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Strawberry Shortcake Cake

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A tender vanilla cake filled with layers of whipped cream frosting and juicy strawberries. The classic flavors of strawberry shortcake in a layer cake.

Three layer strawberry 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:

Three layer Strawberry Shortcake Cake on a white plate.

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.

Bowl of whipped cream with layers of cake and strawberries in the background.

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).

Sliced strawberries and whipped cream on vanilla cake.

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.

Strawberry Layer Cake topped with strawberries.

Slice of Strawberry Shortcake Cake

**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

Three layers of cake filled with whipped cream and strawberries on a glass plate.

Strawberry Shortcake Cake

Vanilla cake filled with layers of whipped cream frosting and juicy strawberries. The classic flavors of strawberry shortcake in a rustic and elegant layer cake. 
4.87 from 369 votes
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Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American, Dessert
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 12
Calories: 585kcal
Author: Allison - Celebrating Sweets

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

**CAKE PANS: Using three cake pans produces cake layers that are on the thinner side (my preference for filling and stacking). If you'd prefer the cake layers thicker, or you do not have three 8-inch round cake pans, you can divide the batter between two 8-inch cake pans. Increase the bake time to  22-27 minutes.  
EGGS AND MILK: To quickly bring eggs and milk to room temperature place the four eggs in a bowl of really warm tap water for about 5 minutes. Microwave the milk to take the chill off, about 15 seconds. 
FROSTING: This frosting is stabilized with cream cheese, so it tastes like a cheesecake whipped cream. If you don’t want the flavor of cream cheese you can use 8-oz of mascarpone cheese instead. Just be aware that the frosting will be softer than if you use cream cheese. Alternatively, you can use vanilla buttercream frosting or freshly whipped cream. Note: the homemade whipped cream will not be as stable, so you’ll want to assemble it right before serving.
STORING: This cake is best served the day it is made. After assembly, refrigerate the cake, then bring to cool room temperature before serving. 
MAKE AHEAD: This cake is best the day it is made. If you have to make it ahead, you can prepare the following one day in advance. Note: do not assemble until the day you are serving. Bake and cool the cake layers and wrap in wax paper and plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator. Prepare the whipped cream frosting and store it in the refrigerator. The frosting may deflate as it sits for an extended time so you might need to re-whip it before assembling. Hold off on tossing the strawberries with jam until you are assembling the cake. Store assembled cake in the refrigerator and bring to cool room temperature before serving. 
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.

Nutrition

Calories: 585kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 23g | Cholesterol: 117mg | Sodium: 228mg | Potassium: 248mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 37g | Vitamin A: 1043IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 125mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.

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Comments

  1. Lisa Rast

    Hi, can I use buttermilk instead of whole milk?

    Reply

    • Allison

      I haven’t tried it, so I can’t say for sure. It shouldn’t negatively affect the consistency of the cake, but it might affect the sweetness.

      Reply

  2. imani

    Can the recipe be used for cupcakes?

    Reply

    • Allison

      I haven’t tried it, but I would assume so. The frosting is a bit less stable than buttercream, so just keep that in mind. Enjoy!

      Reply

  3. Paige

    Hi! I’m wondering about the old recipe because I would like to use that one since people say it was lighter, but it says to use cake flour and a response you left for a person with a question about cake flour said you hadn’t used it before. I just want to be sure I’m using the right kind of flour! Thank you!

    Reply

    • Allison

      Hi, Paige. The old recipe uses cake flour, and I have only made that recipe as written (with cake flour). The new recipe was created without cake flour (because I had so many requests for swaps), so the new recipe uses all purpose flour.

      Old/original recipe is here (if you’re looking for it): https://celebratingsweets.com/wprm_print/11862

      Reply

      • Paige

        Okay, thank you!

      • Janine

        5 stars
        My 17 yr old had a birthday recently, she asked for a cake with strawberries on it. I wanted it to be special… so I came across your recipe and the pic was delicious looking.
        She was very pleased… she especially enjoyed the icing. Like u said, the extra icing was used for the extra strawberries. Thanks for the easy instructions. I think I’ll be making this cake again for the summer!

      • Allison

        I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment.

  4. JAZZHANDS

    Hi, so for the frosting it says to use a hand mixer with a whisk attachment but I only have one with regulat blades (the one that are just 4 bars). Can I still use the same instructions or will the frosting separate if I do?

    Reply

    • Allison

      That will work. It might just take a tiny bit longer. Enjoy!

      Reply

  5. Marina

    Is it possible to bake the cake in one pan and then cut it into three once it cools? If so, what should the baking time change to? Thank you!

    Reply

    • Allison

      I wouldn’t recommend it. The cake will be quite thick and it will likely get dried out because you’ll have to increase the bake time. You could split the batter between two pans and it should be fine (bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean).

      Reply

  6. Sofia

    5 stars
    Hi I made this cake for my grandmas birthday in 2020 and I just want to say everyone loves this cake (I like it I just get headaches from certain thing and I got one from this cause of the almond extract) btw I’m 11 love this recepie will use again for birthdays

    Reply

    • Allison

      I’m glad you enjoyed it! Feel free to leave out the almond extract and add a bit more vanilla. Thanks for taking the time to comment.

      Reply

      • Carmela

        Hi Allison!

        I wonder if I could use lemon extract instead of the almond extract or use all lemon extract replacing both the vanilla & almond extracts?

      • Allison

        Yeah, that should work. I’m not sure on the amounts, you’ll just have to play around with it. Some finely grated lemon zest would be good in the cake batter, too. Enjoy!

  7. Ritika

    Hi there! I wanted to ask, is there a substitute for sour cream? Cause we don’t get sour cream in my country. And your recipe sounds great I definitely give it a try

    Reply

    • Allison

      You can try plain yogurt. Preferably with some fat in it (not non-fat). Enjoy!

      Reply

  8. Mabel

    5 stars
    Everyone loved this recipe, especially the frosting!

    Reply

    • Allison

      I’m so glad! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂

      Reply

      • Chantelle

        Could I use frozen strawberries in this recipe I don’t have access to fresh produce.
        Would they have to be completely thawed and dried off a bit?

      • Allison

        I wouldn’t recommend it, frozen strawberries have a lot of excess water in them. You could skip adding the strawberries into/onto the cake and just spoon the thawed strawberries over each slice when you serve it. I’d also recommend adding strawberry jam in between the layers since there won’t be any fruit inside. Best of luck playing around with it. 🙂

  9. kathy

    Is it okay to refrigerate the cake before eating it? im planning to make this for my moms birthday.

    Reply

    • Allison

      Yes. I store it in the fridge and bring it to room temperature for about an hour before serving.

      Reply

  10. Keri

    I have made this cake 3 years in a row (for my son’s birthday), and it had always turned out so incredibly well… until today… I just knew something was off when I took the cakes out of the oven. This cake was super dense and just doesn’t go well with the cream and strawberries. I couldn’t figure out where I went wrong, until I noticed the statement that the recipe was updated in August 2020… sigh… The original cake was much better and I’ll stick to that one. Your other recipe gets 5 stars from me!

    Reply

    • Allison

      Hi, Keri. Thanks for sharing your experience. The old recipe is available in the recipe card for people who prefer that version. Thanks for stopping by!

      Reply