Julie Clark
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Streusel-Topped Strawberry Shortcake (Amish Recipe That Feeds a Crowd)
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This isn’t the shortcake you buy next to the strawberries at the grocery store. This is a from-scratch, pan-style Amish shortcake with a buttery sugar streusel baked right into the top. And that streusel is the whole reason people keep coming back for it.
It bakes in a 9×9 pan and cuts into 9 generous squares, which makes it perfect for summer cookouts or potlucks. No mixer needed. No individual biscuits to fuss with. Just thick, tender shortcake with a crackly sweet top and juicy macerated strawberries piled on top.
The recipe comes from an Amish cookbook I received at my wedding shower, and after 27+ years of making it, I haven’t found anything I’d trade it for.
What Makes This Shortcake Recipe Different
Our other strawberry shortcake recipe gives you a shortcake biscuit. Which is good because hey, lemon sugar. This one gives you a thick, soft pan cake with a crumbly butter-and-sugar streusel baked right on top. That tender inside crumb and slightly crunchy sweet top is why people ask for the recipe every time.
Flavor: The shortcake itself is only lightly sweet so the juicy strawberries stay the star. All the sweetness lives in that streusel topping. Don’t skip it.
Texture: Thick biscuit-style crumb that bakes up soft, tender and golden brown. The key is not over-mixing. Stir just until the dough comes together and stop.
Try our easy strawberry cheesecake trifle and oatmeal pie, too!
What’s the difference between this Amish shortcake and a regular biscuit shortcake?
Traditional biscuit-style shortcakes are cut into individual rounds and split before serving. This Amish version bakes in a square 9×9 pan and cuts into 9 squares, which makes it far easier to serve a crowd. Need more? Double it into a 9×13 with the same bake time.
What are the ingredients in shortcake?
Shortcake has 7 simple ingredients that are pantry staples.
In the shortcake, the original recipe calls for shortening instead of butter. Butter makes it rich, shortening allows the sugar flavor to shine through. I like the shortening, but make it with butter the most often since readers love the butter!
Use aluminum free baking powder since there are 4 teaspoons to prevent any metallic aftertaste.
How to Prepare Strawberries for Shortcake
For the fresh strawberries, you’ll want to plan ahead. They’ll need 3-4 hours at minimum to sit in the fridge and create all of those sweet juices that will sink into your shortcake.
Cut and quarter about 4 pounds of strawberries (more or less, depending on how many you need to serve) and sprinkle about ½ cup of sugar on them. Add more or less sugar, depending on the sweetness of the berries and the taste you would like. This process is called macerating strawberries. The sugar pulls out the juices, so mix that sugar into the strawberries, cover the bowl and pop it in the fridge.
These strawberries are great served on our homemade strawberry angel food cake and frozen custard, too!
How to Make Strawberry Shortcake
There’s no need to use an electric mixer for this because you don’t want to over mix it. Simply use a large mixing bowl and a heavy duty spoon.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and spray a 9×9″ baking pan with cooking spray. You can also line the pan with parchment paper if you want to easily be able to remove the entire shortcake.
- In a large bowl, add the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and butter or shortening. Cut the ingredients together to make coarse crumbs.
- Add the milk and egg to the dry ingredients, mixing just until combined. Do not over mix or the shortcake will be tough. You want it to be tender. The batter will be very thick. Spread the mixture evenly in the prepared pan. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, use two forks or a pastry cutter to cut together the flour, sugar and butter. This mixture will be crumbly. Sprinkle it on top of the shortcake batter.
- Bake for 25-27 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Can I double this recipe?
Yes. Many times that amount of shortcake is just not enough, so I double it and put it in a 9×13 pan. I didn’t have to bake it any longer when I did this, and was surprised by that. If you decide to double the recipe, leave extra time for a few more minutes baking, just in case. And sometimes when I double it, I double the topping…because like I said…the topping is the best part!
Homemade Whipped Cream
You can top strawberry shortcake with Cool Whip, whipped cream in a can, ice cream or simply with heavy cream poured on top.
But what I love most is homemade whipped cream. It’s so easy! Simply pour a cup of heavy whipping cream and about ⅓ to ½ cup of powdered sugar in a stand mixer. Add ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract, then using the whisk attachment, whip on high speed until soft peaks form. That’s it!
Cover and refrigerate homemade whipped cream until you are ready to serve it.
Recipe Variations
- Love lemon? Try adding lemon zest to the batter and a little bit of fresh lemon juice to the strawberries.
- More fruit is always a good idea. Try adding raspberries and blueberries.
Other Strawberry Shortcake Recipes
The Best Strawberry Shortcake
The streusel topping on this Amish Strawberry Shortcake makes a delicious shortcake that can be served many different ways!
