Meet your new favorite summer peach dessert! These peaches and cream shortcakes are basically just tender, sweet biscuits topped with juicy fresh peaches and either vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, and they are delightful.

assembled peaches and cream shortcakes in bowls

Why should strawberries be the only one to have all the shortcake fun? I crave the combination of fresh fruit, whipped cream, and cake all summer long, and I’m here to tell you that using fresh and juicy summer peaches instead of strawberries is every bit as amazing. (If not more so!)

Swapping ice cream for the whipped cream was a brilliant idea I had one hot summer day, and I love how it cuts down on recipe prep time. It’s inspired by Ina Garten who uses melted vanilla ice cream in place of a homemade custard sauce for easy entertaining. No need to wait for the ice cream to completely melt here— these peaches and cream shortcakes are especially perfect for summer!

closeup of a peaches and cream shortcake with fork

Table of Contents

Why your summer needs these peaches and cream shortcakes

If you’ve never had peach shortcake, you’re in for a treat! You’ll love how the juicy peaches delightfully soak into the soft and slightly sweet cakey biscuits, and how melty vanilla ice cream adds rich vanilla flavor and creaminess in a fun and unique way. Using ice cream isn’t only delicious, it makes this dessert faster and easier too.

But if you’d rather be more traditional and use homemade whipped cream, go for it! Either way, it’s a winning combination. Strawberry shortcakes are great, but I think I love this peach shortcakes recipe even more!

ingredients needed for peach shortcakes

Ingredients you’ll need

  • All-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and a little sugar are the dry ingredients needed for the shortcakes.
  • Salted butter produces a tender flaky texture.
  • Buttermilk brings the shortcake dough together and also provides flavor.
  • Cinnamon sugar is an optional topping for the shortcakes, but I highly recommend it.
  • Fresh summer peaches, the star of the show!
  • Vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste, if you’re feeling extra) and some sugar to flavor the peaches.
  • Quality vanilla ice cream (Tillamook Old-Fashioned Vanilla is my favorite store-bought brand, not a sponsored shout-out, I’m just a fan!)

Step-by-step instructions

  1. Prep the sweet biscuit shortcakes. Like most of my biscuit recipes, this one starts with cutting cold butter into dry ingredients, and then adding buttermilk to bring it all together into a cohesive dough. making shortcakes for peach shortcake
  2. Bake. Place cut biscuits on a parchment lined sheet pan and bake in a 400°F oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes.baked biscuit shortcakes on a sheet pan
  3. Get the peaches super juicy. Slice the peaches and toss with vanilla and a little sugar. Then let them sit while the biscuits finish baking to let the juices and flavor develop.juicy peaches in a bowl
  4. Let the ice cream soften (or make whipped cream). You want the ice cream scoop-able and really soft.
  5. Put it all together. Let the biscuits cool mostly or completely, then split in half and top with a generous spoonful of sliced peaches and a scoop of soft ice cream. You can assemble the shortcakes for everyone, or set up a buffet line and let guests do it themselves. peach shortcakes in bowls
  6. Enjoy! Make sure to get a bit of shortcake, peach and melted ice cream in each bite. You’re going to love the combo!

Tips and FAQs

  • How to choose your peaches. Look for “freestone” peaches (not “cling”, as those won’t release easily from their pits) that are fragrant, and mostly firm with just a little give. They shouldn’t be mushy or have too many soft spots as slices will end up looking messy.
  • Let the sugared peaches rest, don’t skip this step! The sugar draws out the natural juices and sweetness of the peaches. And letting the peaches “marinate” like this for about 20 minutes produces the most incredible juicy fruit.
  • Use ice cream OR whipped cream, there’s no wrong choice. Ice cream is the easy answer, and so delicious if you haven’t ever used it like this! But homemade whipped cream will also be amazing.
  • How to make this ahead of time. For best results, shortcakes should be baked the day-of. If you want to prep them ahead of time, freeze unbaked shortcakes on a lined sheet pan covered in plastic wrap for up to 3 days. Bake from frozen, adding a minute or two to baking time. Then prep peaches and scoop ice cream when ready to serve!

Peaches and cream shortcakes recipe

closeup of a peaches and cream shortcake with fork

Grilled Peach and Ice Cream Shortcakes

Servings: 12 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Meet your new favorite summer peach dessert! You'll love these sweet biscuits topped with juicy peaches and either vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
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Ingredients
 

For the biscuit shortcakes:

  • 3 cups (360 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar , divided
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup (113 grams) salted butter , cold and cut into cubes
  • 1 ¼ cup (310 grams) buttermilk , cold (plus additional for brushing the shortcakes)
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the peaches:

  • 1 lb (455 grams) fresh peaches , sliced (about 5-6 medium)
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
  • â…› teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)

To assemble:

  • 1 quart (950 grams) vanilla ice cream (or homemade whipped cream, see Notes)

Equipment

pastry blender
Pastry blender
bench scraper
Bench scraper

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat (I prefer to use a 9×13 quarter sheet pan, baking the shortcakes close together keeps them soft).
  • In a bowl combine the flour, 2 tablespoons of sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add cubed butter and cut into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender or fork until butter is the size of peas.
  • Add 1 cup of the buttermilk and use a spoon or spatula to combine. Add remaining ¼ cup buttermilk as needed to bring the dough together. Do not overmix or biscuits won't rise properly, stop mixing when all dry bits are incorporated, I usually do my final mixing on my counter using my hands.
  • Shape into a large rectangle about 1 inch thick, then cut into 12 biscuits (cut 3 tall by 4 wide). Brush tops with more buttermilk. Make cinnamon sugar using remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar and cinnamon, then sprinkle over the top.
  • Bake until tops and bottoms are golden brown, 18-20 minutes. Let cool completely.
  • Slice peaches and toss with sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon (if using). Let sit for 10-20 minutes until juicy.
  • Let ice cream soften, then scoop about â…“ cup-sized portions onto halved biscuits and top with peaches. Serve immediately.

Notes

  • How to make this ahead of time. For best results, shortcakes should be baked the day-of. If you want to prep them ahead of time, freeze unbaked shortcakes on a lined sheet pan covered in plastic wrap for up to 3 days. Bake from frozen, adding a minute or two to baking time. Then prep peaches and scoop ice cream when ready to serve!
  • You can use ice cream or whipped cream, per your preference. To make homemade whipped cream, combine 1 ½ cup heavy whipping cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 2-3 tablespoons granulated sugar and beat with an electric mixer to medium peaks (find my full recipe for homemade whipped cream here).
Calories: 393kcal, Carbohydrates: 52g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 18g, Saturated Fat: 11g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 0.3g, Cholesterol: 58mg, Sodium: 299mg, Potassium: 374mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 25g, Vitamin A: 733IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 182mg, Iron: 2mg
Cuisine: American
Course: Dessert
Author: Annalise Sandberg
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Have you tried this recipe?I’d love to hear about it! Leave a rating and review below, or take a photo and tag it on Instagram @completelydelicious with #completelydelicious.

Note: This recipe was originally published in July 2014 in partnership with Go Bold With Butter, a campaign I still believe in and align with occasionally. In addition to other recipe improvements, the original recipe required grilling the peaches for an even more fun summer twist, but I’ve removed that step to make things simple and straightforward.

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