Skip to main content

Strawberry Lemon Shortcake

I’ve shared a recipe for strawberry shortcake right when I started this blog, but it’s a classic dessert that deserves a revisit. This version adds a touch of tart lemon in the shortcake, inspired by the lemon bundt cake that Suzanne also made, giving a nice balance to the fruity strawberries. A touch of balsamic vinegar gives a nice acidity and makes the strawberries taste extra sweet. By the way, the extra step of hand tearing the strawberries is important, because when you slice them up, they tend to get slippery. Breaking them apart with your fingers means the torn strawberry piece sit in the whipped cream as opposed to sliding all over the place. Just make sure to wear an apron or a dark shirt as strawberry juice might squirt all over the place!

By eatthelove · From Open Recipes · 20 ingredients
Jump to recipe ↓
Strawberry Lemon Shortcake

Why it works: Vanilla and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 19,187 recipes. Both carry ethyl caproate, which smells fruity, apple peel. The science ↓

Strawberry Lemon Shortcake

4 strawberry shortcakes
Prep30 min
Cook15 min

Ingredients

Directions

Step-by-step directions aren't available for this recipe. See the full recipe at the source →

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

960Calories
29 gProtein
32 gFat
137 gCarbs

Counts 11 of 12 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 11 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Milk1 cup (244ml) whole149
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Cream1 tbsp (15ml) heavy51
Strawberry1 cup (152g)49
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Vanilla1 tsp extract (4ml)12
Lemonjuice of 1 lemon (48ml)12
Vinegar1 tbsp (15ml) distilled3
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Beannot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

By eatthelove. Recipe from Open Recipes.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Vanilla + milktop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together19,187 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).

  2. Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together81,283 recipes

    Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).

  3. Cream + buttertop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together41,516 recipes

    Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).

  4. Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together35,032 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

  5. Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together43,450 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).

Sugar and vanilla barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

Swap the lemon

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, vinegar, vanilla, cream, milk, flour, butter):

  1. Strawberryfits better
  2. Figfits better
  3. Peachfits better
  4. Lemonthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, vinegar, vanilla, cream, milk, flour, butter. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.