Paleo Strawberry Shortcake {GF, DF}

Classic strawberry shortcake is made gluten-free, dairy-free, and paleo yet it’s every bit as delicious as the original!  Grain free Paleo biscuits are filled with lightly sweetened strawberries and an easy coconut whipped cream for a fun anytime dessert that everyone will love.  

Strawberry shortcake was one of those recipes on my “to-make” list forever that I just couldn’t get around to for some reason.

The decision making involved in the recipe itself might have had something to do with it.  Not that it should really be so difficult, but there are just some recipes that require decisions about ingredients, method, execution, and presentation that trip me up and I just avoid.

This paleo strawberry shortcake was definitely one of those, but luckily I got over it, and, the results made all the other stuff well worth it.

Decision number one – do I make individual shortcakes in biscuits OR do I make a layer cake?  Or a skillet cake?  Should I sweeten the batter like a cupcake or keep it neutral like a traditional buttermilk biscuit?

That decision alone haunted me for days.  Yes, I am using the word haunted correctly, trust me.  I  was thinking about this (important) nonsense while trying to fall asleep, because this IS important – I mean, it alters the entire recipe!

My thinking was this – I already made strawberry shortcake cupcakes and they were awesome.   So, maybe I’ll make something more traditional this time, with paleo biscuits (which I never even had a recipe for until now!), sweetened strawberries, and lots of coconut whipped cream.

Decision number two – do I sweeten the strawberries?  Okay, I guess I already touched on this answer in the last paragraph.

Anyway, I decided that lightly sweetening the strawberries with maple sugar would create a delicious syrupy quality to the berries that just screams strawberry shortcake.  Just not the same without the sugar!

Yes, this is a paleo blog, but, I’m also really into desserts that taste like, well, dessert, and I’m not opposed to using unrefined sweetener to make things sweet when they need to be.

Of course, if the maple sugar step is too much for you, feel free to omit – super sweet fresh berries would be absolutely wonderful in this recipe as well.

Decision number three – the whipped cream.  So, this actually didn’t require much decision making at all.  The coconut whipped cream I used for my strawberry shortcake cupcakes and so many other recipes works really well here!

The process of making coconut whipped cream, can, admittedly, be tricky.  You have to either purchase coconut cream separate from the milk (this is the easiest way to make sure you’re getting cream thick enough to whip) OR buy a good brand of canned full fat coconut milk can chill it for a few days before using.

The chilling step ensures the the cream will separate fully from the water.  You’ll then have to discard all the water an scoop out just the thick cream – the brand I’ve had the most success with here is Thai Kitchen Organic Coconut Milk.

Even still, using the coconut cream from a can of milk, you’ll sometimes wind up with cream that looks curdled instead of smooth.

If this happens, you’ll have to start over with a new can unfortunately, BUT you can save the “failed” batch for things like chocolate pudding or “butter” pecan ice cream, so do not despair!

It’s time to do a happy dance when it’s time to put it all together!  Yes, there are several steps, but it’s actually quite simple and pretty quick too, since the majority of your time is spent baking/cooling the biscuits.

I hope you’re ready for a fun paleo treat AND an awesome biscuit recipe all in one.  I know I’m definitely craving strawberry shortcake now – let’s do this!

Paleo Strawberry Shortcake {GF, DF}

Paleo Strawberry Shortcake {GF, DF}

Classic strawberry shortcake is made gluten-free, dairy-free, and paleo yet it's every bit as delicious as the original!  Grain free Paleo biscuits are filled with lightly sweetened strawberries and an easy coconut whipped cream for a fun anytime dessert that everyone will love. 

Author: Michele

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Cooling Time: 20 mins

Total Time: 35 minutes

Course: Baking/Dessert

Cuisine: Paleo

Servings: 8

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Ingredients

Biscuits:

• 3/4 cup blanched almond flour
• 3/4 cup arrowroot flour or tapioca
• 1/3 cup coconut flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder aluminum free*
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp maple sugar
• 6 Tbsp grass fed butter or ghee, palm oil shortening or coconut oil, cold, broken or cut into pieces
• 1/2 cup coconut milk full fat
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 large egg whisked

Strawberries:

• 2 lbs fresh strawberries but in halves or quarters
• 1/4 cup pure maple sugar or coconut sugar

Coconut Whipped Cream

• 1 1/2 cups coconut cream or the thick part from 2 cans chilled coconut milk
• 2-3 Tbsp organic confectioner sugar OR 1-2 Tbsp raw honey as per preference
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Place strawberries and maple sugar in a bowl and toss to coat, allow them to sit that way in the refrigerator while you prepare the biscuits

Biscuits:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl, then add the fat (butter, ghee, etc.) and blend with a fork or pastry blender until an evenly crumbly mixture forms. This can also be done by pulsing a few times in a food processor.
3. Make a well in the center of the crumbly mixture and the egg, coconut milk and lemon juice. Stir well until no flour spots show - you should have a sticky dough. Allow dough to sit 2 minutes or so to thicken, chilling shouldn’t be necessary.
4. Lightly wet your hands and divide mixture into 8 biscuits, lightly roll each into a disk shape, or you can use a 1/4 cup dry measuring cup to shape them before baking. You can also use more tapioca or arrowroot to handle them if the dough is sticky.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for about 13-15 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove from oven and place baking sheet on a wire rack to cool.

For the whipped cream:

1. Discard any excess water from the cans of coconut cream and place the chilled coconut cream in a large bowl. Beat on low/med with an electric hand mixer until smooth and creamy.
2. Add your sweetener of choice plus the vanilla, and continue to beat on medium speed until fully combined and creamy. Cover and chill until ready to use (it will firm up after being chilled). The whipped cream can also be used right away.

Assemble the Short Cakes:

1. Carefully slice each biscuit in half as if you were slicing a sandwich roll. Spoon some whipped cream on the bottom half, then strawberries, and cover with the top half of the biscuit and more whipped cream and strawberries, if desired.
2. Repeat with remaining biscuits and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

*To make paleo-friendly (corn free) baking powder, mix 1 tsp baking soda with 2 tsp cream of tartar For this recipe, you will need just 1 1/2 tsp total of this mixture.

Nutrition

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Want More Paleo Fruit Desserts?  Try One of these!

Strawberry Blueberry Cobbler {Paleo, Vegan}

Paleo Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes

Almond Butter and Jelly Cookie Bars {Paleo, Vegan}

Blueberry Crumb Bars {Paleo, Vegan}

Peach Cobbler {Paleo, Vegan}

Cherry Crisp {Paleo, Vegan}

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