Cornmeal Shortcake Recipe (with Fresh Strawberries)
Strawberry Cornmeal Shortcake
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (+ more as needed)
- 1/2 cup cornmeal
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar (+ 2 tablespoons for tops)
- 8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (1 stick)
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup whole milk ((or half & half) + 1 tablespoon for tops)
- 5 cups fresh strawberries, (sliced)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups cold heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- Place 1 cup of strawberries in a large bowl and smash (macerate) them with 1/4 cup of sugar. Use the back of a ladle or a wooden spoon to do this. Mix with the rest of the berries into the bowl and chill until ready to serve.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and 1/4 cup sugar in the food processor. Pulse to mix.
- Chop the cold butter into cubes and add to the processor. Pulse the processor several times until the pieces are the size of peas. Add 1 egg and 1/2 cup whole milk to the food processor. Pulse one or two times, until just combine. You still want to be able to see butter clumps.
- Dump the dough onto a floured work surface and shape with your hands into a rectangle about 3/4- to 1-inch thick. Use a 3-inch cookie cutter to cut out 6-8 shortcakes.
- Place them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Brush the shortcakes with milk and sprinkle the extra 2 tablespoons of sugar over the tops.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes, until golden. Cool the shortcakes for just a few minutes.
- Whip the heavy cream in an electric mixer, with the vanilla and 3 tablespoons sugar, until soft peaks form.
- Find a crack in the side of each shortcake and gently separate them into tops and bottoms. Spoon berries over the bottom half of each shortcake, add a large dollop of whipped cream, and place the shortcake top on the cream. Serve immediately.
Rustic Strawberry Shortcake Recipe – Just like Grandma used to make! Fresh seasonal strawberries piled high on tender, sweet cornmeal shortcake biscuits.
Let’s Make Amazing Strawberry Shortcakes!
Real shortcakes are squatty sweet biscuits that can be cracked in the middle to provide a top and bottom. Shortcakes are a member of the “quick bread” family, so it’s best to use very cold ingredients and to work fast, so the dough goes into the oven cold.
This allows the cool butter clumps to work their magic and produce light, flaky layers. Therefore, the shortcakes are delicate and fluffy, making them a wonderful complement to fresh summer berries and cool whipped cream. This is a fresh Strawberry Shortcake Recipe, just like grandma used to make!
Here, I’ve added a little cornmeal to the mix to provide a distinct color and texture. Cornmeal shortcakes are rustic with the aroma of sweet grains. They are texturally appealing, and also fabulous with blueberries!
Prep-Ahead: You can make the shortcakes ahead of time and put them into the fridge until ready to bake. Cover them well with plastic.
My Strawberry Cornmeal Shortcake Recipe isn’t limited to berry season alone. However, I think it’s best with fresh strawberries, ripe off the vine!
For the Cornmeal Shortcake Recipe:
All-purpose flour
Cornmeal
Baking powder
Salt
Granulated sugar
Cold unsalted butter
Egg
Whole milk (or half & half)
For the Strawberries and Whipped Cream:
Fresh strawberries, sliced
Granulated sugar
Cold heavy cream
Vanilla extract
How To Make Cornmeal Shortcakes
Find the full Cornmeal Shortcakes recipe with ingredient proportions, detailed instructions, and storing tips in the printable form below.
How to Open Shortcakes
Find a crack in the side of each shortcake and gently separate them into tops and bottoms. Spoon berries over the bottom half of each shortcake, add a large dollop of whipped cream, and place the shortcake top on the cream.
