This whole wheat strawberry shortcake features rustic whole wheat biscuits cracked open warm and served with a sweet strawberry sauce and lots of fluffy whipped cream.
Giving a nostalgic summer favorite a slight makeover today! Don’t worry, we’ve still got plenty of whipped cream in the picture.
I’ve been wanting to experience baking with whole wheat flour a bit more and shortcakes seemed like the perfect dessert to do a test run on. Hence, these shortcakes were born!
Strawberry shortcake is already a slightly rustic summer dessert, but it gets even more rustic when you introduce the fantastic texture that whole wheat flour has to offer to a flaky biscuit base.
The end result? One dang good strawberry shortcake that definitely deserves a spot on your dessert radar this summer.
Honestly, I wouldn’t even rule out these little beauties as breakfast material.
This Strawberry Shortcake features…
- Buttery rustic whole wheat biscuits
- A sweet honeyed strawberry sauce
- Fluffy whipped cream
- Minutes to make and a delicious variation off the classic
Making the Strawberry Shortcake
(scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe)
Ingredients You Will Need
- All-purpose flour
- Whole wheat flour
- Baking powder
- Granulated sugar
- Kosher salt
- Unsalted butter
- Heavy whipping cream
- 2% or skim milk
- Strawberries
- Lemon juice
- Honey
- Whipped cream
How to Make Whipped Cream
You can use whipped cream from a can or homemade for this recipe. If you want to go the homemade route, place 1 cup chilled heavy whipping cream in a large bowl and use an electric mixer to beat whipped cream to soft peaks. Fold in 2-3 tablespoons powdered sugar and continue whipping until stiff peaks form.
Once the whipped cream is made it’s best if served with shortcakes immediately since it will deflate over time.
Tips for Perfect Strawberry Shortcake
- Measure flour correctly – we use the spoon-and-level technique for measuring flour as this will prevent over-measuring your flour. Use a spoon to scoop flour into the measuring cup, then level with the back of a knife.
- Use half whole wheat and half all-purpose – using a mix of both flours will give the biscuits a wonderful texture.
- Chill butter – biscuits rely on cold fat to build the flaky layers while they bake so it’s important that your butter is as cold as possible. I recommend grating your butter on the large holes of a box grater and throwing it in the freezer for 30 minutes.
- Do not overwork the dough – over stirring and kneading of the dough will cause gluten to form resulting in a tough biscuit. If you find your dough is a little too dry and crumbly during this step, add a few extra splashes of milk.
- Build layers into biscuits – pat the dough out into a 1-in thick square, cut into 4 pieces, stack the 4 pieces on top of each other, flatten them back down to 1 inch, and cut out biscuits. This is a quick little trick for getting tall biscuits with lots of layers!
- Chill biscuits before baking – again, you want everything as COLD as possible prior to baking. Stick the biscuits in the freezer for about 15 minutes to chill prior to baking.
- Bake biscuits touching each other – arrange biscuits in a cluster of rows on sheet pan so they are touching each other. This will help the biscuits rise taller while they bake.
- Soak strawberries in lemon juice and honey – allow the strawberries to sit about 10 minutes to release their juices.
Recipe Variations
Try these ideas for a different twist on this shortcake.
- Use a different fruit – try peaches, blackberries, blueberries, or raspberries. You can even use a mix of fruits.
- Add citrus to biscuits – try folding 1 tablespoon grated orange, lemon, or lime zest into the biscuit dough.
- Top shortcakes with chocolate – drizzle assembled shortcakes with semisweet melted chocolate.
Make Ahead Instructions
Follow these instructions for time-saving make ahead tips.
- Make biscuit dough – once the biscuits are cut out they store well in refrigerator up to 6 days. Wrap well on a plate or store in a container, being careful not to squish biscuits. Follow recipe instructions when ready to bake biscuits.
- Bake biscuits – bake the biscuits, allow to cool completely, then store in an airtight container up to 4 days.
