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!
Jess
I made this with two layers and used an acetate collar to stack the whipped cream nice and high and place quartered strawberries around the edges. It was delicious and perfect for a hot June birthday. It took more like 34 minutes to cook in two 8 inch layers in my oven. Currently enjoying the (slightly lopsided, deflated) leftovers for breakfast.
Allison
That sounds great! I’m glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Tara
I want to make this for a party tomorrow. I want to be sure I can make it tonight and store in the fridge. Then I’ll be serving it late the next afternoon.
Allison
I recommend assembling it the day you are serving it.
Autumn
I made this yesterday for MIL birthday cake! It was the talk of the party!! So delicious!
Allison
I’m so glad! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Amy
So delicious! Perfect summer dessert. Thank you.
Allison
You’re welcome! 🙂
Barb
Would like to use cupcake tins to make individual how long to cook please
Allison
That recipe is here: https://celebratingsweets.com/strawberry-shortcake-cupcakes/
Josie
Could I make the cake a few days ahead and freeze, then assemble the day of?
Allison
I would not recommend that.
selena
I made this for a potluck with my friends, and it turned out amazing! I’m not the most experience baker but it was really very simple to make, and the instructions made it even easier to understand! I’m also not the best at processing information and my memory is garbage, so the easy instructions were definitely a positive to have :).
Allison
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Candace
I only used the whip cream filling portion of this recipe and it was phenomenal!!! 10/10 recommend.
Tonia B.
We have a local bakery that makes wonderfully yummy cakes very similar to this one. We only buy cakes there for very special occasions because the cakes are REALLY expensive. Whenever we bring out one of their cakes, everyone says, “Oh, wow! You went to “that” bakery!!” They get really excited because their cakes are that yummy.
Well, let me tell you, this cake recipe makes a cake that is even better than the bakery’s. This cake is AMAZING!! I followed the directions with only two changes. I only had (three) 9 inch pans so I reduced the baking time by a little bit and I used just a whip cream frosting without the cream cheese. Again, let me say, it was AMAZING! Absolutely love the cake’s taste and texture. The whip cream worked fine without the cream cheese or a different stabilizer. I put it together in the morning and kept it in the fridge until the afternoon when we literally devoured it!! Everyone couldn’t stop talking about how yummy it was.
Thank you so much for this recipe. I am about to make it again right now for our family party that’s tomorrow. I have a feeling that this will be my new go to recipe for special occasions when cake is needed.
Allison
Thank you for the kind review! I’m glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Darlene irvine
Love your strawberry cake my sister in law made the best but she has been past away for over ten years and could not find a cake to taste as good as hers but yours is just as good very yummy
Allison
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Darlene. I hope it brought back some happy memories.
Luke
Just wondering, is there a way to stabilize the whipped cream frosting other than with cream cheese? I don’t like any kind of cream cheese frosting.
Allison
You can use a vanilla buttercream frosting.