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This easy Strawberry Peach Shortcake is made with super simple buttermilk drop biscuits and a 5 minute whipped cream. Fresh summer peaches combined with strawberries make for a fun twist on this classic summer treat. Don’t assume shortcake is a challenging, time consuming dessert to make–it is so easy!
Biscuits are my love language. And when it comes to the perfect crumbly shortcake, buttermilk biscuits are the only way to go for me. Buttery and with just the right amount of tang to round out this layered dessert.
A good shortcake recipe needs to be the right combination of biscuit (such as my favorite honey biscuits) or cake, juicy, sweetened fruit and light and fluffy whipped cream. No doubt you can grab all three parts from the store ready to go, but please don’t.
Make it all your own–you will be so happy you did! And it isn’t nearly as complicated as you may think it is.
Why you will love this strawberry peach shortcake:
- You can easily prep parts ahead of time. While I am a firm believer in having the biscuits minutes out of the oven, you can easily prep this strawberry peach shortcake in advance. In fact, I think the whipped cream is even better when it has chilled and set for up to a day.
- Fresh, juicy peaches and strawberries–what a combo! Yes strawberry shortcake is amazing, but add fresh, juicy summer peaches to the mix and WOW. Just the right amount of sweet and tart in your shortcake.
- In a pinch, you can opt for a convenient item. While we all would love to make a fresh summer treat from scratch, it’s not always an option. To make things easier, you can swap one of the layers for store bought. You can also opt for frozen fruit if fresh isn’t available. Lots of options to still make this your own.
Try these other delicious berry recipes in the peak of berry season this year! We love the Mixed Berry Bars, Banana Blueberry Muffins and Strawberry Pecan Chicken Salad especially! And you will want to try this Easy Peach Cobbler Recipe if you can’t get enough peaches like me!
Ingredients and Substitutions:
- fruit: a combination of juicy peaches and fresh red strawberries. You can use frozen if fresh is not available. I don’t suggest canned peaches as they can be too sweet.
- sugar: regular granulated for the buttermilk drop biscuits, whipped cream and to sweeten the fruit. You can also add coarse sugar on top of the biscuits for a crunchy bite.
- flour: I have only used all-purpose flour for the shortcake biscuits to date. I have had a lot of luck with Bob’s 1:1 Gluten Free Flour when subbing for all purpose.
- buttermilk: You could use whole milk in a pinch when making the biscuits. If you are going to do that, I would suggest making your own buttermilk by doing the following: add a tablespoon of vinegar to a one cup measuring cup. Pour whole milk over top to fill to one cup. Stir gently and then let sit for about 5 minutes before using.
- unsalted butter: if you only have salted butter, cut the salt in the biscuits to 1/4 teaspoon.
- baking powder: 1 1/2 TABLESPOONS is correct, not teaspoons.
- salt
- heavy whipping cream: there is whipping cream and heavy whipping cream. Heavy whipping cream has slightly more fat. It will whip up much better and hold shape. If you have just whipping cream, it will still work, but will be a bit lighter and have more air.
- vanilla: a touch of extract to add to the whipped cream. The real stuff is best over imitation.
Step-by-Step Instructions:
If you are making this strawberry peach shortcake recipe just before serving, it is easiest to start with the whipped cream and fruit, and then move on to the biscuits last.
This will allow you to enjoy the shortcakes with biscuits that are still warmed.
If you are making this in advance, then you can really do whatever part you would like first and move on! I will just note step by step directions below and you can take it at your pace.
Prepare the fruit: You want to macerate the fruit to make your peach shortcakes extra sweet and juicy. Macerating is simply drawing out the natural juices from fruit.
Easily do this by tossing the fruit in sugar and letting it sit. The magic will happen soon.
Toss the sliced fruit with sugar and chill until ready to serve. Nothing more you need to do here.
Make the biscuits: The most challenging part in my opinion when making homemade biscuits is cutting the butter into the flour. I use my food processor for this and it takes seconds. You can use a pastry cutter as well here.
Start by mixing the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder together. Add to a bowl or food processor. Add very cold, cubed butter and pulse in a food processor until butter is broken down and the mixture is crumbly. Or use a pastry cutter to break the butter down into the flour mixture. (steps 1-2)
In a mixing bowl, pour 1 cup of the buttermilk over the flour and butter mixture. Gently fold it in, trying not to overwork the biscuit dough. The dough will be a bit crumbly. That is ok! (step 3)
Pull the dough together, but do not knead it. Using a large cookie scoop or ice cream scoop, scoop the dough onto a parchment lined sheet pan. (step 4)
Use the remaining buttermilk to brush the top of the biscuits. Add coarse sugar over top if desired. It’s a sweet biscuit, right?!
It is better not to over bake these biscuits.
Bake for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown on top. I have found in my oven, anything over 16 minutes is a touch too dry. I like the buttery, moist texture inside with a crumbly top.
Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before assembling shortcakes if possible.
