This simple blueberry shortcake recipe is the perfect way to use freshly picked blueberries! It combines tender, sweet biscuits with juicy, macerated blueberries and a dollop of rich mascarpone whipped cream. It's easy to make and is a delicious dessert for Summer.
I love all things blueberry. You'll find so many blueberry desserts on the blog, like blueberry chocolate cake, blueberry mini muffins, blueberry muffin cake, and blueberry white chocolate chip cookies! It's hard to pick a favorite, but I think this blueberry shortcake takes the cake. It's pretty easy to make and served cold, which is so refreshing this time of year.
It starts off with a traditional buttery shortcake AKA a fluffy drop biscuit with no kneading or cutting involved! It's called a shortcake because "short", an Old English word dating back to the 16th century, means "crisp". This is also where the term "shortbread" comes from!
The biscuits are cut in half and filled with juicy macerated blueberries and a cloud of mascarpone whipped cream. Biscuits, berries, and cream- what could be better than that?
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- The shortcake is homemade biscuits that are buttery and easy to make. They are drop biscuits, so you don't have to worry about kneading, rolling, or cutting the biscuits out. You don't even need to cut cold butter into the dough- they're that easy to make!
- It has a sweet and syrupy blueberry topping made by macerating blueberries with sugar and lemon juice! Strawberry shortcake is usually topped with macerated strawberries, and this blueberry version of the topping is just as delicious.
- The homemade whipped cream is made with mascarpone cheese to make it more rich and creamy.
Ingredient Notes
Here are notes about some of the ingredients used. For quantities and full instructions, see the recipe card below.
- Blueberries- Use ripe, fresh blueberries. You can make macerated berries with frozen berries, but you'll need to thaw and drain the extra liquid.
- Granulated sugar- You need granulated sugar to macerate the blueberries and to sweeten the biscuits. The sugar draws out the berries' juices and dissolves in it to create a delicious syrup!
- Lemon juice- A little lemon juice complements the sweetness of the blueberries. Fresh lemon juice tastes the best.
- Buttermilk- This adds a little bit of acidity for a distinct flavor. It also snips the gluten strands in the flour for tall, fluffy biscuits!
- Heavy cream- Because this is a classic shortcake recipe, I used heavy cream with the buttermilk to mellow out the tangy flavor and add more fat for a tender crumb. Both the heavy cream and buttermilk should be cold (unlike most baking recipes that call for room temperature ingredients).
- All purpose flour- This adds structure to the shortcake. You can use gluten free 1-to-1 baking flour, but don't use almond flour or any other alternative flours that will change the texture.
- Baking powder and baking soda- Baking powder reacts with liquid and heat to make the shortcake rise, and baking soda reacts with the acid to make them rise even more and brown. Make sure they are both fresh and less than 6 months old so they work well!
- Salt- Offsets the sweetness of the biscuits and adds depth.
- Unsalted butter- The butter is melted in this recipe unlike most biscuit and shortcake recipes! This eliminates the step of cutting it into the flour with a pastry blender.
- Mascarpone cheese- This rich, creamy Italian cheese has a smooth texture and mild flavor. It's usually in tiramisu, but I've used it in my lemon berry mascarpone cake, lemon mascarpone cheesecake, and chocolate mascarpone frosting! Make sure it's room temperature so it whips easily with the cream.
- Powdered sugar- Sweetens the whipped cream and mixes in easily.
Substitutions and Variations
- Blueberries: You can make the topping with other fresh fruit like strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, or a variety! Even macerated cherries work like in these cherry cinnamon rolls or peach filling from this peaches and cream cake.
- Buttermilk substitute: My favorite substitute for buttermilk is plain kefir! It's a fermented milk drink with a similar tang to buttermilk.
- Mascarpone substitute: The best substitute for mascarpone is cream cheese, but whipped cream with cream cheese is more tangy. You can also forgo the mascarpone and just use heavy cream and powdered sugar, or use Cool Whip or another store-bought option (but I highly recommend the mascarpone frosting!!).
- Blueberry compote: Instead of macerated blueberries, you can use blueberry compote or even store-bought blueberry jam in a pinch.
- Citrus: For lemon blueberry shortcake, add a couple teaspoons of fresh lemon zest to the whipped cream and biscuit dough. You could also use lime or orange zest and juice.
- Vanilla: ยผ teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste in the whipped cream would be so incredible!
Step by Step Instructions
Before you start baking, make sure your blueberries are thoroughly washed and dried.
Step 1: For the macerated blueberries, add the fresh berries to a small bowl. Roughly mash half of them with a fork. Don't mash them up completely, just a little bit. Then gently stir in the sugar and lemon juice.
Step 2: Cover the blueberry mixture with plastic wrap and let sit on the counter for 15 minutes for the natural juices to release. Chill in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours while you make the biscuits and whipped cream.
Step 3: For the shortcakes, start by placing the buttermilk and heavy whipping cream in the freezer to get super cold! Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl and set aside.
Step 4: Melt the butter in the microwave in a heatproof bowl for 1 minute. Let cool for 10 minutes. Then stir the butter, buttermilk, and cream together with a fork until the butter clumps up.
Step 5: Add the clumpy buttermilk to the bowl of dry ingredients. Fold everything together with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon.
Step 6: Scoop the dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. You need 4 large scoops, so I like to use an ice cream scoop or large cookie scoop to get even portions. Set the tray in the fridge while you preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit (230ยฐC).
