This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure statement.
An easy recipe for sour cream shortcake biscuits that melt in your mouth. Simple and fresh ingredients make these biscuits a must-have for strawberry shortcake season!
These sour cream shortcake biscuits are quick, simple to make, and come out looking lovely every time. The recipe is adapted from one of my favorite cookbooks, The Herbfarm Cookbook by Jerry Traunfeld. The dough is shaggy, but don’t let that discourage you. After some trial and error, I found that the easiest and most reliable way to handle this dough is to bake it as a slab on a sheet pan. It cuts beautifully, and the biscuits have a tender texture that pairs perfectly with fresh fruit and whipped cream.
The Process
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, place the all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. Whisk to combine.
- Slice the cold butter into 8 pieces.
- With a pastry blender, cut the butter slices into the flour mixture. The dough will look like very coarse crumbs.
- Stir the sour cream and milk into the dry ingredients. Dough will be shaggy. You can mix by hand with a rubber spatula, with a stand mixer, or with an electric mixer.
- Make sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl.
- Put out onto cookie sheet and spread with your fingers or a rolling pin to about 1 inch thick.
- Sprinkle with additional sugar and bake for 12 – 15 min. Watch closely at the end.
- The biscuit slab should be golden brown around the edges when done.
- Cool slightly. With a round biscuit cutter, cut the slab into biscuits, and serve with fresh strawberries.
Helpful Tips
- It’s best to let the baked shortcake cool slightly before cutting the biscuits.
- Cover the baking sheet with parchment paper to make it a bit easier to remove the baked slab onto a cutting board.
- By carefully placing the 2-1/2 inch round biscuit cutter on the baked slab, I get 8 biscuits from this recipe. This number will vary slightly depending how thick or thin you roll your dough.
- Make sure to place the biscuit cutter as close to the edge of the dough as possible.
- For a more rustic presentation, in place of using a biscuit cutter, the shortcake can be broken up right into serving bowls. Finish with strawberries and your favorite topping.
- Any kind of fresh berries can be used for the topping. Blackberries, raspberries, or blueberries are delicious.
- One cup of plain Greek yogurt can be substituted for the sour cream.
- Add one of the following for added taste: 1 tablespoon lemon zest, one teaspoon of fresh lemon juice, one teaspoon of pure vanilla extract.
Good Things About This Recipe
- One of the best things about this sour cream strawberry shortcake recipe is snacking on the left-over pieces of shortcake after the biscuits are baked and cut. I place them in a resealable bag, and eat them for breakfast!
- The flaky biscuits are easy to pack up, and make a good dessert to take to a dinner party or family gathering. After all, who doesn’t like strawberry shortcake?
- This recipe can be easily doubled…just spread the dough to the edges of the baking sheet.
- The sprinkling of sugar on top of the dough before it is baked adds just the right amount of sweetness.
- If you want to use these biscuits as bread, and not as a dessert, just leave off the sprinkling of sugar.
- Serve these warm biscuits with flaky layers under juicy strawberries and homemade whipped cream.
Shop + Source
WHAT READERS ARE SAYING
“I baked it free form, sort of squarish, and cut into squares. It keeps beautifully in an airtight container at room temperature. Moist and delicious! My new go-to shortcake recipe!”
~Pam
Sour Cream Shortcake Biscuits
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 4 tablespoons butter (chilled)
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- In a large bowl place the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. Whisk to combine.
- Slice the cold butter into 8 pieces.
- With a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour mixture. It should look like very course crumbs.
- Stir the sour cream and milk into the dry ingredients. The dough will be shaggy.
- You can mix the dough by hand with a rubber spatula, use a stand mixer, or an electric mixer.
- Put the dough on a baking sheet and spread with your hands or a rolling pin until it's about 1 inch thick.
- Sprinkle with additional sugar and bake for 12 – 15 min. Watch closely at the end.
- Edges of slab will be light golden brown when done.
- Cool slightly. Cut into biscuits and serve with fresh strawberries.
Notes
For a more rustic dessert, just break the shortcake into pieces and place in serving bowls. Top with fresh strawberries and whipped cream.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
If you make this recipe, and love it, please come back to leave a comment and a 5-star review. I would really appreciate it, and it would help me so much. Thank you
JOIN THE OSP COMMUNITY
Sign up to get uncomplicated recipes, unlimited seasonal decor, and
understated ways to refresh your home sent straight to your email inbox!
The short cake recipe sounds great for a summer desert with strawberries.Thanks Ann.
Hi- I wanted to let you know how much I look forward to Wednesday wish days! It’s my sit down and relax time and there are so many helpful hints, recipes , resource lists and encouragement. Thank you!
Yum. Sounds delicious. I’ve been on a quest for a great biscuit recipe recipe for a while now, so hopefully this is the one. I don’t bake often nowadays, but want to be sure it’s worth my while if I do.
Wednesday is now my favorite day of the week! I get so much joy and inspiration for my own home and family projects. Thank you for making Wednesday morning my special time to dream. 😊
I’m in the Central Valley of California and our strawberries are perfect right now. I picked up 3 pints at the Farmer’s Market yesterday and made your shortcakes today. They are DELICIOUS! I used plain Greek yogurt in place of the sour cream and it worked perfectly. Thanks for another wonderful recipe!
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment, and especially for the rating. I truly appreciate it!
I tried this tonight and it was delightful. It will definitely be my go to for strawberry shortcake! Thank you Ann!
Hi Joyce…thank you! I’m so glad you enjoyed the shortcake. Thank you also for the rating. I appreciate it very much!
I baked it free form, sort of squarish, and cut into squares. It keeps beautifully in an air tight container at room temperature. Moist and delicious! My new go-to shortcake recipe!
Just made them and cut the strawberries! Dessert coming up. So easy and just delicious.
Thank you❤️
This looks like my new go to. I usually use a Hawaiian roll for the sweet base, but this looks even better. Thanks for the recipe.