A tender vanilla cake filled with layers of whipped cream frosting and juicy strawberries. The classic flavors of strawberry shortcake in a layer cake.
What tastes like a strawberry shortcake, looks like a beautiful layer cake, and is sure to impress anyone and everyone you serve it to?
Answer: STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE CAKE!
If you’ve been around these parts for a while you know that I absolutely love baking with strawberries (I kinda like drinking ’em, too). During spring and summer, there are always strawberries in our kitchen. They are my favorite fruit to bake with, and they go well in so many recipes. Try these, too:
I’ve had a Strawberry Shortcake Cake on my summer “to-bake” list for years. My goal was to come up with a cake that had all the flavors of strawberry shortcake stacked high in a gorgeous layer cake.
My main criteria were that the recipe needed to be fairly easy, completely from scratch, and it needed to taste AMAZING (duh). I fully expected to have to play around with this recipe multiple times until I got it right, but, somehow this came out perfect – just the way I wanted it – on the first try.
Strawberry Shortcake Cake
- Vanilla Cake: I made three layers of a fluffy vanilla cake. The cake layers are light, yet sturdy enough to hold our filling and topping. If you’d prefer a two layer cake, you can bake the cake in two pans, rather than three. Your layers will be slightly thicker than mine.
- Stabilized Whipped Cream Frosting: Strawberry shortcake has to have whipped cream (and not the kind in a can or that questionable whipped topping in a tub). This is the real deal – freshly whipped cream, lightly sweetened with powdered sugar, and flavored with a touch of vanilla. In order to keep our whipped cream firm, I also add cream cheese to it. This stabilizes the cream and helps it hold its shape. You will have enough frosting to frost the sides of your layer cake, if you desire. I like the rustic look of leaving the sides exposed.
- Strawberries: Find the best strawberries you can and toss them with some strawberry jam (this makes them glossy and sweet). Strawberries go in between our cake layers, as well as on top of the cake. You can decorate the top of the cake however you like: I used a combination of diced strawberries and whole strawberries. I used thinly sliced strawberries for layering in between the cake (see below).
What I love about this cake is its versatility. It’s pretty enough to be served at a dinner party, yet casual enough to be part of a summer BBQ. If you know someone with a summer birthday, this cake would be extra pretty studded with candles and served to your loved ones. However/whenever you choose to make it – just make it! Grab those beautiful summer strawberries before they are gone.
- More STRAWBERRY RECIPES:
- Strawberry Cupcakes
- Warm Strawberry Crumb Cake
- Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie
- Strawberry Orange Margaritas
- Strawberry Jam
- Strawberry Crisp
**RECIPE UPDATED AUGUST 2020 – After receiving mixed reviews on the cake itself I have changed the cake portion of this recipe. Originally I used a “hot milk sponge cake”, which is a bit fussy. I have updated the recipe with a more traditional (almost foolproof) vanilla cake. If you’d prefer the previous recipe you can access that here.
Recipe
Strawberry Shortcake Cake
Ingredients
Cake:
- 2½ cups all purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1¾ cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup vegetable or canola oil
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
- 2½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract , optional, but highly recommended
- ⅔ cup sour cream
- ¾ cup milk , preferably whole or 2%, room temperature
Filling:
- 3 cups sliced or diced fresh strawberries , divided
- 2 tablespoons strawberry jam
- additional whole strawberries , for garnish, optional
Frosting:
- 8 ounces cream cheese , softened to cool room temp
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2¼ cups heavy whipping cream , really cold, straight from the fridge
Instructions
Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt until combined. Set aside.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (preferred) or a hand mixer, beat sugar, oil, eggs, egg whites, and extracts until combined. Add the sour cream and beat until combined. Add half of the flour mixture, beating until just combined. While still beating, slowly add milk, then the remaining flour mixture. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Be careful not to overmix it.
- Line three 8-inch cake pans** with parchment paper and grease the pans. Evenly divide the batter between the three pans. Tap/gently drop the pans on the countertop a couple times to remove any air bubbles.
