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!
K
This recipe is absolutely wonderful! I am a new baker (thanks to the extra time on my hands from social isolation) and this recipe was so easy to follow! I didn’t feel like I was baking for hours on end and the final product turned out great. Not to mention how delicious it was… Thank you for such a great recipe that has put a smile on my family members’ faces during this difficult time.
Celebrating Sweets
I’m so glad that you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to comment. 🙂
Rebecca
Do you think you can make the cake part ahead and freeze ?
Celebrating Sweets
Yes, that should be fine. If you freeze the cake layers until they firm up before wrapping them it should keep them from sticking.
Christina Smith
I made this cake again but I altered it a little. I added the zest of a lemon and the juice. I made lemon curd and I put it between the layers with the whip cream. I also put blueberries between the layers and on top. Thank you for sharing this recipe. This will be my go to cake when I want to add fruit to it.
Danielle
Great cake! Started and finished it while my child was napping. Don’t skip on the ~5 minutes of beating the egg and sugar. I will be letting it beat longer next time, but still an awesome cake.
I made 2x 9” circular cakes since those were the pans I had and it was the perfect amount of batter for those as well.
Celebrating Sweets
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Barbara V
I did not like the cake. It was way too sweet even if you don’t sweeten your cream or berries. Just too sweet
Alyssa
My cake ended up sticky out of the oven, I cooked it an extra 5 minutes and it still seems sticky.
Celebrating Sweets
Perhaps your oven runs on the cooler side and it needed a bit more time. Also, if you live in a humid climate that might be a factor as well.
melissa
can i use all-purpose flour instead of cake flour?
Celebrating Sweets
Yes, but the cake won’t be as light and fluffy. Enjoy!
Patricia
Hi.
Can I bake the cake the night before then refrigerate them and add the frosting and strawberries the next day?
Celebrating Sweets
That should be fine. I would cover the cake with parchment/wax paper in addition to plastic wrap so that they don’t stick.
Marsha
Made this cake but did a lemon curd and strawberry filling with Russian buttercream! It was amazing! The crumb of this cake was out of this world! Would love to use the same cake recipe for cupcakes, any suggestions??
Celebrating Sweets
That sounds delicious!
I have not tried making it into cupcakes. If you try, I would suggest filling each cup 2/3 to 3/4 full. Start checking them around 12 minutes, then every few minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Make sure you grease the muffins cups really well.
Thanks for stopping by.
Dana Bridges
I have made this cake twice and each time I get rave reviews everybody loves it! From the way it tastes and the way it looks you did a wonderful job with this recipe we love it!
Celebrating Sweets
I’m so glad that you enjoyed it. Thanks for taking the time to comment.