Name: Strawberry Shortcake with Homemade Pound Cake
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 3 h
Yield: 12
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2/3 cup butter or margarine; 1 1/4 cup sugar; 2/3 cup milk; 1 tsp lemon or vanilla extract; 2 cups flour; 1 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp baking powder; 3 eggs; 1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream; 2 pints of fresh strawberries; 1/2 cup sugar (or more)

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Best Ever Strawberry Shortcake – homemade pound cake, vanilla ice cream, and sweetened juicy strawberries. It doesn’t get better than this!

Garden fresh strawberries are great all on their own, but they are also fantastic in a variety of dessert recipes. I also love Mini Strawberry Shortcake Cookie Cups, and Strawberry Nutella Pizza.

Strawberries are abundant in the grocery stores this time of year, and I can’t help but buy them every time I see them. They are great on fruit pizza, in strawberry pie, on top of cheesecake, dipped in chocolate, with fruit dip, and of course just plain.

One of my favorite ways to use strawberries is in strawberry shortcake. It’s a classic spring dessert, and so easy to make. It’s perfect for small family gatherings, potlucks, or parties. Who can resist it?

This is the way I grew up having strawberry shortcake, and it really is the best ever. I’ve never had strawberry shortcake anywhere that beats it! We always made homemade cake and served it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It is sooooo good.

I remember the first time I ate strawberry shortcake somewhere else. It was those little round sponge cakes that taste like twinkies, topped with Cool Whip and just plain ole strawberries. I remember thinking, “What the heck. These people do not know what is up. This is not what strawberry shortcake should taste like.”

It was still good and I ate it, but it was not fantastic. I could handle the twinkie cake, but Cool Whip, come on. Real whipped cream would be an improvement, but really, ice cream is soooo much better. I mean think about it – what would you rather eat, a spoonful of Cool Whip or a spoonful of ice cream? No contest.

So without further delay, here is strawberry shortcake the way I like it. For absolute best results, make the homemade pound cake. But even if all you do is use ice cream in place of whipped topping, you’ll be on your way to awesome strawberry shortcake!

plate of strawberry shortcake with homemade pound cake and vanilla ice cream

HOW TO MAKE THE BEST STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

(To skip my tips and just get to the recipe card, scroll to the very bottom of the post.)

Ingredients needed for the pound cake:

butter or margarine, softened to room temperature (I always use regular salted butter.)
granulated sugar (regular white sugar)
milk (I use 2%, but skim or whole milk will work just as well.)
vanilla extract (or lemon extract if you prefer)
all purpose flour (I like to use unbleached, but that is a matter of preference.)
salt
baking powder
eggs (It’s best if they are at room temperature. I use large eggs in all of my recipes.)

Additional ingredients needed:

vanilla ice cream (We like French vanilla or vanilla bean ice cream.)
fresh strawberries
sugar

PREP WORK: Let the eggs come to room temperature. Soften the butter. It’s best to let soften at room temperature, but you can use the microwave in a pinch. Grease and flour a 9×5″ cake pan, or spray with Baker’s Joy. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

POUND CAKE: First up, you need to whip up the cake. Pound cake is heavier than other cakes, so it stands up to the strawberry juice without getting soggy. Cream together the butter and sugar, then add milk and vanilla extract. Beat in the dry ingredients, then beat in the eggs one at a time.

Spread the batter into a prepared loaf pan. Bake at 300° for about an hour and a half, or a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. It will be golden brown around the edges.

BERRIES: While the cake is cooling, slice the berries. Mix them with sugar and let the berries sit till the sugar dissolves and the berries release juice. It takes less time if the berries are at room temperature, but it still works if they are cold.

SERVING: Place a slice of cake on a plate. Top with a scoop of good quality vanilla ice cream. Scoop the strawberries over the ice cream, making sure to drizzle some of the juice on each serving.

PRO TIPS:

-To make sure the cake doesn’t stick to the pan, line the bottom with parchment paper.

-Since strawberries star in this dessert, it is best when they are in season. Get them locally at a farmer’s market if you can, they are typically sweeter. Costco also has great strawberries during the late spring and early summer months.

VARIATIONS:

-You can also add different varieties of berries, and just serve berry shortcake. We like fresh raspberries and blueberries added to the mix.

-Use lemon extract instead of vanilla extract for a lovely fresh flavor. If you really love lemon, add about a tablespoon of fresh lemon zest to the batter. So tasty!

-I like this best with vanilla ice cream, but if you prefer you can serve it with a dollop of whipped cream. Fresh is definitely best, I don’t recommend canned whipped cream for this recipe.

MORE SHOW STOPPING STRAWBERRY DESSERTS:

Strawberry Cheesecake Trifle
Mini Strawberry Shortcake Cookie Cups
Strawberry Banana Crepes
Strawberry Cheesecake Pizza