Skillet Strawberry Shortcake
I love anything baked in a cast iron skillet honestly. And this skillet strawberry shortcake does not disappoint. Juicy, sweet strawberries topped with flaky biscuits: perfection. Top it with vanilla ice cream and you have got the perfect dessert. I am desperately trying to hang onto summer desserts before everyone moves full force into all things fall and pumpkin spice. Don’t get me wrong, I love pumpkin. But I also love summer flavors, you know? Berries, peaches, citrus, I can’t get enough. So if you get the chance, please make my skillet strawberry shortcake before you turn on your fireplaces this fall.
Strawberry filling:
Although frozen strawberries will work in this recipe, I used fresh ones. You’ll need about two pounds. Remove the tops and slice them into pieces. For the smaller strawberries I just sliced them in half and for larger ones I cut them into four pieces. Use your best judgment here. After cutting up your strawberries, place them in a bowl with the granulated sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Set this aside to let the strawberries macerate for twenty to thirty minutes.
In this time you can move onto making the biscuits and preheating your oven. After your berries have macerated you will see a lot of juice in the bottom of the bowl. Drain this juice off into a separate container. Add 1 tbsp of cornstarch and whisk to combine with the juices. Add this back to the strawberries and stir to combine. The cornstarch will help the strawberry mixture thicken up when baking our skillet strawberry shortcake.
Biscuits:
While your strawberries are macerating, preheat your oven and make your biscuits. Ensure that the butter and buttermilk you will be using is very cold and kept in the refrigerator until right when you are going to use it. In a bowl whisk together the all purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Slice the very cold butter into chunks. Add this to the flour mixture and using a pastry cutter, two forks, or even your fingers begin to work the butter in by smashing it and chopping it into smaller pieces. If using your hands, be careful not to overwork it and melt the butter. The butter should be about pea sized and evenly distributed. Add in the cold buttermilk and combine using a rubber spoon or spatula.
The dough will be a bit sticky and may not look fully combined. Dump onto a floured working surface and press the dough together a few times to combine. Flatten using a floured rolling pin or use your hands to press into an even layer about ¼-⅓ of an inch thick. Use a biscuit cutter or round cookie cutter to cut into biscuits and set aside. Once they are all cut, place on a baking sheet in the freezer for ten to fifteen minutes.
Assembling your skillet strawberry shortcake
When all the above steps have been completed and the oven is preheated to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, dump your strawberry mixture into a greased 8 or 9 inch cast iron skillet. Top with the biscuits that were in the freezer. Next, brush each biscuit with melted butter and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake for 24-28 minutes. The strawberry mixture should be thick and bubbling and the tops of the biscuits golden brown. This strawberry skillet shortcake is best eaten warm topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
For more strawberry recipes click here.
Skillet Strawberry Shortcake
Ingredients
Strawberry filling
- 2 lbs strawberries
- 1/4-1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp fresh lemon zest
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp corn starch
Biscuits
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter, cold
- 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp buttermilk, cold
Biscuit topping
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tbsp turbinado sugar
Instructions
Strawberry filling
- Remove tops and slice strawberries. In a large mixing bowl add the strawberries, granulated sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Stir to combine. Set aside to allow the berries to macerate for 20-30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400°. While preheating oven start on the biscuits.
- After 20-30 minutes drain off the liquid from the strawberry mixture into a separate bowl. Add the corn starch and whisk to combine. Add this back to the strawberry mixture and stir to combine.
Biscuits
- In a mixing bowl combine all purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt. Whisk to combine. Slice the cold butter and add to the flour mixture. Using a pastry cutter, two forks, or your fingers cut the butter into the flour mixture, being careful not to work it too much and melt the butter. The flour should be distributed and be in pea sized chunks.
- Pour in the cold buttermilk. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to combine. Dump onto a floured work surface and press the dough together a few times to incorporate. Using either a rolling pin or your hands press the dough into an even layer about 1/4 to 1/3 inch thick. Cut into circles using a biscuit cutter or cookie cutter. Once all have been cut, place onto a baking sheet and place uncovered in the the freezer for 10-15 minutes.
Assembly
- Once oven is preheated to 400° grease an 8 or 9 inch cast iron skillet. Dump in the strawberry mixture. Remove the biscuits from the freezer and place on top of the strawberries. Brush each biscuit with melted butter and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake on the middle oven rack for 24-28 minutes. When it's finished the strawberry mixture will be thick and bubbling and the biscuits will be flaky and golden brown.