Once preheated, remove the tray of biscuits from the fridge and brush with heavy cream. Sprinkle with coarse sugar for extra sweetness if desired. Bake until golden brown.
Step 7: For the whipped cream, start by beating the mascarpone and heavy cream together in a large mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer on medium speed. Then add in the powdered sugar on low, increasing the speed to medium-high until stiff peaks form.
Step 8: Slice open a biscuit with a serrated knife and add a big dollop of whipped cream and a scoop of macerated blueberries.
Add the biscuit top followed by another dollop of whipped cream and more syrupy berries.
Grab a fork and enjoy!
Expert Baking Tips
- Use cold buttermilk and heavy cream. Adding ice cold buttermilk and cream to melted butter makes it re-solidify and get clumpy. The butter bits mix into the dough perfectly, creating super fluffy biscuits!
- Brush the tops with heavy cream before baking. This makes the shortcake biscuit get nice and brown on top! If you don't have a pastry brush, you can add a small drop of cream and smooth it out with your fingers.
- Let the shortcake cool. Make sure the shortcake biscuits cool completely on a wire rack before adding the whipped cream. It will melt and slide off if the biscuits are still hot!
- Don't over whip the cream. Whip the cream just until stiff peaks form. This means when you pull your mixer out of the bowl, the cream has points that stand up. You might even prefer a looser whipped cream with medium peaks (points that droop). If you overwhip the cream, it will curdle!
Storage and Freezing
I don't suggest storing assembled blueberry shortcake because it might get soggy from the blueberries. You can store all the components separately.
Store the biscuits in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Don't store in the refrigerator because they'll get too hard.
The leftover blueberries and the mascarpone cream should be stored in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
You can assemble shortcakes as needed or use the ingredients in different ways! The biscuits are delicious served with coffee or tea, and the macerated blueberries are so good in blueberry overnight oats and drinks like blueberry gin and tonic or blueberry basil margarita!
Freezing
Freeze the biscuits on a sheet pan for 2 hours until frozen. Then transfer them to a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw them out overnight or re-heat at 350ยฐF for 10 minutes
You can also freeze the unbaked dough this way and bake at 450ยฐF as directed, adding a couple extra minutes to the bake time.
You can freeze the macerated blueberries in an airtight container for up to 3 months, but the mascarpone whipped cream doesn't freeze well.
Frequently Asked Questions
The ingredients, texture, and usage are different between a cake and a shortcake. Cakes are typically made with flour, sugar, eggs, and a fat like butter or oil, resulting in a soft, moist, and fluffy texture. In contrast, shortcakes are more like biscuits or scones, made with flour, sugar, baking powder, butter, and cream or milk, leading to a crumbly, denser, more biscuit-like texture. Cakes are usually layered or frosted and served as a whole dessert, while shortcakes are split and filled with fruit and whipped cream, served as individual portions.
You can to save time, but I highly recommend homemade biscuits! For store-bought, bake according to the package instructions, let them cool, and then slice and fill with macerated blueberries and whipped cream.
Yes, you can. Just make sure to thaw them completely and drain the excess liquid before macerating.
More Cake Recipes to Try
๐ Recipe
Blueberry Shortcake with Mascarpone Whipped Cream
Equipment
- 1 Baking sheet lined with parchment paper
- 1 Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
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Ingredients
Macerated Blueberries
- 200 grams blueberries
- 50 grams granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Shortcakes
- 90 grams buttermilk
- 80 grams heavy cream
- 255 grams all purpose flour
- 50 grams granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ยผ teaspoon baking soda
- ยผ teaspoon salt
- 114 grams unsalted butter
Mascarpone Whipped Cream
- 113 grams mascarpone cheese room temperature
- 56 grams heavy cream
- 2 tablespoon powdered sugar
Instructions
Blueberries
- Make sure the blueberries are clean. Place in a bowl and gently mash some of the berries with a fork, leaving half of them whole. Mash lightly just so some juice comes out.200 grams blueberries
- Gently stir in the sugar and lemon juice until the berries are coated. Let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.50 grams granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for up to 2 hours or until the sugar dissolves and syrup forms around the berries.
Shortcake
- Place the buttermilk and heavy whipping cream in the freezer. Then whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.90 grams buttermilk, 80 grams heavy cream, 255 grams all purpose flour, 50 grams granulated sugar, 2 teaspoon baking powder, ยผ teaspoon baking soda, ยผ teaspoon salt
- Place the butter in a heatproof bowl and microwave for 1 minute. Cool the melted butter for 10 minutes.114 grams unsalted butter
- Whisk the cold buttermilk and cream into the melted butter with a fork until the butter gets clumpy.
- Pour the wet ingredients in the bowl of dry ingredients and fold together with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until well combined.
- Once preheated, remove the tray of biscuits from the fridge and brush with heavy cream. Sprinkle with coarse sugar if desired and bake for 15-18 minutes until golden brown.
- Remove from the oven. Let the biscuits cool on the baking sheet, then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Whipped Cream
- Beat mascarpone and heavy cream together in a large mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer on medium speed until smooth.113 grams mascarpone cheese, 56 grams heavy cream
- Add the powdered sugar mixing on low. Then increase to medium-high until stiff peaks form.2 tablespoon powdered sugar
Assembly
- Cut open a biscuit and add a dollop of whipped cream. Scoop the berries on top.
- Add the top of the biscuit to make a sandwich. Add another dollop of whipped cream on top with more berries. Serve and enjoy!
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