There is nothing better than homemade strawberry shortcake in the summer! This balsamic roasted strawberry shortcake with fresh basil is my take on the southern classic. Roasting the strawberries with balsamic vinegar brings out their sweetness and adds a rich, tangy depth of flavor.
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Why This Recipe Works
These classic southern buttermilk biscuits are sandwiched with light, homemade whipped cream, balsamic roasted strawberries, and fresh basil for a vibrant, tangy dessert!
The best thing about roasting strawberries, is that it's a good way to use up berries that are a bit past their prime.
While roasted strawberries are the star of this shortcake, you can also use them as a topping for vanilla ice cream or yogurt, or as a sweet/savory combo ala my roasted chicken and peaches.
You might also like this roasted peach shortcake!
Ingredient Notes
You just need a few simple ingredients to make this roasted strawberry shortcake!
Strawberries - You want to use fresh strawberries for this recipe for the best flavor! Since we're roasting the strawberries, you could technically use frozen ones but I don't recommend it.
Balsamic Vinegar - If you want less tangy strawberries, simply reduce the amount of balsamic by half.
Basil - This is optional but the addition of sweet basil with the strawberries and balsamic is just delicious!!
Pastry Flour - I always use pastry flour or cake flour when making biscuits so that they have a super light, tender texture. However, all purpose flour will work great if that's all you have!
Buttermilk - I always use buttermilk to make biscuits if I have it on hand, but regular milk will work just fine. You can also make your own buttermilk by adding 2 teaspoons of lemon juice to whole milk!
Whipped Cream - I use my basic homemade whipped cream recipe for this strawberry shortcake because it's not too sweet and mellows out the tart berries.
The complete list of ingredients and amounts is located in the recipe card below.
Tips for Flaky Pastries
Use cold ingredients! For most baked goods you want to use room temperature ingredients, but for flaky pastries (like scones, biscuits, or pie crust) the ingredients need to be very cold! Keep any butter, eggs, milk, etc. in the fridge until right before you need to use them!
Chill before baking! Chilling the dough for at least 15-20 minutes before baking helps ensure the butter in the dough is nice and cold and helps the pastries hold their shape. Cold dough + hot oven = perfect flaky pastry!
Don't overwork the dough! You want to mix the ingredients until just combined so that there are still distinct pieces of butter in the dough. This is what gives you those buttery, flaky, air pockets!
Measure your flour correctly! It's most accurate to use a kitchen scale, but if you're measuring by volume you want to spoon and level! Fluff up the flour a bit with a spoon, and then spoon flour into the measuring cup. Once it's overflowing, use the back of a knife to level it off. Don't ever pack flour into the measuring cup or you'll end up with way too much! Improperly measured flour can lead to dry, dense baked goods. [Measure cocoa powder the same way!]
Make sure you baking powder is fresh! Baking powder is important for helping certain baked goods rise properly, but it has a relatively short shelf life once opened, so it's one of the few items I never buy in bulk! To test if your baking powder is still fresh, add a small amount to boiling water. If it bubbles it's still good to use, but if not it's time to toss it!
Use an oven thermometer! Just because your oven says it's 350, doesn't mean it is! If you oven hasn't been calibrated recently, it can be as much as 30 degrees off, which will negatively affect all baked goods from cakes to macarons! An oven thermometer is the easiest/cheapest way to ensure your oven is always at the proper temperature. Some ovens also take longer than the standard "preheat" time to actually come up to the proper temperature.
How to Make Roasted Strawberries
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Cut the strawberries in quarters and add to a shallow baking dish. Sprinkle with sugar and balsamic vinegar and toss to coat.
Roast for 20-25 minutes or until the strawberries have softened and the sauce has thickened slightly.
Remove from the oven and let cool.
How to Make Biscuits
You can also check out my post about making biscuits from scratch for more tips!
In a small bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients. Then use your hands to press the cold butter into the flour until it's fully incorporated but you still have pretty large chunks (about quarter sized).
Slowly drizzle buttermilk over top, combining as you go. Knead a few times in the bowl until you have a very dry, shaggy dough.
