# Strawberry Shortcake Base: Biscuit, pound cake or other cake? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 6, 2010, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strawberry-shortcake-base-biscuit-pound-cake-or-other-cake/523937 "2010-01-06T19:20:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strawberry-shortcake-base-biscuit-pound-cake-or-other-cake/523937/1 "2010-01-06T19:20:08Z")
At a dinner party last night, a friend served strawberry shortcake with a pound cake base. I remarked that my New England mother always served it with a biscuit base. Theo ther people at the table looked at me like I had sprouted another head. What do you serve the strawberries and cream on? ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strawberry-shortcake-base-biscuit-pound-cake-or-other-cake/523937/2 "2010-01-06T19:40:53Z")
Biscuit. Using poundcake is like using canned frosting on a cake. It’s all right if that’s all you got, but it’s a poor subsitute. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strawberry-shortcake-base-biscuit-pound-cake-or-other-cake/523937/3 "2010-01-06T19:53:57Z")
Biscuits aren’t sweet enough for me. Plus, a lot of times the biscuit is made badly; tough or salty. Pound cake is pretty hard to screw up. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strawberry-shortcake-base-biscuit-pound-cake-or-other-cake/523937/4 "2010-01-06T19:56:42Z")
For everyday shortcake, I use the round little pound cakes that are packaged next to the strawberries at the market. If it’s a special dinner and I’m scratch baking, then biscuit. Same with the topping. Everyday gets the canned stuff, biscuit gets scratch-made. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strawberry-shortcake-base-biscuit-pound-cake-or-other-cake/523937/5 "2010-01-06T20:00:43Z")
Strawberries over pound cake might be tasty, but it’s not shortcake. Shortcake, by definition, is a biscuit. “To shorten” means to make crumbly. Shortcake = crumbly cake = biscuit. Pound cake ain’t crumbly. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strawberry-shortcake-base-biscuit-pound-cake-or-other-cake/523937/6 "2010-01-06T20:09:52Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > Strawberries over pound cake might be tasty, but it’s not shortcake. Shortcake, by definition, is a biscuit. “To shorten” means to make crumbly. Shortcake = crumbly cake = biscuit. Pound cake ain’t crumbly. Yep, pretty much. I don’t care for the overload of sweetness, so I always bake a biscuit base, as is right and proper. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strawberry-shortcake-base-biscuit-pound-cake-or-other-cake/523937/7 "2010-01-06T20:30:32Z")
I like the biscuit too. To me if you use poundcake it’s really just another version of “strawberry poundcake.” ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strawberry-shortcake-base-biscuit-pound-cake-or-other-cake/523937/8 "2010-01-06T20:42:17Z")
No all of the above option? Pound cake, biscuit or waffles are fine by me. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strawberry-shortcake-base-biscuit-pound-cake-or-other-cake/523937/9 "2010-01-06T20:43:25Z")
I think my grandmother made actual “[shortcake](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shortcake)” at times. Otherwise, she just used her biscuit recipe. Add sugar to the berries for sufficient sweetness, although little is needed if they are really ripe. And maybe to the whipped cream, but its role is more the tongue-coating dairy richness. Darn, this is _not_ strawberry season… ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strawberry-shortcake-base-biscuit-pound-cake-or-other-cake/523937/10 "2010-01-06T20:48:44Z")
Proper shortcake is a _type_ of biscuit that is very lightly sweetened as in the wiki reference … and the whipped cream has to be absolutely freshly whipped and barely sweetened as well. Pound cake does not make shortcake … though it is good as a dessert. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strawberry-shortcake-base-biscuit-pound-cake-or-other-cake/523937/11 "2010-01-06T21:07:36Z")
Shortcake shells. They’re not pound cake – much lighter, with the texture of a Hostess Twinkie (though not as sweet and with no creme filling). They also have an indentation to keep the strawberries from falling onto the plate. Pound cake is an acceptable substitute. The worst strawberry shortcake I ever ate had a biscuit. But even if well made, they don’t hold a candle to the shells or the pound cake. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strawberry-shortcake-base-biscuit-pound-cake-or-other-cake/523937/12 "2010-01-06T21:10:04Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > The worst strawberry shortcake I ever ate had a biscuit. But even if well made, they don’t hold a candle to the shells or the pound cake. I say the opposite. Shells are disgusting. Homemade pound cake is OK, it’s just not shortcake. Neither holds a candle to real strawberry shortcake made with shortcake. ---
**Author:** ![luv2draw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/46a35a/32.png) [@luv2draw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/luv2draw)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strawberry-shortcake-base-biscuit-pound-cake-or-other-cake/523937/13 "2010-01-06T21:21:51Z")
Biscuit made homemade from Bisquik. That’s how my mother made them. Now I want some. Waaaaaaaaaaaaa… But it’s NOT strawberry season. Besides my mother is dead. ---
**Author:** ![maladroit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f475e1/32.png) [@maladroit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maladroit)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strawberry-shortcake-base-biscuit-pound-cake-or-other-cake/523937/14 "2010-01-06T21:27:41Z")
I make scratch biscuits and add a sprinkle of sugar to the dough. (KFC biscuits are good if you for whatever reason don’t/can’t make the biscuits) ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strawberry-shortcake-base-biscuit-pound-cake-or-other-cake/523937/15 "2010-01-06T21:32:07Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > Proper shortcake is a _type_ of biscuit that is very lightly sweetened as in the wiki reference … Exactly. Shortcake is _shortcake_, not just a biscuit. And strawberry shortcake without it isn’t strawberry shortcake. Those packaged shells are about as appetizing as stale Twinkies. ---
**Author:** ![Mahna\_Mahna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47c2d/32.png) [@Mahna\_Mahna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahna_Mahna)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strawberry-shortcake-base-biscuit-pound-cake-or-other-cake/523937/16 "2010-01-06T22:05:48Z")
Biscuits. More specifically, homemade brown sugar biscuits with a hefty dash of nutmeg. Omnomnomnom. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strawberry-shortcake-base-biscuit-pound-cake-or-other-cake/523937/17 "2010-01-06T22:11:33Z")
I like the stuff that is exactly like Twinkies, whatever that bread is called. Wish I knew how to make it, too. ---
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strawberry-shortcake-base-biscuit-pound-cake-or-other-cake/523937/18 "2010-01-06T22:17:56Z")
If I don’t feel like baking (sometimes it’s just too hot to run the oven during strawberry season), a store bought angel food cake is my base. If I’m baking, definitely a lightly sweetened biscuit base. Depending on my level of ambition, Reddi Whip or freshly whipped cream on top. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strawberry-shortcake-base-biscuit-pound-cake-or-other-cake/523937/19 "2010-01-06T23:11:46Z")
Spongecake. And all you fools who insist that anything other than what you like means it’s not really “strawberry shortcake” can kiss my ass. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strawberry-shortcake-base-biscuit-pound-cake-or-other-cake/523937/20 "2010-01-06T23:18:02Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > Spongecake. > > And all you fools who insist that anything other than what you like means it’s not really “strawberry shortcake” can kiss my ass. We’re not insisting that anything other that we like isn’t strawberry shortcake. We’re insisting that “shortcake” is a clear and defined word, and sponge cake and pound cake and angel cake are NOT shortcake. Words mean things. They’re not interchangeable. Otherwise what’s the point of language at all? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strawberry-shortcake-base-biscuit-pound-cake-or-other-cake/523937.md?page=2)