My daughter asked for strawberry shortcake the week we found out she needed to go gluten free, so I made this until it stopped tasting like a compromise.
Almond flour gives these biscuits a slightly nutty smell and a crumb that holds up under the berries without turning to paste. That is the reason this one gets made again.
Tender almond flour biscuits layered with macerated strawberries and fresh whipped cream, ready in 45 minutes total.
4.7(188 reviews)
Gluten-freeVegetarian
Prep15 min
Cook30 min
Total45 min
Serves4 servings
Ingredients
Strawberries
2 cups fresh strawberries , hulled and sliced
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Almond Flour Biscuits
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2 cups blanched almond flour , not almond meal
2 tablespoons tapioca starch
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons unsalted butter , cold, cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons whole milk , or unsweetened almond milk
Whipped Cream
1 cup heavy whipping cream , cold
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Macerate the Strawberries
1
Combine sliced strawberries, 2 tablespoons sugar, and lemon juice in a bowl. Stir once, then set aside for at least 15 minutes. After 5 minutes you will see the sugar pulling liquid from the berries and smell the fruit opening up. By 15 minutes the bowl will have a thin, syrupy pink liquid pooling at the bottom. That is what you want.
Make the Biscuits
2
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
3
Whisk almond flour, tapioca starch, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl until no clumps remain. The mixture will smell faintly sweet and nutty.
4
Add cold butter pieces and use your fingertips to press them into the flour until the mixture looks like coarse, damp sand. Work fast so the butter stays cold. You should still see a few butter specks, which is correct.
5
Beat eggs and milk together in a small bowl, then pour over the flour mixture. Stir with a fork until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms. It will smell eggy and rich. If it feels too wet to handle, let it sit for 2 minutes. Almond flour absorbs moisture slowly.
6
Scoop dough into 4 equal mounds on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them 2 inches apart. Gently pat each mound into a round about 3/4 inch thick. Bake for 26 to 30 minutes, until the tops are deep golden and the edges feel firm when you press them lightly. The kitchen will smell like toasted almonds and butter. Pull them at 26 minutes for a softer interior or 30 minutes for a sturdier biscuit that holds layers better.
7
Transfer biscuits to a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes before splitting. They will firm up as they cool. Cutting them hot causes crumbling.
Whip the Cream
8
Pour cold heavy cream into a chilled bowl. Beat with a hand mixer on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes, until soft peaks form and the cream just holds its shape when you lift the beaters. Add powdered sugar and vanilla, then beat 20 seconds more. Stop here. Overwhipped cream goes grainy fast.
Assemble
9
Split each cooled biscuit in half horizontally. Place the bottom halves on plates. Spoon a generous amount of macerated strawberries and their syrup over each bottom. Add a large dollop of whipped cream, then set the biscuit top at a slight angle so the filling shows. Serve within 10 minutes of assembling.
Tips & Notes
Use blanched almond flour, not almond meal. Almond meal has skin particles that make the biscuits gritty and dense.
Cold butter matters here. If your kitchen is warm, put the cut butter back in the freezer for 5 minutes before working it in.
If your biscuits spread flat during baking, your baking powder may be old. Test it by dropping 1/2 teaspoon into hot water. It should bubble immediately.
Assemble right before serving. These biscuits absorb moisture from the berries within 15 minutes and soften significantly.
Storage: Store unassembled biscuits in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Macerated strawberries keep refrigerated for up to 24 hours. Whipped cream should be made fresh.
Why Almond Flour Works Here and Tapioca Starch Is Not Optional
Almond flour on its own bakes up crumbly and tender but has almost no structural hold. Tapioca starch fills that gap. It binds the dough enough that you can split the biscuit cleanly without it falling apart in your hands, which matters when you are stacking berries and cream on top.
The ratio in this recipe, 2 cups almond flour to 2 tablespoons tapioca starch, is the number that worked after four test batches. Less starch and the biscuits crack when you cut them. More starch and they taste gummy near the center.
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Getting the Strawberries Right Before the Biscuits Go In
Start the strawberries first, before you do anything else. They need a minimum of 15 minutes to macerate properly, and that time runs while the biscuits bake, not after.
If you use strawberries that are not quite ripe, add an extra teaspoon of sugar. Under-ripe berries do not release enough juice on their own and the shortcake ends up dry in the middle layer.
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