- Make strawberry sauce – the sauce stores well in refrigerator up to 6 days.
- Assembly – once the shortcakes are assembled I recommend serving immediately for best results.
There’s just nothing not to absolutely love about these shortcakes! The biscuits are perfectly flaky and feature an amazing texture thanks to the whole wheat flour. Pair that with honeyed strawberries and fluffy whipped cream and I think we’ve got a winner.
Also please note that excessive amounts of whipped cream is a must here, guys. You’ve just gotta do it.
Save this recipe using the ‘save to recipe box’ button below. If you make it, please let us know! Leave a comment + star rating below, or take a photo and tag it on Instagram with #wholeandheavenlyoven.
Watch this shortcake made step-by-step on Google web stories.
More shortcake recipes to try next!
Whole Wheat Strawberry Shortcake
This recipe may included paid links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
Ingredients
Whole Wheat Biscuits
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- 1 cup whole wheat flour (spooned and leveled)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted cold butter (grated on the large holes of a box grater and frozen)
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup 2% or skim milk
- Additional heavy cream and demerara sugar for topping biscuits
Strawberries and Cream
- 3 cups sliced fresh strawberries
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons honey or agave nectar
- Sweetened whipped cream for serving
Instructions
Whole Wheat Biscuits
- Preheat oven to 425F and line a medium sheet pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine flours, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Use a pastry cutter or your fingers to work frozen shredded butter into flour mixture until crumbly.
- Pour heavy cream and milk over flour mixture and gently fold until a shaggy dough forms. Turn dough out onto a surface and gently knead several times until dough comes together.
- Lightly flour surface and pat dough into a 1-inch thick square. Cut square into 4 pieces using a benchscraper or knife and stack the pieces on top of one another. Use your hands to flatten dough back down to 1 inch and use a 3-inch biscuit cutter to cut out biscuits
- Place biscuits on prepared sheet pan so that they are touching each other. Place pan in the freezer for 15 minutes to chill the fats in dough before baking.
- Remove biscuits from freezer and brush with a little additional heavy cream and sprinkle with sugar. Bake biscuits at 425F 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Allow biscuits to cool slightly.
Strawberries and Cream
- In a large bowl, toss strawberries with lemon juice and honey. Allow to stand 10 minutes until strawberries release their juices.
- Use a serrated knife to gently cut biscuits in half. Arrange bottom portion of biscuit halves on a serving plate and top with whipped cream and strawberries. Top shortcakes with biscuit tops and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
This post was updated with new recipe tips and photos on 5/2/24.
Natalie @ Tastes Lovely says
Oh my goodness! That is so cool your recipe was published in a magazine! Did they ask to use your recipe, or did you submit it and they chose it? You’re famous!
I can see why this was featured, these look amazing! Love those big ole’ shortcakes!
Sarah says
Thank you, Natalie! I originally submitted the recipe to TOH last summer, but I certainly never expected them to publish it! Imagine my surprise last fall when I checked my inbox to discover an email from the publishing company of TOH informing me that they planned to publish my Strawberry Shortcakes in the spring. Needless to say, I was over the moon for the rest of the day! 😉
Stacy | Wicked Good Kitchen says
Congratulations, sweet Sarah! I’m just elated for you that your Whole Wheat Strawberry Shortcakes recipe was published in Taste of Home magazine! So exciting for you! I know the feeling (a rush of sheer joy and sense of accomplishment) well…a few of my recipes were published in AllRecipes.com cookbooks back when they first got up and running and featured the best from their site. A few (especially my Thanksgiving turkey stuffing recipe) went viral on their site and still is. 😉 And, ohmahgosh! That song! That…song! So, so beautiful. It moves the soul and provides such inner strength and hope, doesn’t it? The lead singer is a gifted vocalist. No wonder you were a bit starstruck when seeing the live performance and perhaps nearly fainted! 😉 Walk a little taller this week, my dear. You deserve it. Beautiful shortcakes! xo
Sarah says
Your comment totally made my night, Stacy. You’re too kind. 😉 Wow, that’s so amazing that a few your recipes were featured on AllRecipes! That must have been so exciting for you. 😀 And yes, isn’t that song wonderful?? Totally moved me to tears hearing it live.
