Food & Drink

The Genius Way to Make Strawberry Shortcake 10x Better, According to an Award-Winning Chef

By Kenn C. Bivins Parade - Food and Drink Stories

Updated June 27, 2026 11:11 AM

For me, strawberry shortcake conjures up visions of warm summer days, berry picking and the unmistakable nostalgic feeling of a life with minimal responsibilities-at least for a little while. It's at once a dessert and a state of mind, signifying that summer has officially arrived.

Of course, much like the unpredictability of the season, sometimes strawberry shortcake can be good, and other times...not so much. Whether it's because the berries weren't fully ripe, the whipped cream didn't hold up or the biscuit became soggy too soon, this is one of those desserts that's either a knockout or it's just meh. The good news? You don't have to just settle for meh anymore.

To find out how best to elevate this seasonal treat, we went straight to an expert and consulted David Leite, a three-time James Beard Award-winning food writer, cookbook author and publisher of the award-winning website Leite's Culinaria, for all the ways he makes strawberry shortcake the very best it can be.

Read on for his tips, plus the common mistakes to avoid when making this fruit-filled dessert. Once you know how to properly make it and jazz it up, we have a feeling strawberry shortcake will become your signature summertime snack.

😋😋SIGN UP to get delicious recipes, handy kitchen hacks & more in our daily Pop Kitchen newsletter🍳🍔

How To Make Strawberry Shortcake 10x Better, According to an Award-Winning Chef

According to Leite, the best way to make strawberry shortcake 10x better is his go-to move: the double stack. This trick elevates the dessert (literally) by adding height and visual interest to the iconic summer staple without requiring much additional effort.

"To get a towering, dramatically tall biscuit with effortless flaky layers, cut the dough into circles, brush the top side of one biscuit with milk [and] crown with a second before baking," he tells Parade.

Once your biscuits are done, place one on your plate, layer on your fruit and some whipped cream, and then top with the second double-stacked biscuit to create a showstopping masterpiece.

3 Other Chef-Approved Tips for Strawberry Shortcake

The double stack is a low-effort hack with maximum payoff, but it isn't the only way Leite likes to put his own spin on strawberry shortcake. Here, Leite shares several other ways to upgrade the classic summer staple, and we're definitely taking notes.

1. Try different spices for fun flavors

Instead of keeping things one note and only going sweet, Leite says he likes to incorporate other spices into the mix to give the dessert a more complex and interesting flavor. "I always find the biscuits in the dessert to be bland. Just sugar. No contrast," he says. "Adding hefty pinches of ground ginger and cinnamon to your dough changes the profile."

If you want to add an unexpected boost to the berries, he also says he adds a few grinds of Aleppo pepper to the macerated strawberries for a moderately spicy kick.

😋😋SIGN UP to get delicious recipes, handy kitchen hacks & more in our daily Pop Kitchen newsletter🍳🍔

2. Cut through the sweetness with a splash of vinegar

Leite also suggests amping up your macerating liquid by adding a splash of balsamic vinegar to make things interesting.

"Ditch the standard sugar-only maceration. Instead, toss strawberries with a tablespoon or two of good-quality balsamic vinegar and a 1/4 teaspoon of freshly cracked black pepper," he says. "The pepper cuts the cloying sweetness, while the balsamic coaxes out a deep, complex syrup."

3. Add a hint of herbs for a summery shortcake

For an added bite, Leite recommends a dose of fresh summery herbs to give your strawberry shortcake another unexpected pop. "For an extra hit of summer, adding some thinly sliced basil leaves right before serving closes the deal," he says.

3 Common Mistakes To Avoid

Now that you know how to make strawberry shortcake like an award-winning chef, here are some things you'll want to avoid, according to Leite.

1. Don't twist your biscuit cutter

Although you can always use premade shortcake shells or sponge cake, if you're making your own biscuits from scratch, you should avoid twisting your biscuit cutter. "If you twist the cutter, you pinch and seal the edges of the dough, which completely locks down the gluten and destroys the magnificent rise you're looking for," Leite says.

2. Be mindful of maceration

Despite some recipes calling for you to macerate strawberries for a few hours or even overnight, Leite says when it comes to macerating berries, the shorter the better.

"Tossing the sliced berries in sugar sweetens them as well as creates all that luscious juice. But leave them too long, and you're fishing out flaccid little triangles of fruit," he says. "I find 20 minutes, maybe 30, is perfect. None of this overnight chilling in the fridge."

3. Skip store-bought whipped cream

This one might ruffle a few feathers, but while objectively there's nothing wrong with Cool Whip or store-bought whipped cream from a can, if you're going for a showstopping strawberry shortcake, it's a good idea to make your own whipped cream.

Not only is it super easy, but it also tastes so much better. "A simple Chantilly cream made from heavy cream, powdered sugar, vanilla and a pinch of salt is all you need. It blows Cool Whip out of the water," Leite says.

Final Takeaways for Strawberry Shortcake Success

At the end of the day, turning strawberry shortcake into a showstopper doesn't have to be complicated. With a few simple tricks, you can make a delicious summer-ready dessert that'll have your friends asking you for the recipe. Whether you do the double stack, spice it up or add in some fresh herbs, you can't go wrong with any of these tips. And if you've got a genius strawberry shortcake tip of your own, feel free to share it in the comments!

Up Next:

Source:

David Leite, a James Beard Award-winning food writer, cookbook author and the publisher of the website Leite's Culinaria.

This story was originally published June 27, 2026 at 10:06 AM.