shortcake

noun

short·​cake ˈshȯrt-ˌkāk 

1

: a crisp and often unsweetened biscuit or cookie

2

a

: a dessert made typically of very short baking-powder-biscuit dough spread with sweetened fruit

b

: a dish consisting of a rich biscuit split and covered with a meat mixture

Examples of shortcake in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Popular items include strawberry shortcake, chocolate fudge-top cookies and marshmallow doughnuts. —Mathew Schumer, Baltimore Sun, 11 Mar. 2026

Add the wine pairing for an extra few bucks, ending with strawberry rhubarb shortcake and Moscato. —Brock Keeling, Oc Register, 6 Mar. 2026

Start your garden prep with this pair of raspberry shortcake shrubs. —Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 5 Mar. 2026

Whether Stewart is sharing her hosting tips or simple, effective beauty routine, her impeccable taste has never steered me wrong (not to mention her 10/10 strawberry shortcake cookie recipe has become a family favorite). —Cheryl Wagemann, InStyle, 8 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1594, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for shortcake

• awake
• backache
• beefsteak
• betake
• cheesecake
• cupcake
• daybreak
• earthquake
• eastlake
• forsake
• handshake
• headache

Kids Definition

shortcake

noun

short·​cake -ˌkāk 

: a dessert made of rich biscuit dough baked and served with sweetened fruit

strawberry shortcake