4 cup but my dough was way too dry. So I added more cream...1 cup total. I don't live in a dry arid climate so I assuming the direction really calls for 1 cup?

Chef C. June 17, 2013

I agree with OrchidGirl and added more cream because the dough was too dry, more like a cup of cream or so, mine were perfect - and I froze the leftovers and they're great next time around.

Paulaob June 16, 2013

I made these today. While I really liked them, I have a few questions. My dough was so dry, it barely held together. I think I overworked the dough trying to get it to come together. The shortcakes really didn't rise, rather spreading more than I expected. I have made many biscuits and never had these problem. The taste of the finished product was good. I just wished they had risen more.

Chef C. May 27, 2013

I'm trying this one today for Memorial Day with my in-laws, the secret ingredient is intriguing, wonder how it'll taste?

OrchidGirl May 15, 2013

These were tender and delicious. I had to add a bit more than the 3/4 cup of cream the recipe calls for to get the dough to bind together, however I live in a dry climate at altitude and recipes sometimes need adjustment.

James Beard's Strawberry Shortcakes Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

What makes strawberry shortcake different? ›

When you think of strawberry shortcake, you might imagine the small, spongy cakes sold at the grocery store, but the traditional recipe is closer to a scone or biscuit than a cake. You'll notice this from the start. Unlike cake batter, shortcake batter is significantly thicker and reminiscent of biscuit dough.

Is strawberry shortcake made of angel food cake? ›

Strawberry Shortcake. Strawberry Shortcake is a great summer dessert using bright fresh berries. Light & sweet angel food cake is toasted and layered with whipped cream, which is a delicious twist on the typical strawberry shortcake recipe.

What are strawberry shortcake cups made of? ›

EASY Strawberry Shortcake Cups Recipe
  • 1 store-bought Angel Food Cake.
  • 24 oz. ripe strawberries sliced.
  • 3 cups heavy cream.
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract.
  • 4 tbsp. powdered sugar.
  • 13 oz. container of Marzetti Strawberry glaze.
  • 16 plastic party tumbler cups by Tableluxe.
  • Blue frilled toothpicks.
Jun 21, 2023

Who created strawberry shortcake food? ›

The recipe was popularized by Eliza Leslie of Philadelphia in The Lady's Receipt-book (1847). These "Strawberry cakes" were made of a thick unleavened cookie of flour, butter, eggs and sugar, split, layered with fresh strawberries, and covered with a hard sugar-and-egg white icing.

What kind of cake is Strawberry Shortcake made of? ›

​Nothing says summer like this strawberry shortcake cake! Super moist and fluffy layers of vanilla cake layered with juicy strawberries and stabilized whipped cream.

What is the original Strawberry Shortcake? ›

The character first appeared on a Laurel Valentine's Day Greeting card in 1972–1973. At the time, the character was simply called Girl with a Daisy or Strawberry Girl and was depicted holding a daisy while wearing an orange bonnet with a strawberry print on it.

Is pound cake or angel food cake better for Strawberry Shortcake? ›

Base: Sponge Cake (aka Angel Food): The obvious advantage to using a slice of Angel Food Cake over pound cake is its airy, springy texture, which is more thematically aligned with freshly whipped cream and macerated strawberry juice than almost anything else that's sweet and edible.

Why is angel food cake so fluffy? ›

Angel food cake is one-of-a-kind, and no other cake recipe matches its super fluffy, airy texture. Though it's a type of sponge cake, it differs from other popular recipes because it's traditionally made using no butter or oil in the batter. Instead, beaten egg whites are the secret to its ultra-light texture.

Why is angel food cake so airy? ›

The All-Important Egg Whites!

There is no chemical leavening agent (baking powder or baking soda) in this recipe. Instead, Angel Food Cake is leavened primarily by the air that is beaten into egg whites.

Why do they call it Strawberry Shortcake? ›

First, there's that name. It's not called shortcake because it isn't tall. “Short” is an English word, dating to at least the 16th Century, that means crisp. Or, more specifically, something made crisp with the addition of fat, traditionally either butter or lard.

What is the difference between Strawberry Shortcake and cake? ›

What's the difference between strawberry shortcake and regular cake? Shortcakes like our Best Strawberry Shortcake have a crumbly, denser texture than more classic fluffy and spongy cakes.

Is Strawberry Cake the same as Strawberry Shortcake? ›

What is the difference between strawberry cake and strawberry shortcake? Strawberry cake tends to be layered and large. It also has the strawberries cooked into it whereas strawberry shortcake layers the uncooked berries with cream between cooked layers of shortcake.

How old is Strawberry Shortcake 2003? ›

She had a filly named Honey Pie Pony in the 2003 series. In the 1980's, Strawberry was six years old. Her current age is implied to be teenage/young adult aged e.g. in the 2003 version, Strawberry is able to drive a car and in the 2009 version, she owns a shop called the Berry Café.

How old is Strawberry Shortcake 2024? ›

@Strawberry Shortcake is celebrating 45-years in 2024, we chat with Elizabeth from Wild Brain Studios while at @L.A. Comic Con , she gives us all the chisme about whats to come!

Is Strawberry Shortcake owned by Disney? ›

Wikiwand - Strawberry Shortcake

In addition, the franchise has spawned television specials, animated television series and films. The franchise is currently owned by the Canadian children's television company WildBrain and American brand management company Iconix Brand Group[2][3]…

What is the difference between strawberry shortcake and cake? ›

What's the difference between strawberry shortcake and regular cake? Shortcakes like our Best Strawberry Shortcake have a crumbly, denser texture than more classic fluffy and spongy cakes.

What is the difference between Japanese and American strawberry shortcake? ›

Unlike American strawberry shortcake (which is made with biscuits), Japanese strawberry shortcake is made with light and airy white sponge cake layered with whipped cream and strawberries. It is incredibly light, creamy, and refreshing.

Why strawberry shortcake is called shortcake? ›

First, there's that name. It's not called shortcake because it isn't tall. “Short” is an English word, dating to at least the 16th Century, that means crisp. Or, more specifically, something made crisp with the addition of fat, traditionally either butter or lard.

What makes strawberries different? ›

The main difference in strawberry varieties is differences in their growing season and their sensitivity to light. “Day-neutral” varieties are the hardiest and continue to ripen fruit all summer long until frost hits them. In fact, they blossom and fruit no matter how long or short the days are.

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