Strawberry Shortcake Recipe

Prepare strawberries

Hull and quarter the strawberries (or slice thickly if large) and place them in a medium bowl.

Add the granulated sugar, lemon juice, vanilla extract and a pinch of freshly ground black pepper. Toss gently to combine so sugar coats the fruit.

Let the strawberries macerate at room temperature for 30–45 minutes, stirring once or twice until they release juices but still hold shape. Taste and adjust sweetness or acidity if needed. Chill if not using immediately.

Preheat and prepare

Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, granulated sugar and salt in a large bowl.

Cut the very cold butter into small cubes and toss into the flour mixture. Using a pastry cutter or your fingertips, blend until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-size bits of butter remaining (do not overwork).

Make a well in the center and pour in the cold buttermilk. Stir gently with a fork until the dough just comes together and is shaggy. If necessary, add up to 1 tbsp more buttermilk to bring it together; do not overmix.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, fold it over itself 3–4 times to create layers, and pat to about 1-inch thickness. Use a 2.5–3 inch round cutter to stamp out 6 biscuits, pressing straight down (do not twist). Re-roll scraps once to make remaining biscuits.

Place biscuits on the prepared sheet about 1 inch apart. Brush tops lightly with heavy cream and sprinkle a pinch of granulated sugar if desired.

Bake 12–15 minutes until golden brown on top and bottom. Transfer to a rack and let cool 10 minutes. For best texture, split biscuits while warm.

Infuse milk and cream

Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape seeds into a saucepan with the pod, or add 1 tsp vanilla extract later. Combine whole milk and heavy cream in the saucepan and warm over medium heat until small bubbles appear at the edge (do not boil). Remove from heat and let sit 10 minutes to infuse. Remove vanilla pod.

Make custard base

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the granulated sugar until pale and slightly thickened, about 1–2 minutes. Slowly temper the warm milk mixture into the yolks in a thin stream while whisking constantly to prevent curdling.

Return the combined mixture to the saucepan and cook over low-medium heat, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula, until it thickens enough to coat the back of the spatula (170–175°F / 77–80°C). Do not boil.

Remove from heat and whisk in the crème fraîche and salt until smooth. If using vanilla extract, stir it in now.

Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl to remove any cooked bits. Chill rapidly: set bowl in an ice bath and stir occasionally until cold, or refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.

Churn and freeze

Pour the chilled custard into an ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer's instructions until it reaches soft-serve consistency (typically 20–30 minutes). Transfer gelato to a container and freeze at least 2 hours to firm up before serving.

Split each warm biscuit horizontally. Spoon a generous layer (about 3–4 tbsp) of macerated strawberries with some of their juices onto the bottom half of each biscuit.

Top the strawberries with a scoop (about 2–3 oz) of crème fraîche gelato. Place the biscuit top over the gelato or slightly askew to showcase the filling.

Dust the tops lightly with confectioners' sugar and garnish with a mint leaf. Serve immediately so the gelato remains cold against the warm biscuit.

If making ahead: keep macerated strawberries refrigerated, biscuits wrapped at room temperature for up to 1 day, and gelato frozen. Assemble just before serving for best texture contrast.