Strawberry Shortcake Bars

The recipe, step by step

These strawberry shortcake bars are buttery, crumbly and packed with fresh, juicy strawberries. A crisp shortbread-style base is topped with a light almond meringue, plenty of strawberries and a grated pastry topping that turns beautifully golden in the oven.

They are particularly good during strawberry season, when the fruit has plenty of flavour, but the same basic recipe is easy to adapt throughout the year. I also love serving them slightly warm with vanilla ice cream for a simple dessert.

For more fruity bars, try my cherry almond cookie bars, blueberry cheesecake bars or raspberry zserbó.

Recipe Highlights

• Ease: Straightforward to make using a simple crumbly pastry dough and almond meringue filling.
• Taste: Buttery pastry, sweet almond and fresh strawberries.
• Texture: Crisp, crumbly pastry with a soft almond filling and juicy strawberries.
• Season: Particularly lovely when strawberries are at their best.
• Serving: Delicious on their own or slightly warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
• Quantity: 12 bars.
• Pan: 20 cm (8 inch) square baking pan.
• Preparation: 20 minutes.
• Baking: 35–40 minutes, checking from 35 minutes.
• Total time: 55 minutes minimum, with up to 5 additional minutes of baking if needed.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Shortcake Dough

• Plain flour: Use 300 g plain flour (all-purpose flour). This gives the pastry its crumbly structure.
• Caster sugar: Use 50 g caster sugar for sweetness without making the pastry overly sweet.
• Baking powder: Use ½ teaspoon baking powder to give the pastry just a little lightness.
• Vanilla: Use ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract or ¼ teaspoon vanilla paste. I particularly like vanilla here because it rounds out the almond and strawberry flavours.
• Fine sea salt: Add a pinch. I recommend keeping the salt because it balances the sweetness and makes the butter and vanilla flavours more pronounced.
• Butter: Use 150 g cold butter. Keeping the butter cold is important for creating the crumbly shortcake texture.
• Egg yolks: Use 3 medium egg yolks, approximately 60 g in total. These enrich the pastry and help bind it together.

Strawberry and Almond Filling

• Egg whites: Use the 3 egg whites, approximately 90 g in total, left from separating the eggs for the pastry.
• Caster sugar: Use 100 g caster sugar, adding it gradually to the whipped egg whites to make a stiff, glossy meringue.
• Ground almonds: Use 100 g ground almonds. They add flavour while giving the filling a soft, light texture.
• Fresh strawberries: Use 400 g fresh strawberries, cleaned and halved.
• Cornflour: Use 2 tablespoons cornflour (cornstarch). Tossing the strawberries with cornflour helps control the juices released during baking.

To Finish

• Icing sugar: Use 2 tablespoons icing sugar (powdered sugar) for dusting the cooled bars.

Nigel recommends

Vanilla Bean Paste

I recommend Nielsen-Massey vanilla bean paste when you want a fuller vanilla flavour in these strawberry shortcake bars. It works particularly well with the buttery pastry, almonds and fresh strawberries.

Ingredient

Nielsen Massey

Vanilla Bean Paste

Rich vanilla bean paste with a concentrated vanilla flavour and visible vanilla seeds, ideal for cakes, biscuits, custards, creams and glazes.

Why I recommend it → Shop at Amazon UK

Some retailer links may be affiliate links. Recommendations remain editorially independent.

How to Make Strawberry Shortcake Bars

1. Prepare the baking pan: Line a 20 cm (8 inch) square baking pan with baking parchment and set aside. I recommend leaving a little parchment overhanging the sides so the finished bars are easier to lift out.

2. Start the shortcake dough: In a medium bowl, mix together the 300 g flour, 50 g caster sugar, ½ teaspoon baking powder, vanilla and pinch of salt.

3. Rub in the butter: Add the 150 g cold butter and rub it into the dry ingredients with your fingertips or use a pastry cutter until you have a crumbly mixture.

4. Add the egg yolks: Add the 3 egg yolks and mix gently until a dough forms. Avoid overworking it or the finished pastry can become tough.

5. Freeze part of the dough: Cut off approximately one-third of the dough, flatten it to around 2 cm thick, wrap it and place it in the freezer.

6. Make the base: Press the remaining two-thirds of the dough evenly into the prepared baking pan.

7. Make the almond meringue: Place the 3 egg whites in a clean medium bowl and whisk with an electric mixer on high speed until very stiff.

8. Add the sugar gradually: Add the 100 g caster sugar one teaspoon at a time, whisking thoroughly between each addition, until you have a stiff, glossy meringue.

9. Add the almonds: Fold the 100 g ground almonds gently into the meringue until evenly incorporated.

10. Add the filling: Spread the almond meringue evenly over the shortcake base.

11. Preheat the oven: Heat the oven to 170°C fan / 375°F / Gas 5.

12. Prepare the strawberries: Clean and halve the 400 g strawberries. Place them in a bowl with the 2 tablespoons cornflour and toss until evenly coated, making sure there are no visible lumps of cornflour.

13. Add the strawberries: Arrange the strawberries evenly over the almond meringue layer.

14. Add the crumb topping: Remove the reserved dough from the freezer and coarsely grate it over the strawberries, covering the surface as evenly as possible.

15. Bake: Place the pan on the middle shelf and bake for 35–40 minutes. Begin checking after 35 minutes. The grated pastry topping should be lightly golden and the filling should be set. Depending on your oven, the bars may need up to 40 minutes.

16. Cool completely: Remove the bars from the oven and leave them to cool completely in the pan.

17. Slice: Once completely cool, lift them from the pan and cut into 12 bars.

18. Finish: Dust with icing sugar immediately before serving.

Nigel’s Recipe Tips

Keep the butter cold. I recommend using the butter straight from the fridge. Cold butter gives you the crumbly shortcake texture this recipe needs.

