I hate to admit it, but lately, I’ve felt some resistance to baking. In this crazy-busy season of life, a packed calendar and thoughts of a dirty, flour-covered kitchen have kept me from whipping up some of my favorite baked goods. Baking has felt like too big of a mess for what you get out of it. Of course, that was before I took this gluten-free strawberry shortcake recipe for a spin.
These shortcakes are nothing short of magic. They re-instilled in me a love of slowing down and enjoying the process of creating something from scratch. After winging this recipe, I watched in awe as the dough rose in the oven and formed into beautiful little biscuits. Warm and browned, I sliced one in half and watched the steam rise up before taking my first bite, (slathered in butter, of course).
Being gluten-free for years, it had been forever since I’d enjoyed an actual shortcake. When I sunk my teeth into these fluffy delights, the taste and texture had me floored. While I was unsure how this gluten-free strawberry shortcake recipe would turn out, the final result was better than I even imagined.
By combining gluten-free flour with just a handful of staple ingredients, this gluten-free shortcake recipe yielded biscuits that were crispy and browned on the outside while staying delectably light inside. They contain just a hint of sweetness and make a great vessel for your favorite toppings like whipped cream, ice cream, and any sweet fruit. Believe it or not, this gluten-free strawberry shortcake recipe is also dairy-free, nut-free (besides coconut), and egg-free. Score! Now let’s bake.
What’s the difference between cake and shortcake?
Time to dig into a hot debate! Shortcakes are very different in appearance and texture than regular cakes. Shortcakes closely resemble biscuits and are more crumbly and crispy to the touch. While a regular cake is more light, spongey and moist, a shortcake should be a bit more dry and firm with just a hint of sweetness. My secret hack for making these shortcakes is using 4-inch round cake pans in lieu of a baking sheet. I’ve found that by using the round cake pans, they hold together better and maintain the perfect shape. I usually prefer to make four or five larger biscuits using this method.
Tips for Making This Gluten-Free Strawberry Shortcake Recipe
Gluten-free flour is an excellent substitution for traditional flour in this shortcake recipe. I prefer to use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free All-Purpose Baking Flour because it holds together better than others I’ve tried and has a neutral flavor. The arrowroot starch in this recipe holds the shortcakes together, and the baking powder allows them to rise beautifully. Just be careful as you slice your shortcakes in half as gluten-free shortcakes tend to be more delicate.
How To Make the Vegan Buttermilk Mixture
Traditional shortcake recipes use buttermilk and butter, but these ingredients can be easily modified to fit vegan and dairy-free diets. By combining coconut milk, lemon juice, and vanilla extract, you’ll get a dairy-free buttermilk mixture that works wonders in these shortcakes. I also prefer to use vegan butter in this recipe instead of coconut oil, because I find the former better mimics the shortcakes’ classic flavor. By cutting the vegan butter into small squares and mixing it into the dry ingredients, you’ll allow for small pockets of butter to ooze into the shortcakes as they’re baking.
How To Make Homemade Dairy-Free Whipped Cream
Because shortcakes are dryer in texture, they’re best enjoyed with a moist, sweet topping. Instead of regular whipped cream, this recipe calls for dairy-free whipped cream which can be easily made using three ingredients: canned coconut milk or coconut cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. By letting the coconut milk chill overnight, you’ll be able to scoop out the thick concentrated coconut mixture at the top of the can.
You’ll need an electric mixer to beat the coconut cream with sugar and vanilla extract until it resembles the light and velvety texture of regular whipped cream. If you’re short on time, vanilla ice cream also makes a great substitute in this recipe. My favorite vegan brand is Nadamoo.
What’s the best way to cut strawberries for a gluten-free strawberry shortcake?
Last but not least, the star of this recipe: strawberries! You can use any type of fruit for these shortcakes (peaches, you’re up next), but I can’t resist ripe, spring strawberries. For this recipe, you’ll slice the strawberries in half and mix them in a bowl with powdered sugar to enhance their natural sweetness. For larger strawberries, I’d slice them vertically into three or four flat slices. Then, you’ll chill the bowl of strawberries in the fridge for at least an hour to help them reach peak flavor.
