Costco is known for selling many delicious prepared food items in their food courts and bakeries, including pizza, hot dogs, churros, and large cakes. One popular seasonal treat is strawberry shortcake. During the spring and summer months when strawberries are fresh and plentiful, Costco offers whole strawberry shortcakes as well as strawberry shortcake slices in their bakery section. But does Costco actually make these strawberry shortcakes from scratch in their own bakeries? Or are they made elsewhere and simply sold at Costco?
The Components of Costco’s Strawberry Shortcakes
Costco’s strawberry shortcakes consist of three main components:
- Shortcake base – This is the sweet biscuit or sponge cake base.
- Whipped cream – Sweetened whipped cream is spread over the shortcake base.
- Strawberries – Fresh strawberry halves or strawberry topping is placed over the whipped cream.
Each of these components is integral to creating the classic dessert. So where does Costco source each one?
Costco Bakery Operations
Costco operates in-store bakeries at many of its warehouse locations. The bakeries offer fresh baked breads, cookies, cakes, pies, and other desserts. However, the items produced on-site can vary by location. Some locations may bake everything from scratch daily, while others may bake some items from frozen dough or other pre-made mixes.
According to employees, Costco’s strawberry shortcakes are most often assembled in-store rather than completely made from scratch. The shortcake base and whipped cream are prepared elsewhere, while the fresh strawberries are added in-store.
The Shortcake Base
For the shortcake base, Costco sources pre-made shortcake shells and sponge cakes from third party commercial bakeries and food production facilities. These facilities can produce large quantities efficiently to supply all Costco locations. The shortcake shells arrive at the warehouses frozen or fresh-baked.
The Whipped Cream
The sweetened whipped cream topping is also produced offsite by dairy product manufacturers and delivered pre-made to Costco bakeries. Employees then portion and dollop the whipped cream onto the shortcake bases.
The Strawberries
Fresh strawberries are the one component Costco stores do prepare themselves. They wash, hull, and slice the strawberries before placing them atop the shortcakes.
Why Doesn’t Costco Bake the Shortcakes In-Store?
There are several likely reasons why Costco chooses to source pre-made bases rather than bake shortcakes completely from scratch in-house:
- Consistency – Having dedicated production facilities make the bases allows Costco to achieve consistent taste, texture, shape, and quality across all stores. Baking conditions can vary from one bakery to another which could result in inconsistencies.
- Efficiency – Pre-made bases can be quicker and easier for in-store employees to assemble into finished desserts. From a labor standpoint, assembly is faster than baking everything from scratch.
- Supply chain – Pre-made items allow Costco to better coordinate supply and demand across hundreds of warehouse stores to reduce food waste and ensure availability.
- Cost – High volume third party production can sometimes have lower per unit costs compared to in-house baking, making the pre-made option more affordable.
Sourcing bases allows Costco to keep strawberry shortcakes on hand for months at a time during peak demand in a consistent and cost-effective manner.
Nutrition Information for Costco’s Strawberry Shortcake
Many customers are interested in the nutrition information and ingredients for Costco’s prepared foods. Here is the nutrition data for Costco’s strawberry shortcake slices per 1/6 cake serving:
| Nutrient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Calories | 160 |
| Total Fat | 5g |
| Saturated Fat | 3g |
| Trans Fat | 0g |
| Cholesterol | 25mg |
| Sodium | 135mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 29g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1g |
| Total Sugars | 17g |
| Includes 16g Added Sugars | 32% |
| Protein | 2g |
As we can see, the dessert provides 160 calories per serving with 29g of carbohydrates and 17g of sugar. The shortcake base and whipped cream provide most of the fat and calories.
Costco Strawberry Shortcake Ingredients
Costco does not publish an official full ingredient list for their strawberry shortcakes. However, based on employee reports and homemade recipes, it likely contains:
Shortcake Base Ingredients:
- Flour
- Sugar
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Butter or shortening
- Milk or cream
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
Whipped Cream Ingredients:
- Heavy cream
- Sugar
- Vanilla extract
Strawberry Topping Ingredients:
- Fresh strawberries
- Sugar
The basic ingredients are typical of homemade strawberry shortcake recipes. The pre-made bases ordered by Costco likely contain preservatives and stabilizers as well to prolong shelf life during shipping and storage.
Costco Strawberry Shortcake Price
Strawberry shortcakes are only available for a limited time each year at Costco warehouses. The price can vary slightly between locations.
Based on 2023 prices, a whole 9 inch strawberry shortcake sells for $15.99. The sliced shortcake rounds are $7.99 for a package of 6 slices.
These prices position Costco’s shortcakes as an affordable dessert option feeding multiple people, compared to single-serve shortcake prices at other retailers.
Taste Reviews
Here are some reviews of the taste and texture of Costco’s strawberry shortcakes from customers:
Positive Reviews
- “The shortcake base was light, sweet, and fluffy. The whipped cream tasted like real dairy cream. The strawberries were juicy and sweet.”
- “This tasted like summer in a dessert! The biscuit and whipped cream were rich but not too heavy. You could actually taste real strawberry flavor.”
- “The shortcake absorbed the juicy strawberry juice perfectly without getting soggy. Sweet and decadent but didn’t feel overly artificial or processed.”
Negative Reviews
- “The shortcake was dry and crumbly, almost cardboard-like. The strawberries were okay but the base ruined it.”
- “The whipped cream tasted artificial, like Cool Whip. I expected real cream for the price.”
- “Way too sweet for my taste. The strawberry flavor was overpowered by sugar.”
Reviews seem divided based on personal taste preferences, with some praising the sweetness while others find it excessive. Experiences likely vary based on which warehouse location the shortcake comes from.
How to Make Your Own Strawberry Shortcake
For those interested in replicating the experience at home, here is a simple recipe to bake your own strawberry shortcake from scratch:
Shortcake Biscuits
- 2 cups flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 6 tbsp cold butter, cubed
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- In a bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
- Cut in cold butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Stir in heavy cream and vanilla until just combined.
- On a floured surface, gently knead dough 3-4 times until it holds together.
- Pat into a 1-inch thick round. Cut out biscuits and place on baking sheet.
- Bake 12-15 minutes until golden brown.
Whipped Cream
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Whip cream to soft peaks, then add sugar and vanilla.
- Whip until stiff peaks form.
Assemble Shortcakes
- Split warm biscuits in half horizontally.
- Place bottom half on plate, top with whipped cream, strawberries, then biscuit top.
- Garnish with more strawberries.
This basic recipe can be customized with different biscuit shapes, fruit toppings, and mix-in ingredients like lemon zest. Enjoy your homemade Costco-style strawberry shortcake!
Conclusion
In summary, while Costco does not bake their strawberry shortcakes completely in-house from scratch, they do make high quality desserts by assembling pre-made bases with real whipped cream and fresh strawberry toppings. The shortcakes offer solid value for the price point compared to other retailers. Customers have shared both favorable and critical reviews on the taste, but overall Costco’s strawberry shortcakes remain a popular seasonal treat for shoppers with a sweet tooth. Those wanting more control over ingredients and texture can recreate the experience at home by making their own shortcake biscuits combined with fresh berries and whipped cream.