Don’t overwork the pastry. Once the egg yolks have brought the dough together, stop mixing. Too much handling develops the gluten and makes the pastry less tender.

Freeze the topping dough. Flattening that reserved third before freezing helps it chill quickly and makes it much easier to grate over the strawberries.

Use a clean bowl for the egg whites. Any grease or traces of egg yolk can stop the whites whipping properly.

Add the meringue sugar slowly. Adding the sugar gradually gives it time to dissolve and helps produce a stiff, glossy meringue.

Coat the strawberries thoroughly. I recommend tossing them carefully with the cornflour so their juices thicken during baking rather than soaking into the pastry.

Line the baking pan generously. Leave 2–3 cm of parchment overhanging on two opposite sides. Once the bars are completely cool, you can use this to lift the whole bake out cleanly.

Wait until completely cool before cutting. Warm bars are still soft and will not hold their shape properly. Give the filling and pastry time to set before slicing.

Check from 35 minutes. I recommend beginning your check at 35 minutes rather than automatically baking the bars for the full 40 minutes. The pastry topping should be lightly golden; if it still looks pale, continue baking for a few more minutes.

Variations

Raspberry Shortcake Bars

Replace the strawberries with raspberries for a sharper fruit flavour.

Peach or Apricot Bars

Peaches and apricots work particularly well with the almond filling.

Blackberry Bars

Blackberries give the bars a deeper fruit flavour and a beautiful colour.

Ground Hazelnuts

Replace the ground almonds with ground hazelnuts for a warmer, nuttier flavour.

Spiced Fruit Bars

Depending on the fruit, try adding a little cinnamon, clove or nutmeg.

Jam Shortcake Bars

Outside strawberry season, you can make a version using strawberry, raspberry, peach, blackberry, apricot or plum jam.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why Does Part of the Dough Go in the Freezer?

The frozen dough is grated over the strawberries to create the crumbly topping. Chilling it until firm makes it much easier to grate evenly.

Why Are Egg Yolks Used in the Pastry and Egg Whites in the Filling?

The yolks enrich and bind the shortcake pastry, while the whites are whisked into a meringue for the almond filling. It is a useful recipe because all three eggs are used.

Can I Use Frozen Strawberries?

The recipe specifies fresh strawberries, and frozen berries release considerably more liquid as they bake. I recommend using fresh fruit here for the best texture.

Why Is Cornflour Added to the Strawberries?

The strawberries release juice as they heat. Cornflour thickens some of that liquid and helps prevent the bars becoming soggy.

Can I Make These with Other Fruit?

Yes. Raspberries, peaches, blackberries, apricots and plums are all good alternatives.

How Long Do Strawberry Shortcake Bars Take to Bake?

Bake them for 35–40 minutes, checking from 35 minutes. They are ready when the grated pastry topping is lightly golden and the filling has set.

Why Do I Need to Cool Them Completely?

While warm, the filling is still soft and the bars can fall apart when cut. Cooling allows everything to set properly so you get clean squares.

Can I Serve Them Warm?

Yes, although I recommend cooling them completely before slicing. You can then warm individual portions gently and serve them with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Tools You’ll Need

• Pastry cutter, optional
• Coarse grater
• Baking parchment
• Spatula
• Digital kitchen scales
• Wire cooling rack

• Large mixing bowl or food processor- I recommend the 29 cm Mason Cash cream earthenware mixing bowl because it is sturdy, chip-resistant and has a generous four-litre capacity, making it ideal for everything from cake batters to bread doughs. It is also microwave, freezer and dishwasher safe. You can find this bowl and more of my favourite kitchen tools in my Amazon Baking Essentials collection.

• Electric hand whisk – I recommend the Breville Classic Combo Stand and Hand Mixer because it includes a generous 3.7-litre stainless steel bowl and a convenient stand, so you do not have to hold the mixer throughout use. You can find it and more of my favourite baking equipment in my Amazon Kitchen Equipment collection.

• Loose Base 20 cm Square Cake Pan – I recommend this sturdy, good-quality non-stick tin for brownies, blondies, traybakes and cake bars. The 20 cm / 8 inch square size is particularly useful for recipes like these strawberry shortcake bars, while the loose base makes it much easier to lift delicate bakes out cleanly once they have cooled.

Storage and Freezing

Storing

Once completely cool, keep the strawberry shortcake bars in an airtight container for up to 4–5 days.

Because the bars contain fresh fruit, I recommend keeping them refrigerated once they have cooled.

Bring them towards room temperature before serving for the best flavour and texture.

Freezing

The bars freeze well for up to 2 months.

Freeze them once completely cool, preferably as individual portions in an airtight freezer container.

To serve, allow them to defrost on the kitchen worktop for approximately 30 minutes and serve at room temperature.

Nutrition

Serving: one strawberry shortcake bar, based on 12 servings

Calories 318.17 kcal (16%)
Total Fat 16.02 g (23%)
Carbs 37 g (14%)
Sugars 15.61 g (17%)
Protein 6.6 g (13%)
Sodium 49.87 mg (2%)
Fiber 2.07 g (7%)

% Daily Values based on a 2,000-calorie diet.

Nutrition information is provided as an estimate and may vary depending on the exact ingredients, brands and serving size used.

A recipe worth keeping

Save this recipe for another day

Pin it to one of your boards and keep it close for the next time you are ready to cook or bake.

Save to Pinterest

Made it?

Share it from your kitchen

Save the recipe or share it with someone who would enjoy making it too.

Facebook Pinterest Email