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!
Rany
I have made this cake 4 times. The very first time came out soft and moist, every time after that that cake came out a bit hard. It still tastes good, especially the frosting. what should i do to make the cake soft and moist?
Celebrating Sweets
Are you using CAKE flour everytime? And whole or 2% milk? If so, then the dryness might be coming from overbaking. Trying baking them a couple minutes less. I check with a toothpick, and if it’s not quite done, I stand near the oven and check it every minute or so until it is. Also, I typically store this cake in the fridge, to keep the frosting stable, but if it is in the fridge too long (or not well covered) it can definitely dry out. I always make it the day I’m serving it, usually only a few hours before. I hope that helps. Thanks for stopping by! -Allison
Christine
Can you make the icing a day in advance?
Celebrating Sweets
Hi, Christine. You should be able to. You’ll probably need to re-whip it right before using it because it will deflate slightly. Enjoy!
Eneyda Jimenez
Can you use all purpose flour?
Celebrating Sweets
You can, but the cake will come out more dense, and less light and fluffy.
Beverly
I haven’t made this recipe yet (but I’m excited to try!), but I’ve always use AP flour when making cakes in general. But I “make” my own cake flour with it. For each 1 cup AP flour, take out 2 tablespoons, then replace it with 2 tablespoons cornstarch.
Celebrating Sweets
Great suggestion, Beverly! That should work for this recipe.
Wanda
I have a friend who is requesting this cake for his birthday this week. Problem is he won’t be able to eat the whole came in one sitting….can this be assembled and then stored for ad long as he needs (days) or would it be best to bake the cake and give him the components so he can fix it fresh when he wants a piece. I am just concerned about the whip cream frosting holding up if completely assembled. Thanks!
Celebrating Sweets
This cake is definitely best within 2 days of being made. I would suggest giving him the components, although the components will all still taste best within the first couple days, after that the cake will begin to dry out, and the frosting will start to thin out. Unfortunately, that’s the downside of baking without preservatives. I hope it works out.
crazycakes101
From previous experience, using a lot of eggs seemed to make the cake eggy.
Is there a guarantee that the cake wont come out eggy?
Celebrating Sweets
I can’t guarantee that, since everyone’s tastes are different. I would definitely not label this an eggy cake, I’ve made it several times and never noticed that it tasted more eggy than any other vanilla cake. Just make sure you don’t use larger eggs than what is recommended.
Jennifer
Hello can I make the cakes the night before and place the layers in the refrigerator and frost them next day?
Celebrating Sweets
Yes. Make sure they are tightly covered so they don’t dry out. Enjoy!
Selah
Hey, I baked the cake, but the center was gooey. I did a few more minutes, but it still didn’t work. Any suggestions on how to fix it or what was wrong?
Celebrating Sweets
Did you use THREE 8-inch pans? If you tried to squeeze the batter into two pans, it may have been too thick and that’s why the center was taking so long to cook through. Also, did you use whole or 2% milk, not skim or a dairy milk substitute (which could be more watery)? And you used 2 cups of CAKE flour?
Stephany
Were the in the cake part room temp or straight out the refrigerator?
Celebrating Sweets
You are about to assemble the cake? If so, you can assemble it with the cake layers still chilled from the fridge. It will be easier to handle the cake layers if they’re chilled.
Wil
Hi…. you mentioned tweaks to make layers thicker, what are they?
Celebrating Sweets
I increased the ingredients by about one-third in order to have more batter.
Katie
Hi! This cake looks perfect for Valentine’s Day!
If I assemble the cake the night before and serve it in the morning, will the whipped cream hold or will it seep into the cake layers causing the structure to loose its height? (I really don’t want to get up early to assemble it if I don’t have to–busy mom = tired mom)
Celebrating Sweets
Hi, Katie. I think it should be fine, if it is only sitting overnight. There is a chance that the whipped cream might deflate a bit, but as long as it is well whipped, it should hold up for the most part. If you are worried about it and looking for an absolutely perfect presentation, the other option would be to assemble all the components the night before (cake, frosting and berries), store them separately, then assemble them in the morning. In that scenario you might still need to whisk the frosting a bit to thicken it. I hope your family loves it! Happy Valentine’s Day! -Allison