It’s officially summer and so you know what that means, strawberry shortcake season is finally here! To me, it’s the quintessential summer dessert. I love it for several reasons. Aside from being delicious—I’m here for any recipe involving homemade buttermilk biscuits, let’s be honest—it also happens to be a versatile dessert that can be easily prepared ahead of time, and assembled right before serving, making it that perfect recipe for entertaining. If you want a classic take on this classic dish, give this post from a few years back a try. It’s a great place to start. If you want to go on a tropical holiday but don’t want to leave your house, these Piña Colada Shortcakes are the way to go. And, if chocolate and banana are more your forte, then these Chocolate Hazelnut Banana Shortcakes are always a great idea. These Sweet Corn Strawberry Shortcakes, however, have descended upon us and they’re a summer twist on a classic dish. The biscuits are made with a bit of cornmeal and fresh corn, which might sound weird at first, but I promise it’s a great combination with the fresh strawberries and sweetened whipped cream. It’s the taste of summer on a plate, and you don’t want to miss it.
In a medium bowl, toss together the hulled and sliced strawberries, granulated sugar and vanilla extract. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until ready to use.
**Tip: You want the strawberries to macerate for at least 30 minutes because it’ll give them a chance to soften up and release some of their natural juices. The sugar and vanilla will help with that!**
To make the sweet corn biscuits, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, fine yellow cornmeal, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well-combined.
Add the chilled diced butter and work it in with your fingertips until the butter resembles coarse crumbs of varying sizes.
**Tip: You want to work the butter in as fast as possible because the warmth of your hand will soften it too much, if you work it too much. The goal is to keep the butter as cold as possible.**
Husk two fresh ears of corn and then using a sharp knife, cut the kernels off the cob. Add to the dry ingredients and toss until the kernels are coated in the dry ingredients and are distributed evenly.
**Tip: If you don’t have fresh corn, you can use frozen corn that has been thawed and patted dry with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel.**
Add in the chilled buttermilk. Mix with a rubber spatula just until a shaggy dough forms. Transfer to a lightly floured work surface and pat into a 1-inch thick square. Roll into a rectangle and then fold like a letter. Turn the dough and roll out into a rectangle. Fold once more like a letter and roll out into a 1-inch square.
Using a floured 3-inch round cutter cut into biscuits and transfer to a baking sheet, giving them about 2-inches of spacing in between. Rework the scraps, just once more, and cut out the remaining biscuits. You should end up with about 12 biscuits.
**Note: These shortcakes are on the smaller size, but if you want, you can use a larger cutter and make a fewer number of biscuits/servings. Or you can also just cut them into squares, which will eliminate waste of dough!**
Brush the tops with melted butter (or you can also brush them with buttermilk) and sprinkle with coarse cornmeal, if using. Bake until puffed up and golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes.
**Tip: If you don’t have coarse cornmeal on hand and don’t want to buy a package just for a few tablespoons, you can also sprinkle the tops of the biscuits with turbinado or granulated sugar instead!**
To make the whipped, beat the cream, sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form, about 2 to 3 minutes. This can be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, until ready to use. It can be made up to 2 days in advance.
To serve, split the cooled biscuits in half and top each with the macerated strawberries, a dollop of cream, and then the shortcake top. Spoon more strawberries on top and a bit more cream. Serve immediately.
I love making shortcakes, in summer especially, because you can really use whatever fresh fruit is in season. You could also make the different components ahead of time and just assemble them right before serving. It’s a perfect recipe for entertaining.
These would also be great with fresh blueberries as well because I happen to love corn and blueberries together and can be evident by these blueberry cornbread madeleines. I just want to make sure you have options here.
Don’t let the corn in these shortcakes deter you from giving this recipe a try this summer. Corn is naturally sweet and so it pairs so perfectly well with the sweetened fresh whipped cream and the strawberries. It really is a great flavor combination. Make sure you give it a try this summer, and be sure to let me know what you think!
Sweet Corn Strawberry Shortcakes
Ingredients
Strawberries:
- 1 1/2 pounds fresh strawberries hulled and sliced
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Biscuits:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup fine yellow cornmeal
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup 2 sticks chilled unsalted butter, diced
- 2 fresh ears of corn kernels cut off
- 1 cup chilled buttermilk
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 3 tablespoons coarse cornmeal optional
Whipped Cream:
- 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, toss together the strawberries, sugar and vanilla. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until ready to use.
- To make the biscuits, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, fine cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the chilled diced butter and work it in with your fingertips until the butter resembles coarse crumbs of varying sizes. Stir in the corn kernels and then add in the buttermilk. Mix with a rubber spatula just until a shaggy dough forms. Transfer to a lightly floured work surface and pat into a 1-inch thick square. Roll into a rectangle and then fold like a letter. Turn the dough and roll out into a rectangle. Fold once more like a letter and roll out into a 1-inch square. Using a floured 3-inch round cutter cut into biscuits and transfer to a baking sheet, giving them about 2-inches of spacing in between. Rework the scraps, just once more, and cut out the remaining biscuits. You should end up with about 12 biscuits. Brush the tops with melted butter and sprinkle with coarse cornmeal, if using. Bake until puffed up and golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes.
- To make the whipped, beat the cream, sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- To serve, split the cooled biscuits in half and top each with the macerated strawberries, a dollop of cream, and then the shortcake top. Spoon more strawberries on top and a bit more cream. Serve immediately and enjoy!
I’ve long been a fan of the sweet cornmeal shortcake but have never seen them made with the fresh corn (the ones I make are more of a drop-biscuit type). They sound absolutely fantastic and quintessentially summer!
These shortcakes look so delicious! I love the use of corn – sounds so good!
What a brilliant idea to add in fresh corn! These look delicious!