This Healthier Strawberry Shortcake recipe is going to be your next go-to summer dessert! The whole wheat short cakes have a light & fluffy texture and it is topped with the best homemade whipped cream and macerated strawberries.
A Healthy Strawberry Shortcake Recipe
This Healthier Strawberry Shortcake has all the things you would expect from a strawberry shortcake – perfectly light & fluffy shortcakes, deliciously sweet macerated strawberries, and a rich & creamy whipped cream! But we tried to keep it on the healthier side with real, simple ingredients like whole wheat flour, coconut sugar, and unsweetened almond milk. The whole family is going to love these beautiful little summer slices of heaven!
And if you prefer to keep things gluten-free, we also have that option for you!
What You Will Need
- unsweetened almond milk & lemon juice – let these sit for about 5 minutes and it will result in a “buttermilk”.
- whole wheat flour – the simple base for these healthier shortcakes.
- coconut sugar – love using this unrefined sugar in recipes! It works so well!
- baking powder + baking soda – to help it rise as its cooking.
- kosher salt – adding a little salt helps accentuate the rest of the flavors.
- salted butter – this is cut into the flour mixture – we use a lot of butter because that is kind of what shortbread is all about!
- melted butter & cane sugar – once the shortcakes are made you can brush on some butter and sprinkle with sugar for extra yumminess!
- macerated strawberries – so simple and a must! We have included instructions below or you can checkout our simple tutorial.
- whipped cream – you can follow the instructions below or this simple homemade whipped cream tutorial. We also have a dairy-free option, if that’s your thing!
How Should I Serve Healthy Strawberry Shortcake
We love to keep is simple & classic with some quick macerated strawberries and the absolutely best homemade whipped cream! They really to make the perfect summer dessert, which we love serving on 4th of July!
Storage Tips
One of the best things about strawberry shortcake, besides how good they are, is that they can easily be made ahead of time. Once the shortcakes have finished cooling they can be stored in an airtight container at room temp for about 7 days or you can toss them in the freezer for up to 2 months. We just recommend storing all of the pieces separately so that the shortcakes don’t get soggy. The whipped cream and strawberries can be stored in separate containers in the fridge. Once you are ready to serve, all you have to do is assemble them.
How To Make A Healthier Strawberry Shortcake
You can begin by placing the dry ingredients for the shortcakes in a mixing bowl.
Next, add the cubed butter.
Use a pastry cutter or fork to combine the dry ingredients and butter.
Now you can pour in the “buttermilk” mixture and use a spoon to fully mix until you have a nice, shaggy dough.
Place dough on a lightly-floured surface and use your hand or rolling pin to form a big rectangle.
Grab the sides of the rectangle and fold them into the middle, rotate the dough, and then do this again.
Repeat 1-2 times until your dough is about 3/4-1 inch thick.
Use a 3 inch biscuit cutter to cut the dough into circles.
Place these on a parchment-lined baking sheet and make sure they are touching, this will help them rise.
Prepare the macerated strawberries for topping the shortcakes.
And whip up the easy homemade whipped cream.
Once the shortcakes have cooled you can assemble them with strawberries and whipped cream in between and on top!
Enjoy!
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Healthy Strawberry Shortcake
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 9 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
Healthy Strawberry Shortcake – this healthier version of strawberry shortcake is made with whole wheat flour and coconut sugar!
Ingredients
Whole Wheat Shortcakes
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 2 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup salted butter, cubed
- 1 tablespoon melted butter + cane sugar for topping
Macerated Strawberries
- 2–3 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
- 2–3 tablespoons sugar (granulated or coconut)
Homemade Whipped Cream
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Instructions
Whole Wheat Shortcakes
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Combine lemon juice and almond milk in a small bowl to make “buttermilk”; whisk to combine and set aside.
- Combine whole wheat flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a small bowl; whisk to combine.
- Add in butter cubes and use pastry cutter or fork to combine into coarse crumbs.
- Pour in “buttermilk” mixture.
- Use spoon to combine – the resulting dough should be shaggy looking.
- Pour dough out onto lightly floured surface.
- Using your hands, work flour into a rectangle about 1 inch thick.
- Take two sides parallel to each other and bring in to meet in the middle. Work dough until it is flat again; about 1 inch thick. Repeat 1-2 more times ensuring your dough is ultimately between 3/4 – 1 inch thick.
- Use a 3 inch biscuit cutter to cut into circles/biscuits.
- Place biscuits on parchment-lined baking sheet, ensuring they are all touching (this helps them rise better).
- Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with cane sugar.
- Place in oven, middle rack, for 19-24 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let sit on hot baking sheet 5-10 minutes. Move to cooling rack and let cool fully before cutting into.
- Cut in half and serve with macerated strawberries and whipped cream.
Macerated Strawberries
- Place strawberries and sugar in a bowl.
- Stir to combine.
- Let sit out on the counter, stirring every so often, for approximately 30 minutes or until the strawberries get juicy.
Homemade Whipped Cream*
- Place large metal bowl in freezer for 30 minutes.
- Remove bowl from freezer. Add ingredients to bowl.
- Using either a stand mixer with a whisk attachment or a hand mixer, whip ingredients together on med/high speed for approx. 3 minutes or until stiff peaks form.
Notes
- *Dairy-Free Whipped Cream: if you want to go lighter on the dairy then feel free to make some dairy-free whipped cream instead!
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