- Bake for 18-22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If necessary, rotate the pans once during bake time to ensure even browning. Place the pans on a rack to cool completely.
Filling:
- Combine the strawberries and jam and set aside (these will be used for the filling and topping). Note: I slice the strawberries for the filling (about 2½ cups), and I diced the strawberries for the top of the cake (about ½ cup). You can slice or dice, your choice. You'll need about 3 cups total.
Frosting:
- Place the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl. Using a stand mixer with a whisk attachment (preferred) or hand mixer, beat the mixture on medium speed until smooth. While the mixer is still whipping, slowly pour the heavy cream down the side of the bowl. Stop and scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl periodically. Increase the speed to high and continue whipping until the cream can hold a stiff peak. It is important that the cream stays cold so that it will thicken properly. If you're using a hand mixer hold the bowl near the top and don't hold the bowl against your body.
Assembly:
- Place one layer of cake on a platter. Top with one-third of the frosting, then top with about 1¼ cups of strawberries. Place another layer of cake on top and repeat. For the third/top of layer of cake, top with remaining whipped cream frosting, then place the remaining strawberries in the center. Decorate the outside with whole strawberries, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!
Saamiyah says
Hi!!
Is there anything I can substitute the sour cream for ?
Allison Mattina says
Hi! You can use plain whole milk or low-fat yogurt.
Shannon says
my mom has allergies and i want to make this for her birthday, am i able to use allergen free flour instead or does it have to be regular?
Allison Mattina says
Hi, Shannon. I have not tried it with this recipe, but I usually have luck substituting a 1:1 gluten free baking flour for all purpose flour.
Melori says
Delicious! I made this for my son’s birthday. The cream cheese gives the whipped cream a unique texture that reminds me of marshmallow fluff, yum! I made the original recipe and loved the hot milk cake!
Allison Mattina says
I’m glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing your experience. 🙂
Ethan says
The cakes turned out fine they were fine vanilla cake and the frosting wouldn’t set up no matter how hard I tried. Freezer. Powdered sugar. Cornstarch. Nothing.
Allison Mattina says
Sorry to hear that. You used heavy whipping cream? And it was cold, straight from the fridge?
Elle says
I’m so excited to make this! I have three round 9″ pans. Will three layers still work with 9″ pans instead of 8″ pans? I’m not a very good baker and don’t trust myself! 🙂
Allison Mattina says
Hi, Elle. I would make two layers with the 9-inch pans. You’ll likely need to increase the bake time by a few minutes.
Abi says
Stunning and delicious! Stabilized the whipped cream with cream of tartar, and I didn’t use the jam — the cake was sweet enough without it. The one minor issue was that the tall cake did lean juuuuuust slightly, even though the cake layers were flat. Task for next time: Getting this thing to sit straight.
Allison Mattina says
Thanks for sharing your experience. I’m glad you enjoyed it! You can try placing a wooden skewer through the center of the cake after assembling, since the layers can get a bit slippery with the strawberries in between. Just remove it before serving.
Berita Allen says
The cake was delicious but how do you keep the strawberries so neat looking without the juice running down the cake or is that ok.
Allison Mattina says
Hi! That just happens sometimes. I consider myself lucky that my strawberries are so juicy. Haha! Here’s a picture I took when I made this recipe recently, you can see that my strawberries were extra juicy. 🙂
Victoria J Livingston says
My 14-year-old granddaughter found your recipe and did most of the work making it. We both think it’s delicious! We prefer the delicious cake to shortcake biscuits, and the whipped Icing, incorporating cream cheese, is heavenly! This recipe is definitely a keeper!
Allison Mattina says
Thank you for the kind review. I love that your granddaughter is baking. That’s amazing! Thanks for stopping by.
Connie says
Can you make just the cake a couple of weeks in advance and freeze it until ready?
Allison Mattina says
Just the cake portion? Yes, that should be fine.
Helen Akinc says
Really excellent recipe. Made for a friend’s birthday today and everyone loved it! I want to try this with peaches too.
Allison Mattina says
Good idea! That sounds great. I’m glad you enjoyed it!