Finally, prepare the whipped cream. Homemade whipped cream can literally be ready in 5 minutes. If you can skip the store bought, it’s so creamy and dreamy.
Add all the ingredients to a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until stiff peaks start to form. This will take about 3-4 minutes.
Assembling The Strawberry Peach Shortcakes:
Easy as 1, 2, 3! There really isn’t a wrong way to do this–just make sure you have shortcakes, juicy fruit and whipped cream and you are set.
- Slice a biscuit in half.
- Top the biscuit with a layer of fruit, juices included, and a big dollop of whipped cream.
- Top with other half of biscuit and add more fruit and whipped cream–best garnish!
Feel free to add a few fresh mint leaves and enjoy immediately.
Expert Tips and Notes:
- These strawberry peach shortcakes are best served with slightly warmed biscuits. You can serve them fresh out of the oven or warm them before serving.
- I get about 10 biscuits when making this shortcake recipe. To scoop, I use a 3 Tablespoon ice cream scoop and press the dough in to make sure they are dense and hold together.
- Storage: Store the fruit and whipped cream in the refrigerator and the biscuits at room temperature sealed in an air tight container. The biscuits can also be frozen for about 2 months.
- If making ahead of time: you can make all of the ingredients one day in advance. I don’t suggest making anything sooner for the best flavor and texture in your shortcakes.
- Freshly made whipped cream will not hold shape quite as well as chilled. The biscuits can weight the whipped cream down and cause it to seep out the sides as you can see in some photos above. Set the biscuit top to the side slightly for pretty presentation without things sliding all over!
Recipe Variations:
- Make these peach shortcakes adult only. Add a shot of peach schnapps, dark rum or even a touch of bourbon into the fruit to add an extra flair.
- Use other fruit. You do have some options when it comes to the fruit. Feel free to use peaches only, or strawberries only for that matter. You can also add some blueberries or another berry into the mix.
- Make the whipped cream lemon flavored. You can add some finely grated lemon zest to your whipped cream for a fresh burst of citrus.
Other Summer Desserts:
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Strawberry Peach Shortcake with Buttermilk Drop Biscuits
Ingredients
For the Strawberry Peach Layer:
- 3 peaches, sliced
- 1 pint strawberries, stems removed and sliced
- 3 T granulated sugar
For the Buttermilk Biscuits:
- 2 c flour
- 1 T baking powder
- ¾ tsp salt
- ¼ c granulated sugar
- â…” c unsalted butter, very cold, cubed
- 1 c plus 2 T buttermilk, very cold
- coarse or raw sugar, optional
For the Whipped Cream
- 1½ c heavy whipping cream
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 T granulated sugar
Instructions
- Prep the Fruit: Slice the strawberries and pit and slice the peaches. Toss with the sugar and set aside in the refrigerator to chill until ready to use.
- Make the Biscuits: Preheat the oven to 425°F. Freeze the butter for about 15 minutes. Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar and whisk to combine. Transfer to a food processor and add the butter. Pulse the butter and flour mixture until the butter is broken down and the mixture is crumbly and grain like. You can also cut the butter into the flour with a pastry cutter if preferred.
- Transfer the butter and flour mixture to a bowl and fold in one cup of very cold buttermilk. Try not to stir the mixture too much. If it is a bit crumbly and that is ok. You can add another tablespoon or two of buttermilk if it seems too dry. Pull the dough together to help it form without overworking it.
- Using a cookie scoop or a large ice cream scoop (mine was 3 Tablespoons in size) Scoop and drop the biscuits onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Drop the biscuits slightly close together, almost touching, and brush with remaining buttermilk. Sprinkle with coarse sugar if desired. Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown on top. Cool.
- Make the Whipped Cream: I prefer doing this several hours to a day in advance. Combine the whipping cream, sugar and vanilla in a bowl and beat on medium high with an electric beater until stiff peaks start to form. Do not over beat or it can turn too thick and butter like. Chill until ready to serve.
- Assemble the Shortcakes: After the biscuits have cooled for about 10 minutes, slice them in half. Spoon the fruit mixture on top of the bottom half of the biscuit and then a big scoop of whipped cream. Cover with top of biscuit and add another scoop of whipped cream and fruit. Enjoy immediately.
Notes
- These strawberry peach shortcakes are best served with slightly warmed biscuits. You can serve them fresh out of the oven or warm them before serving.
- Storage: Store the fruit and whipped cream in the refrigerator and the biscuits at room temperature sealed in an air tight container. The biscuits can also be frozen for about 2 months.
- If making ahead of time: you can make all of the ingredients one day in advance. I don’t suggest making anything sooner for the best flavor and texture in your shortcakes.
- Freshly made whipped cream will not hold shape quite as well as chilled. The biscuits can weight the whipped cream down and cause it to seep out the sides as you can see in some photos above. Set the biscuit top to the side slightly for pretty presentation without things sliding all over!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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