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!
Audrey
This cake was DELICIOUS! The frosting was amazing and not to mention, putting strawberry jam in the fresh strawberries before you mash them (what a genius idea) The only thing I tweaked on this recipe was the cake. I used Bisquick and made shortbread with that instead of using the sponge cake. But in all, the recipe definitely earns a five rating from me 😊
Allison
Thanks for sharing your experience. Glad you enjoyed it!
Ellie
This cake was amazing, absolutely loved it as did everyone at the party. Easy to make and didn’t have any hard-to-get ingredients.
Allison
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Cezanne Pellett
I made this cake for a baby shower, and every single woman there raved over it. Since we were going to have 20-24 people there, I made a double recipe and used 12″, 10″, and 8″ rounds since I didn’t have three 12″ round pans. The only thing I did differently in the recipe was whipping the extra egg whites to stiff peaks and then folding them in at the end, rather than adding them with the rest of the eggs. The mom-to-be isn’t a big fan of regular butter cake and doesn’t like buttercream frosting very much, and I saw her smile falter a bit when she saw my 3-layer cake covered in white icing. But once she tasted it, she couldn’t get enough of this glorious confection, and neither could anyone else! We ended up with 21 people at the party and the cake plate was practically licked clean by the time the party was over. This is definitely a recipe I am keeping, as my sister and best friend both asked me to make it for their next birthday!
Allison
I’m so glad! Thanks for the kind review. 🙂
Cindy
Can you use frozen strawberries?
Allison
I wouldn’t recommend it.
Zara Okoro
this cake was so good!! i have a question though, how many calories is it, is one piece 585 cals or is that the whole cake?
Allison
One piece. 😉
Teresa
Is it possible to make the frosting at least a day ahead of time? I’m thinking of baking the cake and doing the frosting the day before and then assembling the cake on the day of the party.
Allison
It would probably be ok. I usually make the frosting the day I am assembling the cake.
Sally
Hi Allison,
This was a last minute find for a birthday dessert, as I tried another “cake”, but it didn’t turn out or for me the flavor was off?? Anyway, your recipe for the cake was perfect, easy to follow even though I used 2 9″ pans the cake with filling still made it pretty tall. And impressive for my little group. I also appreciate the filling using cream cheese as a stabilizer, also for extra tang/flavor, came out great. I’ll be using in a fruit trifle!!
Thank you
Allison
You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Bonnie Duarte (Welshgirl)
Honestly, I normally do not leave comments or ratings but I had to for this cake. I made this for my DIL’s 40th birthday yesterday and it was one of the best cakes ever. Everyone totally loved the flavors and appealing visual of the cake. Delicious and a keeper.Thank you for sharing the recipe. This will be made frequently.
Allison
You’re welcome! Thanks for taking the time to share your experience. 🙂
ER
Hi can I use butter instead of oil?
Allison
You can try it. I’ve only made the recipe as written.
Mimi
This cake is delicious but unfortunately the icing was not thick enough. I followed it to a T so not sure what went wrong! The layers kept sliding I had to stabilize it with. But besides that it was super good! I did this for my sons smash cake!