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This Strawberry Shortcake Cake is an easy twist on the classic with layers of moist vanilla cake, juicy strawberries, and fluffy whipped cream. The perfect way to enjoy fresh summer strawberries!
This post is sponsored by Challenge Butter, but all opinions are my own.
The Best Strawberry Shortcake Cake
There’s nothing quite like summer strawberries. They are so juicy and flavorful. I don’t know about you, but for me, biting into a sweet, ripe strawberry never fails to put a smile on my face. Putting this delightful fruit center stage in a delicious dessert just makes sense. This shortcake cake does it right.
This strawberry shortcake cake takes the classic dessert made of biscuits, strawberries, and whipped cream and turns it into a beautiful layered cake that’s perfect for summer gatherings. It’s even better, though, because you don’t have to worry about making individual biscuits. It’s made up of three main elements:
- Vanilla cake – This vanilla cake is light and moist with a great vanilla flavor. It uses equal amounts of butter and vegetable oil to give you a cake with a great buttery flavor and moisture that lasts for several days.
- Strawberries – Combined with a little sugar, they make up the “sauce” that is drizzled over the cake layers.
- Homemade whipped cream – You’re going to want to use a stabilized whipped cream, so that you’re cake doesn’t fall apart. I use powdered sugar to stabilize it and it will stay in place for weeks on end. Your cake won’t last long enough to see that, but with the powdered sugar added to your whipped cream, it will definitely make it stay put.
Looking for ways to enjoy strawberry shortcake? Try this classic strawberry shortcake recipe with biscuits made from scratch! Or, check out this easy strawberry shortcake trifle.
Why You’ll Love This Strawberry Cake Recipe
I love this simple, elegant cake for many reasons but here come some of my favorite things about it.
- Beautifully simple. This recipe is made up of 3 delicious, simple components none of which overwhelm each other. The vanilla cake, the whipped cream, and the sweet strawberries all shine in their own right
- Easier than the original. This layered dessert is just as good as classic strawberry shortcake but much easier to throw together. Instead of baking and filling a multitude of individual biscuits, you only have to bake 3 cake layers and stack them with macerated strawberries and whipped cream.
- It won’t weigh you down. This cake is anything but heavy. The vanilla cake and the whipped cream are both fluffy and light and the strawberries are so fresh and bright. It’s the perfect dessert for warmer summer months.
What You’ll Need
Here’s a list of ingredients you’ll need. Have a look at the recipe card below for exact measurements.
Cake Layers
- All-purpose flour – You can use a 1:1 gluten-free flour instead if you’d like.
- Baking powder – For the perfect rise and texture.
- Salt – Salt brings out the flavor of the cake. Don’t leave it out.
- Unsalted butter – The butter should be at room temperature otherwise it will not cream properly with the oil, sugar, and vanilla, giving you a dense cake. Challenge butter is my favorite. It’s so creamy and made from the freshest milk. It goes from farm to fridge in just two days. Plus, there aren’t any growth hormones, artificial preservatives, fillers, or dyes. Give it a try.
- Vegetable oil – The addition of vegetable oil here makes the cake perfectly moist.
- Sugar – For moisture and great texture.
- Vanilla extract – For flavor.
- Eggs – Eggs have many functions in a cake, including adding structure and moisture.
- Milk – I like using whole milk or 2%.
Strawberries
- Fresh strawberries – The strawberries play the starring role in this dessert, so choose wisely. Pick small, bright red berries that smell sweet.
- Sugar – The sugar will draw moisture out of the berries, creating the “sauce”.
Whipped Cream
- Heavy whipping cream – The heavy whipping cream should be cold. Otherwise, it will not whip up or hold volume as effectively. No one wants a flat whipped cream.
- Powdered sugar – The powdered sugar helps not only to sweeten the whipped cream but also to stabilize it, keeping your dessert from collapsing.
- Vanilla extract – For flavor.
How to Make a Strawberry Shortcake Cake
This cake is simple to put together with just 3 components. Here’s how to do it. Please refer to the recipe card below for more detailed instructions.
To make the cakes
- Prep. Line the bottom of three 9-inch cake pans with parchment paper circles and grease the sides. Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Combine the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Cream. Beat the butter, oil, sugar, and vanilla extract until light in color and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition.
- Put it all together. Add half of the dry ingredients to the batter. Mix to combine. Slowly add the milk. Mix to combine. Add the remaining dry ingredients. Mix to combine.
