Smoked Strawberry Shortcake on Biscuits is an over-the-top delicious dessert that you and your friends are going to go crazy for! Smoked strawberries make for a great twist on this summer classic.
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Strawberry season has to be one of my favorite times of the year. Living in the country we are surrounded by U-pick berry farms, making my kiddos happy campers. I put them to work picking berries, and we all win!
Strawberry shortcake is summer treat no kid should be denied. And these have a smoky twist.
Ingredients
- Biscuits – You can use store bought or consider making our drop biscuits.
- Strawberries – Fresh is best for smoking. You will use for the jam and for macerating and topping the biscuits.
- Sugar – Cane sugar is best.
- Citrus – Orange and Lemon add a really nice balance in flavor with the sweet profile from the strawberries and sugar.
- Kosher Salt
- Heavy Cream – For the whipped cream.
- Vanilla Extract – For the whipped cream.
How to make Smoked Strawberry Shortcake
The process is a few steps. But worth it. You can make the smoked jam days prior to needing it.
- smoke strawberries
- make smoked strawberry jam
- make biscuits (or poundcake)
- make macerated strawberries
- assemble the dessert
Step One: Smoke Strawberries
There are two ways to smoke your strawberries: smoke on a low temperature, or by cold smoking. We recommend the hot smoking.
- Preheat smoker targeting 200 degrees F.
- Remove stems and slice strawberries in half. Place in a glass dish and place in smoker for 90 minutes. (alternatively if cold smoking, target under 80 degrees and for 2 1/2 hours).
- Remove from smoker and place the strawberries into a sauce pot set to medium heat, add remaining jam ingredients to make the jam.
- Puree the smoked strawberry jam in a standard blender and blend until pureed.
- Place the jam back into the sauce pot and simmer again to reduce.
- Place in fridge to let cool, until ready to use. Should yield about 2 cups of jam. We love making the jam the day before.
Alternative: You can make the jam first (on the stovetop), then put the finished jam in a heat proof bowl and place it on the smoker for 90 minutes. This will also get you some smoke infusion. No matter how you do it, smoked strawberry jam is what makes this over the top smoked strawberry shortcake so indulgent!
Step Two: Make Biscuits
We love using a good fresh biscuit versus sponge cake. Just a personal preference. But you pick what you like. If you want easier prep you can buy biscuits at the store.
Gluten Free Biscuits: If you want to make gluten free use our gluten free drop biscuits recipe.
Step Three: Macerate Strawberries
Macerating (or softening) the strawberries will add flavor and texture.
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- Remove stems of strawberries and cut in small wedges. We get four per strawberry.
- Place in a large bowl, add sugar and freshly squeezed lemon
- Cover and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
This will soften the strawberries, add a touch more sweet and the lemon enhances the delicious sweet strawberry flavor.
Step Four: Make Whipped Cream
Our smoked whipped cream is pretty darn awesome. But if you don’t have the time you can just make a traditional whipped cream. Just grab a small carton of heavy cream, add some sugar and vanilla extract and whisk in a stand mixer.
Chef’s Tip
Place the metal mixing bowl in the freezer for five minutes to get it cold. It speeds up the whipping process.
Step 5: Construct Strawberry Shortcakes
- Slice the biscuit in half.
- Layer with macerated strawberries and then a little jam.
- Add whipped cream.
- Pop the top of the biscuit back.
- Add more whipped cream and then one macerated strawberry and a drizzle of smoked strawberry jam.
Optional: Finely diced mint is a great topping.
Make Ahead + Storage
If you want to make the strawberry shortcake in advance, make the biscuits and the jam the day prior. The day you want to eat them macerate the strawberries and make the whipped cream.
The jam will last up to seven days in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
More Dessert Recipes for your Smoker
- Grilled Strawberry Sundaes
- Smoked Whipped Cream
- Grilled Apple Crisp
- Grilled Blackberry Crostata
- Smoked Chocolate Pot de Creme
*This post was originally published in June 2014, and updated in June 2020 with new photos and more details to the recipe.
About Vindulge
Mary (a certified sommelier and recipe developer) and Sean (backyard pitmaster) are co-authors of the critically acclaimed cookbook, Fire + Wine, and have been creating content for the IACP nominated website Vindulge since 2009. They live in Oregon on a farm just outside Portland.
Now on 2nd edition
Fire + Wine Cookbook
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Smoked Strawberry Shortcake
Ingredients
For the Smoked Strawberry Jam
- 1 pound strawberries
- 1/4 cup cane sugar
- zest of half an orange
- juice of half and orange
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the Macerated Strawberries
- 8 ounces strawberries, stemmed and sliced thickly
- 1 tablespoon cane sugar
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
For the Whipped Cream
- 8 oz heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the Biscuits
- 6 biscuits
Instructions
For the Smoked Strawberry Jam
- Preheat smoker with targeted range of 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Remove stems and slice strawberries in half and place in a glass baking dish and place on the smoker for 90 minutes.
- Remove from smoker and place the strawberries into a sauce pot over medium heat, then add sugar, orange juice, orange zest, and salt, and let come to a simmer for 10 minutes, stirring often with a whisk. Adjust heat as needed to prevent from boiling.
- After the 10 minute simmer, pour the jam mix into a blender. Blend into a smooth texture to remove any chunks.
- Place the jam back into the sauce pot and simmer another 10 minutes. This will thicken the jam. After 10 minutes of the second simmer, remove from heat and allow to cool in the refrigerator.
Macerated Strawberries
- Remove stems and slice the strawberries into thick wedges.
- In a large bowl, mix strawberries with sugar and lemon juicel. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Whipped Cream
- Using a mixer, beat the heavy cream, sugar, vanilla extract, on high, until soft peaks form (about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes).
To Assemble the Smoked Strawberry Shortcakes
- Take a biscuit and cut it in half.
- On the base of the biscuit, add the strawberries and a small spoonful of the jam. Add whipped cream. Place the top of the biscuit back.
- Add more whipped cream to the top of the biscuit and top with one slice of the macerated strawberries and a drizzle of the remaining smoked strawberry jam.
- Finely diced mint is a great topping and color.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What pellets would you recommend for this recipe?
We recommend fruit wood or fruit pellets for any fruit. Great question and we added in a FAQ.
it looks wonderful!