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!
Parul Kapur Hinzen says
Can I use butter instead of oil to make the cake? I think butter tastes much more delicious generally. Would I use the same amount?
Allison says
I prefer oil for this recipe because it helps keep the cake moist and soft. If you want to try butter you can, but I’m not sure how it will come out. I’d use the same amount as oil. Enjoy!
Teri says
Hi there. Did you end up using the butter? How did it turn out?
Korbey says
Made this for my baby’s “Berry first Birthday” party. It was a hit and really easy to make… not to mention beautiful!
Thanks for the delicious recipe.
Allison says
You’re very welcome! Happy birthday to your little one. 🙂
Grace says
Can i make these as cupcakes and if so what do you recommend for bake time?
Allison says
The cupcake version of this recipe is here: Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes
Enjoy!
Shelley says
Can I make everything a day ahead and assemble the day of?
Allison says
Yes. The frosting needs to be refrigerated, if it loses some volume you can re-whip it briefly before assembling.
NormaM says
Made this cake yesterday for my husband’s birthday. It was delicious and pretty easy to make. Everyone loved it and it was pretty impressive looking! Will definitely be making again!
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Allison says
Thanks for the kind review. I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Krista says
Help! I overwhipped the frosting!! How can I fix it???
Allison says
You can try adding a little bit more heavy cream, folding it in with a rubber/silicone spatula.
Nancy says
The cake was delicious. Next time I will make it two layers and omit the cream cheese from the frosting. I prefer plain whipped cream frosting. Three layers is too big! I only have 9 inch cake pans so I made two recipes. The cake was humongous and difficult to slice!
Allison says
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Yes, if you doubled the recipe it would definitely be very large. Also, in the notes section of the recipe card there are tips for changing the frosting and omitting the cream cheese. Thanks for stopping by!
Allyson says
Maybe I’m just missing it and will feel silly for asking, but there’s a strawberry filling made with strawberry jam…do we make the jam ourselves? Do we buy jam ready made? And I’m also missing where/how the jam filling gets used? Is it directly on top of the cake layer to stick the strawberries to and then the whipped cream goes over that? Sorry! Thanks.
Allison says
Hi, Allyson. I use store bought jam, but feel free to use homemade if you’d prefer. It is used in step #1 under “filling”. Enjoy!
Claire Grace says
Yummy! Made this cake with the mascarpone instead of the cream cheese and my mom broke keto to eat the frosting, it is that good! Rest of the cake was lovely and definitely a cake I would make again.
Allison says
Ha! Yay! I’m glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Norma M. says
Made this cake for my husband’s birthday and it was absolutely fantastic. Fun to make as well. Will definitely be making it again!
Allison says
I’m so glad! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