More Gluten-free Dessert Recipes to Try
This gluten-free strawberry shortcake recipe is a must-bake, but if you’re on the hunt for more delicious gluten-free desserts, give the following recipes a try.
- Gluten-Free Lemon Bars
- Vegan + Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies from Café Gratitude
- Gluten-Free, Vegan Carrot Cake Cupcakes
- Gluten-Free and Refined Sugar-Free Peanut Butter Banana Cookies
Gluten-Free Strawberry Shortcake
Description
Dry ingredients:
- 2 cups GF all-purpose baking flour
- 1/3 cup gf rolled oats
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot starch
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 6 tbs vegan unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes (I used myokos)
- 3 tablespoons sugar (I used coconut)
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- coconut buttermilk: you will have leftovers – I had about a cup left over
- 1 can of regular coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (apple cider vinegar works too)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Macerated strawberries:
- 1 pound strawberries hulled and sliced
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
Dairy-Free Whipped Cream
- 1 can coconut milk or coconut cream, chilled in the fridge overnight
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbs powdered sugar
Ingredients
Dry ingredients:
- 2 cups GF all-purpose baking flour
- 1/3 cup gf rolled oats
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot starch
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 6 tablespoons vegan unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes (I used myokos)
- 3 tablespoons sugar (I used coconut)
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
Coconut buttermilk: you will have leftovers – I had about a cup left over
- 1 can of regular coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (apple cider vinegar works too)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Macerated strawberries:
- 1 pound strawberries hulled and sliced
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
Dairy-Free Whipped Cream
- 1 can coconut milk or coconut cream, chilled in the fridge overnight
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
Instructions
- Slice strawberries in half and mix with 2 tablespoons powdered sugar in a bowl. Refrigerate for at least an hour.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and prepare the vegan buttermilk by whisking together 1 can of regular coconut milk with 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, sift and mix together the gluten-free flour, arrowroot, sea salt, baking powder, and sugar.
- Cut the butter into small squares and mix into the dry ingredients by hand until the squares are the size of peas.
- Add in the rolled oats until mixed evenly throughout.
- Add 1 Tbs maple syrup and then slowly pour in the vegan buttermilk and mix until you get a doughy texture that’s sticky to the touch.
- Spray four to six 4-inch circular baking pans with non-stick spray and place a large scoop of the dough in each OR On a nonstick baking sheet with parchment paper, roll and divide the dough into 4-to 6 biscuit-shaped pieces well spaced apart. (about 1 inch tall)
- Dust the tops with melted vegan butter and additional sugar.
- Bake for about 15 minutes, then broil for about 1 minute so the top gets crispy.
- After biscuits are slightly cooled, remove from pans and carefully slice biscuits in half and top with dairy-free whipped cream, and macerated strawberries.
- Option to garnish with fresh mint leaves or chamomile flowers.
Dairy-Free Whipped Cream
- For the whipped cream, scoop out the thick, coconut topping from your can of coconut milk into a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, whip the cream with 3 tablespoons sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until soft peaks form.
Looks fabulous and great. How do I print off the recipe?
Oh! This recipe still needs to go through the test-bake and edit phase. I should have been alerted by the fact the ingredients are listed twice, because that’s only the start of what’s goofy with it. First, DO NOT USE A TABLESPOON OF BAKING SODA! That is such a basic-level typo, a teaspoon is the correct amount. Second, we just used the full amount of ‘vegan buttermilk’ that was created because nowhere in the recipe does it tell you how much to actually use, only that there should be ‘about a cup’ left over. Since we only had about a cup in total, that direction was extremely confusing so we used it all. in the end That made our dough very wet and sticky (we had to form it into the correct shape, it would never have rolled) and required a longer bake, but the result was still pretty tasty. So there’s hope for this recipe yet, it’s just not quite ready for prime time as written.
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