Jessica @ Jessiker Bakes says
OH MY GOSH Congrats Sarah! That is so awesome!! I am so happy for you 🙂 – I love that magazine! These strawberry shortcakes look fab and I love that they are made with whole wheat flour. Between you and me, I prefer it over all purpose in several recipes – it’s way chewier and just offers a different flavour palette!
Sarah says
Thanks so much for all the support, Jessica! And yes, I totally agree with you about WW flour—it’s amazing! 🙂
Kathy @ Olives & Garlic says
Wow, congrats on being published in the Taste of Home. That is a huge accomplishment and you deserve it. I need to make this ASAP and taste for myself. I bet they’re super good.
Sarah says
Thanks, Kathy! Let me know what you think of these shortcakes if you try them!
Allie | Baking a Moment says
Oh my gosh, Sarah! How exciting! I’m so happy for you and proud of you! That is just tremendous. And it sounds like you had a super fun weekend to boot! Your shortcakes are absolute perfection. I’m totally pinning, I’ve got to try this recipe. I’m amazed at how fluffy they are for being whole wheat 😉
Sarah says
Allie, your comments totally make my day—I love your enthusiasm! Thanks so much for the terrific support you give me. You’re awesome! Thanks for the pin as well! 😀
Mary Frances says
Just finished making this for a recipe and holy cow THESE ARE SO GOOD. I have never made whole wheat shortcakes like this before. And oh my gosh, I read that magazine from cover to cover and now I’m going to have to go back and find you. Congrats, belatedly 🙂 but congrats! And yes, so much yes to Worn, it is a beautiful song by an amazing band. All in all, your archives are full of gems Sarah!
Sarah says
Oh my goodness, YAY. I’m seriously so thrilled right now that you tried these shortcakes and LOVED ’em, Mary Frances! I can’t wait to see what you came up with. 🙂 Thanks girl! You’re the best. <3
cj says
Hello!!
I love that you are using whole wheat flour, great idea!! I am wondering if 1/2 of butter might be too much?? Maybe 1/4 cup??
Than you.
Sarah says
Hi, CJ! 1/2 cup butter is the correct amount—any less than that would make for a dry biscuit.
Becky says
Love these! I used coconut oil and all honey (in place of syrup) & my whole family enjoyed them!! Thank you!
TONI says
LOOKING BETWEEN YOUR ORIGINAL VERSION/PHOTOS OF THIS RECIPE & THIS ONE ………………. ONE QUESTION: WHY ARE THE BISCUITS SO MUCH TALLER NOW ?
SMALLER BISCUIT CUTTER & THICKER DOUGH ???
THE ORIGINAL WERE QUITE A BIT THINNER & FRAGILE LOOKING.
I DON’T NOTICE ANY DIFFERENCE IN THE DIRECTIONS.
Thomas says
Turned out very nice.
Sarah Woodmansey says
I had a really tough time with this recipe. I measured all the ingredients out exact however the dough was just too sticky to roll out and I tried to add more flour to thicken – no difference. I ended up spooning the mixture on to the tray and into the oven so we’ll see what comes out. but this recipe sounded easy however it was actually really difficult. I don’t know what else I could have done differently so if anyone has any suggestions let me know
Sarah says
Hi Sarah – it sounds to me like you didn’t have enough flour in your dough. Typically biscuit recipes are pretty forgiving if the dough is too sticky, you can just add additional flour until you get a thick texture.
Anna says
Is that 2.5 cups or 2 to 2.5 cups? Can you please explain the ingredients?! Looks yummy!
Sarah says
It is 2 to 2.5 cups. 🙂