The word “Shortcake” is derived from an old English cooking definition which refers to something made crisp with the addition of fat. A shortcake is a crisp, crumbly biscuit made with butter. The traditional Canadian Strawberry Shortcake is always made with a butter-rich slightly sweetened biscuit often with heavy cream replacing the typical buttermilk to increase the crumbly crisp richness of the biscuit.