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Strawberry Shortcake Cake

4.85 from 403 votes
Modified: · Published: by · 885 Comments

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. 
4.85 from 403 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 Mattina

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. 
Prefer a 9x13? That recipe is here: Strawberry Shortcake Sheet Cake.
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

    4.85 from 403 votes (188 ratings without comment)

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  1. Kelsey says

    5 stars
    Delicious! Made it without the filling and just used icing and strawberries. Everyone loved it!

    Reply

    • Allison says

      I’m so glad! Thanks for taking the time to comment. 🙂

      Reply

  2. Karen Flynn says

    5 stars
    I’m 12 years old and I have made this recipe before and it was phenomenal. Now, my amazing band teacher is retiring, and I wanted to bake a cake for her just as sweet!

    Reply

    • Allison says

      Yay! I’m so happy to hear that. Enjoy!

      Reply

  3. Lex says

    Hello! I am making this cake for my brothers birthday and was wondering if instead of using whole milk is it fine if I use buttermilk instead?

    Reply

    • Allison says

      Yes, that should be fine. Enjoy!

      Reply

  4. Elizabeth says

    1 star
    I normally make a similar recipe, which calls for gelatin to keep the whipped cream fluffy. I wanted to try something different, so I went with this recipe. Huge mistake. The whipped cream did NOT stay fluffy at, and the cake was a mess 20 minutes after I built it. I’ll be making my tried and true recipe from now on.

    Reply

    • Allison says

      Sorry to hear that! Did you use an electric mixer? Are you sure you whipped the cream enough?

      Reply

  5. Tali says

    5 stars
    It is “first time baking a cake” friendly! Tastes fantastic and I’ll probably be making this cake every single birthday and holiday moving forward

    Reply

    • Allison says

      Yay! I love that! Thanks for stopping by!

      Reply

  6. Diane M. says

    My granddaughter requested a strawberry short cake layer cake for her 16th birthday. I am planning on making this but would like to know if it would be lighter or better with cake flour. I have used this frosting recipe many times and it’s everyone’s favorite. Always great! T. hank you

    Reply

    • Allison says

      Hi, Diane. Yes, it would be lighter if made with cake flour. I wanted sturdy layers since I’m adding fresh fruit and whipped cream, which is why is used all purpose. You can definitely play around with it! I’d probably add an additional tablespoon per cup if using cake flour. Enjoy!

      Reply

  7. Lauren says

    Hello wondering if this can be made using Gluten Free flour?

    Reply

    • Allison Mattina says

      Hi! I haven’t tried it, so I can’t say for sure. I usually recommend a 1:1 gluten free baking blend as a substitute for all purpose flour, if you want to play around with it.

      Reply

  8. Alexis says

    5 stars
    Hi I’ve made this cake before and it’s absolutely amazing. I want to make it for my birthday this year and wanted to frost the sides as well. Do I need to put the cake in the refrigerator before decorating or can I just decorate it after letting it cool on the rack?

    Reply

    • Allison Mattina says

      You don’t need to chill the cake first, room temperature is fine. Have a happy birthday!

      Reply

  9. Joanna says

    Hi! Do you think this cake can be scaled up to feed a crowd? Like a rectangle cake?

    Reply

  10. Clayton Sowell says

    Hello, I’m making this recipe for a baking demo and i am using the recipe but assembling the cake in layers in a mason jar i was wondering how many serving does this recipe usually make and the nutritional facts per serving.

    Reply