Strawberry Shortcake Sheet Cake

Slice of strawberry shortcake cake on a white plate.

This homemade dessert is inspired by a classic strawberry shortcake. It features a fluffy vanilla cake topped with whipped cream frosting and lots of syrupy strawberries.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, Dessert

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 20

Total Time 50

Servings

Calories 585kcal

Author Allison - Celebrating Sweets

Ingredients

Cake:

2½ cups all purpose flour*
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
⅔ cup sour cream
¾ cup milk preferably whole or 2%, room temperature

Frosting:

6 ounces cream cheese softened to cool room temp
¾ cup powdered sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ cups chilled heavy whipping cream

Strawberry topping:

5 cups sliced fresh strawberries (just under 2 pounds) see note
2 tablespoons strawberry jam

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.
Grease a 9x13 baking pan. Pour the batter into the pan and spread into an even lay. Tap/gently drop the pan on the countertop a couple times to remove any air bubbles.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If necessary, rotate the pan once during bake time to ensure even browning. Place the pan on a rack to cool completely.

Frosting:

Place the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the mixture on medium speed until smooth. While the mixer is still running, 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.

Assembly:

Spread the frosting onto the cooled cake. If you are serving right away, stir the strawberries with jam and spoon over the top of the cake. If you are not serving right away, place the frosted cake in the refrigerator and wait to add the strawberries until right before serving.

Notes

*TO PROPERLY MEASURE FLOUR: Fluff the flour with your measuring cup, scoop a heaping portion and level it off with the back of a knife.

STRAWBERRIES: Combining strawberries with jam will make the strawberries soft and syrupy over time. If you have really ripe, juicy, sweet strawberries wait until 30 minutes or less before serving to combine the strawberries and jam (you don't want them to break down too much). If you have mediocre strawberries they would likely benefit from sitting in the jam for one to two hours before serving.

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 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 add the frosting right before serving.

STORING: This cake is best served the day it is made. You can make the cake and frosting several hours ahead of time. Once frosted the cake should be stored in the refrigerator. Allow to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving. Add the strawberries just before serving.

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