I think Strawberry shortcake is my favorite dessert.
There. I said it.
I don’t like to commit to favorite dessert proclamations – to hard to narrow it down. But seeing as I’m always craving a strawberry shortcake and any time a special dessert is required(like this past mother’s day), strawberry shortcake shows up, I think it’s safe to say that it’s possibly top of the list.
This past mother’s day, strawberry shortcake was in the plans and we were at my in-laws. Their lilac bushes were so full and fragrant, I decided to make a lilac syrup with them. That ended up coating the strawberries that graced the shortcake and a new favorite was born: strawberry shortcake with lilac syrup-soaked berries. Subtle, fragrant, and HEAVEN.
Ever since I came cross the talented Cozy Kitchen’s giant strawberry shortcake on Instagram, I knew the next time I made one it would have to be supersized. And really, It’s nice to make just one shortcake, not a dozen little baby ones. It slices up quite nicely, too. Just make sure that your whipped cream is very stiffly whipped so that it does not slide out easily.
This shortcake is what my dreams are made of. Crisp, dense, buttery biscuits layered with thick whipped cream and floral-scented strawberries. You can find the recipe for the lilac syrup HERE. Oh, if you end up with extra syrup after using all the strawberries, save it! it would be so good drizzled over anything syrup-worthy.
- FOR THE BISCUIT:
- 4 Cups All-purpose Flour
- ¼ cup Raw Cane Sugar
- 2 tablespoons Baking Powder
- 1 teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) Cold Unsalted Butter, cubed
- 1⅓ cup Heavy Cream or Half and Half
- TO GARNISH:
- 1 quart Heavy Whipping Cream, whipped to stiff peaks(sweeten, if desired)
- 1 pound Fresh Strawberries, sliced horizontally
- Lilac Syrup (recipe is one post back)
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat mats.
- Place flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in food processor and pulse a few times to mix.
- With the processor running, Drop in the cubed butter piece by piece and process until just combined and forming small crumbs.
- Drizzle the cream into processor through top while processor is running and process until dough JUST comes together. Be careful to not over-process. Divide the dough into two equal portions.
- Place each dough portion down on a floured work surface into a circle that is roughly 6 inches in diameter and 1 inch thick.
- Place each dough round onto a prepared baking sheet. Bake shortcakes for about 15-20 minutes or until tops are just turning slightly brown. Cool on a wire rack.
- Place the strawberries in a bowl and pour enough lilac syrup over them to coat each berry well. Place in the fridge while the shortcakes cool.
- TO ASSEMBLE:
- Carefully slice both biscuits in half, horizontally. Place one biscuit on a serving platter and spread or pipe ¼ of the whipped cream on top of it. Place a layer of strawberries over the cream. Repeat this process with the remaining biscuit rounds, cream, and berries.
- Decorate the top of the cake with strawberries, lilac blossoms, and drizzle the extra syrup over the top, as desired. Serve slices of cake with a spoonful of any remaining syrup.
Oh my goodness! This looks amazing. Strawberry shortcake is such a wonderful dessert – fresh berries, perfectly fluffy-gloopy cream, delicious cake… mmm… I’m drooling. I’ve never used lilac in a recipe, I’m very intrigued by that.
I love strawberry shortcake… it’s a dessert we used to make all the time when I was younger. It’s been years since I’ve last had it. I love this large cake version, and the addition of lilac is just lovely.
I have never tried strawberry shortcake but I like what I see 🙂 I had no idea there was such thing as lilac syrup. Thanks for the inspiration!
This is so so so gorgeous! I love the idea of using giant biscuits. I also really love the lilac, so pretty!
Ohhh! This looks heavenly! I will definitely be baking a giant strawberry shortcake for this weekend! Perfect as I am picking olallieberries this week and I’ll just hop over to the strawberry patch too! Love your photography too! So romantic!
Cheers, Colette
This is such a beautiful cake! Strawberry shortcake can look messy sometimes but you’ve made it look perfect and appetizing! Your photographs are lovely as well!