Servings 9
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Ingredients
For the strawberries:
- 4 pounds strawberries (cleaned, hulled and quartered)
- 1/2 cup sugar (to taste)
For the shortcake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder*
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup butter or vegetable shortening**
- 2/3 cup 2% milk
- 1 large egg (beaten)
For the topping:
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons salted butter cold
Instructions
Prepare the strawberries:
- The strawberries will need about 3-4 hours to sit in the fridge and make juice, so plan ahead. In a large bowl, mix together the cut strawberries and sugar. You can add more sugar as you'd like. Cover and place in the fridge. 4 pounds strawberries, ½ cup sugar
Make the shortcake:
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and spray a 9×9" baking pan with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, add the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and shortening. Cut the ingredients together to make coarse crumbs. 2 cups all-purpose flour, 4 teaspoons baking powder*, ¾ teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, ⅓ cup butter or vegetable shortening**
- Add the milk and egg to the crumbs, mixing just until combined. Do not over mix or the shortcake will be tough. It will be very thick. Spread the mixture evenly in the prepared pan. Set aside. 2/3 cup 2% milk, 1 large egg
- In a small bowl, use two forks or a pastry cutter to cut together the flour, sugar and butter. This mixture will be crumbly. Sprinkle it on top of the shortcake batter. ½ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup all-purpose flour, 3 tablespoons salted butter
- Bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. To serve, top pieces of cake with strawberries, whipped cream, or ice cream.
Video
Notes
*Double-acting baking powder works best here. If your baking powder has been open more than 6 months, test it before using. Use aluminum free baking powder to prevent a metallic taste.
**Vegetable shortening (like Crisco) keeps the shortcake tender. Butter can be substituted but will produce a slightly denser, richer result.
Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.
The calories shown are based on the cake being cut into 9 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 slice of cake with strawberries on top. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box are calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.**
Nutrition
Calories: 401kcal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 32mg | Sodium: 245mg | Potassium: 559mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 34g | Vitamin A: 189IU | Vitamin C: 119mg | Calcium: 140mg | Iron: 3mg
Hi There!
Do you think I’d be able to make this recipe using muffin tins instead of 1 large pan?
Soooooo good!!!! I grated the cold butter and barely had to stir it in. I also melted the butter for the topping, which made easy mixing. This recipe is going in my recipe book! TY!
So so hood and I dont do alot of baking I added a extra spoon of sugar to both mixes and it was just right with my sweet strawberrys love it
Ionwould use store cups now I will make this all the time I dibbled added 1 1/2 table spoons sugar to mix and 1 table to topping I eat it alone and have been eating strawberry all week so so good love it oh i dont bake much as a man i only like making pies
Fantastic!
I totally WOWed my office with this. I made real whipped cream to go with it: 1pint heavy whipping cream, 1/4 cup sour cream, 2 tsps vanilla and powdered sugar to taste. I used 1/4 cup. People were amazed by it.
Thanks for the recipe! I like that it has the traditional biscuit texture without the work of rolling and cutting. The streusel added a nice, buttery crunch. I use unbromated flour, and I always forget to reduce the amount of flour accordingly, so my streusel was a little too dry. A tablespoon of heavy cream made it come together nicely. I also added a pinch of salt to the streusel, since I use unsalted butter. I made my cake with lard, and it was very tender and fluffy. (Like many of you, I grew up in a predominantly-Amish area. Lard… Read more »
I made this shortcake as the foundation for strawberry shortcake for breakfast this morning (and one or two future uses). The recipe is elegant: easy to make, requires no floured surface, and neat in baking and serving. The streusel adds a nice unexpected texture. My lovely wife enjoyed it very much.
Possible variants:
— Add a teaspoon or so of molasses to the egg as you beat it before mixing it with the milk.
— Use half-and-half instead of milk, and ignore the nutrition facts kindly provided above.
— Use plain bread crumbs instead of flour for the streusel.
By far the best shortcake I have ever made, great crumb and holds up well to the juices and ice cream. Added a little cinnamon, nutmeg & cardamom to the topping. Great recipe and easy to make. I’ll use this for fresh peaches as well. My friends agree, my mistake for inviting them for ‘a’ bite.
Thanks
Bob Gurth
How far in advance can I make the recipe? I have company coming and am wondering if I can make it ahead and refrigerate for two days or if I should just put it in the oven when we are serving dinner. Thanks! Look forward to sharing the shortcake love!
OMG! I love to bake and I have tried several biscuits for shortcake…this is awesome! I did use butter in the cake, as well as in the topping and it was incredible…It doesn’t happen often, but I am writing this one down on a card and it is going into my recipe box! Thank you!!!!
Made this for Easter and it was a huge hit! I doubled it, and accidentally forgot to add the sugar in the cake itself and it still turned out great. The topping is amazing and it looked exactly like the picture too. Thanks so much for the great recipe!
I find recipes for shortcake r 2 dry I use a little orange liqueur with sugar to macerate berries and add one small frozen Berry bag along with it for juice. Use fresh whipped cream what’s difference it makes
Sounds delicious. Going to make a double batch for a group of friends this week. Will use butter crisco I have on hand and add a little lemon zest. Can’t wait to try the struesal topping. Thanks for the recipe.
How should you store the leftover shortcake?