Martha Stewart's Strawberry Shortcake for a Crowd Is the Ultimate Summer Dessert

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There are a lot of things we love about summer, but enjoying fresh seasonal produce might just be our favorite. From favorites like caprese salad made with juicy heirloom tomatoes to modern takes on classic summer recipes, these dishes take advantage of the wide variety of fresh vegetables and fruits that are finally at their best. That also means that if we’re in charge of dessert, you know it’s going to feature some sort of summer fruit, and there’s no better crowd-pleaser than strawberries. So when we saw that Cake Perfection author Martha Stewart had just shared a fresh strawberry shortcake recipe for a crowd, we knew it would be what we’re taking to the next barbecue, potluck, or picnic we’re invited to.

While in the winter you might want to make cooked fruit desserts or recipes that use frozen or canned produce, in the summer you want to let your fresh fruit shine. That’s one of the reasons why strawberry shortcake is such a classic. The simple combination of strawberries, whipped cream, and cake or biscuits has the perfect amount of sweetness, but lets the flavor of the juicy, ripe berries speak for itself.

But in the past, we’ve always made strawberry shortcake in individual portions, either with angel food cake slices, mini cakes, or cut-out biscuits. Martha Stewart’s strawberry shortcake for a crowd makes things simpler. She makes a buttery, fluffy biscuit dough using light-as-air cake flour. Then she pats the dough into a rectangle, and cuts it into smaller squares (it’s so much easier than rolling out the dough and using biscuit cutters). She puts the biscuits on a rimmed baking sheet, so they’re not quite touching but still close together. As they bake, their edges will connect, but they’ll still be easy to separate when it’s time to serve.

As the biscuits are being made, macerate strawberries with sugar, lemon juice, and salt. The sugar and salt draw out some of the strawberry juices, and mix with the liquid to make a fragrant red syrup that’s perfectly balanced in flavor thanks to the lemon juice and light salinity.

Right before serving, you’ll dollop a generous amount of homemade whipped cream over the pan of biscuits, then top that with the macerated strawberry mixture. You can leave the dish on the table with the rest of the desserts at your next picnic, potluck, or family celebration, and people will be able to easily use a spatula or servingware to scoop up a slice. That means you’ll be able to actually enjoy the party instead of individually assembling everyone’s dessert a la minute, all thanks to Martha Stewart’s strawberry biscuit shortcake for a crowd.

In search of more summer recipes? Giada De Laurentiis has plenty: