Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake

Just when you thought strawberry shortcake couldn’t get any better, it does with chocolate! Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake is tender chocolate shortcake biscuits made from scratch then layered with fresh strawberries and velvety whipped cream. This chocolate strawberry dessert for two is perfect for date night at home.

Because recipes are my life now, I have a never-ending list of ideas.

I have a notepad with 12 columns of ideas plus random notes I write elsewhere – my planner, random scraps of paper, a mini notepad I use when I travel.

Some recipes I’ll probably never make but thought they were a good idea at the time.

Other recipes have a really cool title, but I have no clue where to begin creating it.

I was sharing ideas with a friend when she asks “oh how will that work?” Too early to tell, friend. Too early to tell.

I’ll never tackle the entire list, but it’s a start.

I’ve had an idea for this Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake recipe for several years now (especially after making caramel apple shortcakes for fall).

What would happen if you added cocoa powder and chocolate chips to shortcake biscuits? Pure bliss, that’s what happens.

When it comes to strawberry shortcake, there are two ways you can make it: with biscuits or with sponge cake.

Some people even make it with angel food cupcakes.

For my chocolate strawberry shortcake, I made tender chocolate shortcake biscuits from scratch then layered them with fresh strawberries and homemade whipped cream.

I also scaled it down to make a chocolate strawberry dessert for two, which you can serve as a romantic dessert for two at the end of date night.

Or be like me and eat them on the couch while holding the cat. No date required.

And because it’s summer, I included directions on both baking your chocolate shortcake in the oven and in the air fryer.

That way you don’t have to heat up your kitchen when it’s unbearably hot outside and your craving for strawberry shortcake for two is strong.

Ingredients For Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake

Here’s what you need to make your chocolate shortcake with strawberries:

• Flour: Needed to bring the dough together so it’s not sticky
• Cocoa powder: Adds a subtle chocolate flavor
• Sugar: Sweetens the dough as well as the strawberries
• Baking powder: Helps the biscuits rise and makes them tender
• Salt: Enhances the biscuit flavor
• Butter: Helps create the flaky, tender texture biscuits are known for. Using cold butter means it won’t start melting until baked, releasing steam and creating flaky layers
• Heavy cream: Adds richness, moistness, and tenderness due to its high fat content (as opposed to using regular milk)
• Chocolate chips: Adds a melty chocolate factor when served warm
• Strawberries: Adding a little bit of sugar to strawberries brings out the juices so you can have some to spoon on top. This is called macerating which I talk about more below.
• Whipped cream: Whether you use homemade or store bought, its light airiness balances all the richness in the dessert

What is macerating?

To make strawberries for strawberry shortcake, you use a technique called macerating.

Macerating means to soften food by soaking it in a liquid. In the case of these strawberries, you coat them in sugar, which brings out their natural juices.

The strawberries then sit in these natural juices until they soften. You want to let them sit at least 30 minutes or so, but the longer they sit, the softer they’ll get.

When you’re ready to serve, the juices act like a strawberry sauce for strawberry shortcake.

You can also use strawberry jam without pectin or strawberry pie filling instead of fresh berries.

How To Make Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake

Let’s get started on making strawberry shortcake with chocolate! Here’s how:

1. Mix together flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
2. Cut in butter using a pastry blender.
3. Stir in heavy cream and chocolate chips until a dough forms.
4. Knead the dough lightly.
5. Roll dough to 1 inch thick then cut out 3-inch biscuits. Brush with some cream on top.
6. Bake at 400F for 15-17 minutes or until golden brown and set on the edges.
7. Mix together strawberries and sugar then let macerate until juices form.
8. Cut biscuits in half then layer with strawberries and whipped cream.

Chocolate biscuits are best eaten the day they’re made, but you can store leftovers (before assembly) at room temperature for to 2 days.

You can also air fry your biscuits at 400F for 10 minutes.

Can you make strawberry shortcake with cake?

I wanted to go more traditional with biscuits, but if you’re looking for actual sponge cake, check out my Strawberry Shortcake Cake, Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes, and Strawberry Shortcake Cheesecake.

Whipped Cream For Strawberry Shortcake

Of course no strawberry shortcake is complete without making whipped cream from scratch!

I went with traditional vanilla, but you can use different flavor combinations such as:

• Chocolate Whipped Cream for double chocolate
• Strawberry Whipped Cream for double berry
• Maple Whipped Cream for a touch of sweetness
• Cream Cheese Whipped Cream for some tanginess
• Honey Whipped Cream for a floral note

More Strawberry Desserts

Got extra strawberries? Use them in these berry delicious strawberry recipes:

• Strawberry Cobbler
• Chocolate Strawberry Brownies
• Strawberry Popsicles
• Strawberry Ice Cream
• Mini Strawberry Pies

First published June 12, 2017