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This strawberry basil shortcake is the perfect summertime dessert. Tender shortcake biscuits topped with homemade strawberry jam, macerated berries with basil, and fresh whipped cream.
Strawberries alone are one of my favorite things about spring and summer.
And for this recipe, they get even better! Sweet sliced berries tossed in sugar and basil are paired with fresh stovetop strawberry jam on a homemade shortcake biscuit! This dessert is pure summer.
Ingredients:
- Strawberries
- Basil
- Brown sugar
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Granulated sugar
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- Unsalted butter
- Heavy whipping cream
- Vanilla bean paste
How to make strawberry shortcake:
This dish is easy to make but does have a few steps for each element.
Get your berries macerating by adding your sliced berries with brown sugar and fresh basil. Let them sit in the fridge until the sugar is dissolved and the berries are soft.
Make your fresh stovetop jam by cooking down berries, water, and sugar. You’ll love how easy it is to put together this jam!
Get together your biscuits by making a dough and cut into 4 big pieces. This gives you a fresh fat biscuit for stuffing and topping. I like to brush my biscuits with heavy cream before they bake so the top gets golden brown.
Lastly, whip up your heavy cream so you have fresh whipped cream to serve with your shortcake!
To assemble just cut open a biscuit, slather with jam, and top with both macerated berries and whipped cream.
Variations and substitutions:
As delicious as this recipe is as written I know a few of you will want to change things up! Here are a few fun ways to make this dish extra special!
Herbs: I used fresh basil for this shortbread but fresh mint would also be an excellent addition or replacement. If you’re feeling extra fancy, fresh thyme is a lovely addition as well.
Store-bought jam: If you don’t feel like making the jam element of this dish, you can easily skip it OR just use your favorite store-bought jam. My personal favorite is Bonne Maman.
Cool Whip: No time to whip your own whipped cream? Use Cool Whip or even whipped topping from a spray can!
FAQ’s
More strawberry dessert recipes
- Air Fryer Strawberry Cheesecake Chimichangas
- Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
- Fresh Strawberry Bread
- Easy Strawberry Cheesecake Danish
Strawberry Basil Shortcake
Ingredients
For berries:
- 1 cup quartered strawberries
- 2 tablespoons basil, rolled and sliced (chiffonade)
- 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
For jam:
- 1-1/2 cups quartered strawberries
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon water
For shortcake:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small cubes
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
For whipped cream:
- 1-1/2 cup cold heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat liner.
For berries:
- Add all ingredients to a small mixing bowl, stir to combine, cover and keep cold in the refrigerator.
For jam:
- Add ingredients to a 10-inch skillet set over medium-high heat. Stir to combine and let the berries warm over the stove. They will start to soften and using your spatula crush some of the berries. Leaving some of the berries whole and some smashed.
- Cook until the berries are a jam consistency, about 10 minutes. Let cool.
For shortcake:
- In a bowl whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, fresh cracked pepper and kosher salt.
- Add cold butter to the flour mixture and cut in using a pastry blender until the flour only has a few pea-size pieces of butter left throughout the mixture.
- Add cream and stir until the mixture just comes together. It will be sticky so don't freak out.
- Flour a board (or counter) and lay out the dough. Top the dough with a little more flour and pat out the dough to a rectangle that is 3/4 inches thick.
- Cut the dough into 4 pieces and place on your prepared baking sheet. Baste the tops with a little heavy cream and bake for about 20 minutes or until fully cooked.
For whipped cream:
- Add all ingredients to the bowl of an electric mixer and mix on high until the heavy cream is holding stiff peaks.
For assembly:
- Cup open shortcake, top with jam, fresh berries and whipped cream.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Oh Brandy–this looks incredible and what a tribute to your mom! I grew up in Ohio as well–I think Florida may have been better!! HA! HA! The winters in Ohio are brutal!
Dear Brandy, my daughter absolutely loves strawberry shortcakes, and I love the addition of the basil. What a beautifully photographed dessert. Perfect for our summer gatherings…I can’t wait to try these. xo, Catherine
Both of these look absolutely sensational and perfect for Mother’s Day!!! (even beyond!) Thanks for sharing!
Wow – this looks absolutely scrumptious! I would so love this for Mother’s Day…might be throwing a hint my husband’s way!
This shortcake looks absolutely amazing! I love the flavor of strawberries and basil together!
Strawberries and basil are one of my favorite pairings! These shortcakes with the jam and berries and whipped cream are definitely going on my list of desserts to make this spring!
Oh this is stunning girl!
my mom had that same bowl of berries in the fridge during summer berry season, and to me there is nothing better than homemade strawberry shortcake, but that ice cream cake would be a welcome addition to our table for sure
Wow, this is absolutely gorgeous! I love the strawberry + basil combo!
This dish looks so happy!:)