Turn the dough out onto a clean surface and press into a 1 inch thick rectangle. Cut into 4-5 even 2 ½ inch circles, then reshape the remaining dough and cut out 1-2 more. You should be able to get 6 biscuits.
Transfer the biscuits to a baking sheet and place in the freezer for 10-15 minutes before baking.
Remove the biscuits from the freezer and brush tops with melted butter and lightly sprinkle with sugar.
Bake biscuits at 400°F for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on top.
Remove from the oven and let cool.
How to Make Homemade Whipped Cream
While the biscuits and strawberries are cooling, make the whipped cream.
Add the heavy cream to a large bowl with the powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Beat on high with a hand mixer until thickened and medium peaks form.
Assemble Strawberry Shortcake
I love my strawberry shortcake with warm biscuits and warm strawberries so the whipped cream gets all melty and delicious. But you can also wait for everything to fully cool!
Simply slice the biscuits in half and layer with roasted strawberries, whipped cream, and sliced fresh basil.
Once assembled, the shortcake is best when eaten immediately. However, you can store the biscuits at room temperature and the strawberries and whipped cream in the fridge, for up to 3 days.
Tips for Success!
For best results I always recommend using weight measurements (especially when baking) because it's the most accurate. Kitchen scales are super affordable and also reduce the number of dishes you have to do! However, all my recipes also include US customary measurements for convince. Use this chart to convert measurements for common ingredients!
Substitutions: In all my recipes, I've included substitutions that I know will work, but I cannot guarantee results if you substitute ingredients that I have not recommended. [For example, granulated sugar and honey are indeed both sweeteners but they have very different properties so they can not always be swapped 1:1. Using honey in a cookie recipe that calls for granulated sugar will yield a giant mess.] In the recipe card you'll find links to the specific ingredients/brands that I use.
A note on salt: I almost exclusively use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt because it's the best all-purpose salt for cooking and baking. If you're not using kosher salt, consult this handy guide for a conversion chart! When in doubt, if you're using table salt just reduce the amount by half for baked goods. When cooking, I prefer to under-salt because you can always add more! If you've over-salted, adding a little bit of acid (like lemon juice) can help.
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Recipe Card
Balsamic Roasted Strawberry Shortcake
Special Equipment
Ingredients
Balsamic Roasted Strawberries
- 4 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Biscuits
- 2 cups pastry flour, substitute all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, cold
- ½ cup buttermilk, substitute whole milk
Whipped Cream
- 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Balsamic Roasted Strawberries
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Cut the strawberries in quarters and add to a shallow baking dish. Sprinkle with sugar and balsamic vinegar and toss to coat.
- Roast for 20-25 minutes or until the strawberries have softened and the sauce has thickened slightly.
- Remove from the oven and let cool.
Biscuits
- In a small bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients. Then use your hands to press the cold butter into the flour until it's fully incorporated but you still have pretty large chunks (about quarter sized).
- Slowly drizzle buttermilk over top, combining as you go. Knead a few times in the bowl until you have a very dry, shaggy dough.
- Turn the dough out onto a clean surface and press into a 1 inch thick rectangle. Cut into 4-5 even 2 ½ inch circles, then reshape the remaining dough and cut out 1-2 more. You should be able to get 6 biscuits.
- Transfer the biscuits to a baking sheet and place in the freezer for 10-15 minutes before baking.
- Remove the biscuits from the freezer and brush tops with melted butter (or a bit of heavy cream) and lightly sprinkle with sugar.
- Bake biscuits at 400°F for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on top.
- Remove from the oven and let cool.
Whipped Cream
- While the biscuits and strawberries are cooling, make the whipped cream. Add the heavy cream to a large bowl with the powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Beat on high with a hand mixer until thickened and medium peaks form.
- Simply slice the biscuits in half and layer with roasted strawberries, whipped cream, and sliced fresh basil.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Erin Gierhart says
Balsamic and strawberries are a winning combination! I love this fun take on shortcake!