- Bake. Divide the batter evenly between the cake pans. Bake for 18-20 minutes.
- Cool. Cool the cakes in their pans for 2-3 minutes before turning them out onto cooling racks to cool completely.
For the strawberries
- Prepare the strawberries. Wash, stem, and slice the strawberries.
- Toss the strawberries together with the sugar.
- Chill the sugar-coated strawberries in the fridge for at least 1-2 hours.
Whipped cream and assembly
- Whip the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract on high speed until medium to stiff peaks form.
- Assemble. Place the first cake layer on a cake plate. Add a layer of whipped cream. Add half of the strawberries on top. Repeat with the second cake layer and top the strawberries with the final cake layer.
- Decorate the top of the cake with whipped cream swirls and fresh strawberries. Drizzle any leftover juices from the strawberries on top of the cake or over individual slices.
- Refrigerate the cake until ready to serve.
Tips for Success
This cake is simple to make, but there are still a few things to keep in mind. Just follow these tips and tricks and you’ll be on your way.
- Room temperature butter. Be sure to start with room-temperature butter. It will not cream properly with the oil, sugar, and vanilla if it is too cold or melted.
- Don’t skimp on the cream time. Be sure to cream the butter, oil, and sugar together for the full amount of time prescribed in the recipe. This will add air to the cake which will help it rise.
- Don’t over-mix. When combining the wet and dry ingredients for the cake batter, it is important not to over-mix. Over-mixing will cause the glutens in the flour to over-develop, leaving you with a dense, tough cake.
- Pick good strawberries and plenty of them. This is strawberry shortcake after all. You wouldn’t want to use mediocre fruits as the star ingredient, now would you? Aim for small, bright red strawberries that smell sweet. And grab a few more than you think you need. It’s always good to have some extras to garnish.
- Don’t skip the chill. After coating the strawberries in sugar, let them sit in the refrigerator for at least 1-2 hours. The sugar will draw the juices out of the strawberries, making a sweet, flavorful syrup that really takes this cake to the next level. The longer they sit, the more juice they release.
- Use the powdered sugar. The powdered sugar stabilizes the whipped cream, so that it doesn’t wilt. It will stay put for days and days.
- Enjoy fresh. Feel free to make the cakes ahead of time but I would wait to make the strawberries and whipped cream and assemble the cake until you are ready to slice and serve.
How to Store Leftovers
While this dessert is by far best served fresh, you can store leftovers to enjoy later. Just note that the strawberries will get mushy over time. The best way to store it is to seal the cake in an airtight cake carrier. If you don’t have a cake carrier, wrap the cake in a double layer of plastic wrap. Use toothpicks to prop the plastic away from the whipped cream. Store the cake in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
How To Make This Cake Ahead
One great way to preserve the freshness of this cake (if you don’t plan on eating it right away) is to make the cake layers beforehand and wait to assemble the cake until you are ready to serve. Store the cooled, baked cakes in an air-tight cake carrier or wrapped in a double layer of plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 1 day or in the freezer for up to 3 months. The strawberries need an hour or two in the fridge, but I wouldn’t let them sit much longer than that, as they release more juices as they sit and can start to get mushy. When you are ready to serve, make the whipped cream and assemble the cake. Thaw the cakes in the refrigerator first, if applicable.
More Easy Strawberry Dessert Recipes
- Classic Strawberry Shortcake
- Strawberry Shortcake Trifle
- Strawberry Shortcake Popsicles
- Strawberry Shortcake Cheesecake
- Strawberries and Cream Cupcakes
- Strawberry Whipped Cream
Strawberry Shortcake Cake
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 14
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
This Strawberry Shortcake Cake is an easy twist on the classic dessert with layers of moist vanilla cake, juicy strawberries and fluffy whipped cream!
Ingredients
Cake Layers
- 2 1/2 cups (325g) all-purpose flour (measured properly)
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup (112g) unsalted Challenge butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 cups (310g) sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs
- 1 1/4 cups (300ml) milk
Strawberries
- 1 pound fresh strawberries
- 3 tbsp (39g) sugar
Whipped Cream
- 2 1/2 cups (600ml) heavy whipping cream, cold
- 1 1/4 cups (144g) powdered sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
To make the cakes
- Prepare three 9 inch cake pans with parchment paper circles in the bottom and grease the sides. Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C).
- Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
- Add the butter, oil, sugar and vanilla extract to and large mixer bowl and beat together until light in color and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Do not skimp on the creaming time. You should visibly see a change in color and texture.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until mostly combined after each. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated.
- Add half of the dry ingredients to the batter and mix until mostly combined.
- Slowly add the milk and mix until well combined.
- Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until well combined and smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated. Do not over mix the batter.
- Divide the batter evenly between the cakes pans and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs.
- Remove the cakes from the oven and allow to cool for about 2-3 minutes, then remove to cooling racks to cool completely.
For the strawberries
- Wash the strawberries, cut the stems off, and slice them.
- Add the sliced strawberries and sugar to a large bowl and toss together. Set in the fridge for at least 1-2 hours to let the sugar bring out the juices from the berries. The longer it sits, the more juices you’ll have.
Whipped cream and assembly
- Add the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract to a large mixer bowl and whip on high speed until medium to stiff peaks form.
- Place the first cake layer on a cake plate or other serving platter. Add a layer of whipped cream. I used Ateco tip 808 to pipe dallops around the outer edge of the cake, then filled it in. You could also just spread a layer of whipped cream.
- Add about half of the strawberries on top of the whipped cream.
- Add the second layer of cake, another layer of whipped cream and another layer of strawberries.
- Add the final layer of cake, then finish it off with some whipped cream swirls and fresh strawberries. If you have any leftover juices from the sliced strawberries, you could also drizzle that on top or serve it with the cake slices.
- Refrigerate the cake until ready to serve. The cake layers and strawberries can be made up to a day ahead, but the cake is best if layered together the day it’ll be served.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 529
- Sugar: 37 g
- Sodium: 45 mg
- Fat: 32.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 55.9 g
- Protein: 6.3 g
- Cholesterol: 120.8 mg
This recipe had a great flavor but mine came out dense for some reason. Any suggestions?
It’s hard to say from afar. Be sure you fully creamed the butter and sugar mixture, didn’t over mix after adding the dry ingredients and that your baking powder was still good.
This recipe is great but I did have one problem, I separated my batter into two 9in pans and they were pretty flat and not that tall would you know why?
Because this cake is meant to be an 8 inch, when you divide it into larger pans, they won’t be as tall. I would probably do one and a half recipes worth for a 9 inch cake or possibly double it, depending on how tall you want it to be.
I’m currently baking this recipe. Very easy to make! However, I separated mine into three 6in cake pans and I’m at 35min and still baking with 1 cake out before the other 2 (I just baked a 6in 3 layer cake last wk that baked evenly so unsure what happened). They only seem to need 5min more. Other than that, I think this will be a hit! Using stabilized cool whip to save time but def saving this recipe!
I’m glad you’re happy with it overall. If one layer finished baking before the others, but they all baked properly, it sounds like you just filled one a little less than the others or perhaps your oven has one area that’s hotter than the other.
Yes, I def feel like both of those things are accurate for me. I just had to come back and say this cake tastes AHMAAAAAZING. The cake scraps didn’t stand a chance! Lol
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Love this recipe! I’m a new baker (this was my first baked item); although I made a mess it was delicious. I’m hosting a large gathering and see that people have made this into cupcakes and also have made in a 9×13 pan. Questions (apologize…want to learn!). If cupcakes, do you flatten the tops and put the strawberries on and then the whipped cream? 9x 13 pan makes one layer and then add the cream and strawberries? Thank you so much
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! As for cupcakes and 9×13 cakes, I’m not really sure exactly how people h ave gone about it. You really could really do it any way you want to. You could divide the 9×13 cake in half and then fill it. For cupcakes, you could try to layer them, or cut out the cupcake core and fill them. Lots of options depending on how you’d like to serve them.
This was a crowd fav. I think I put too much whipped cream though. The berries didn’t soak into cake. My first time using a pastry bag. I got better. I will definitely make it again. I took a picture but can’t find where to add it. Thanks for inspiring me to bake
I’m so glad it was a hit!
Good morning! Do you know if I could sub buttermilk instead of milk? That’s what I have on hand from another cake I just made. Am excited to try this recipe!!
That should be fine. I hope you enjoy it!
I’m always searching for new recipes, and I found this one. I’ve had issues in the past with my desserts being too dry, but this one was a family favorite!
Awesome! I’m so glad it was a hit!
Can I use cake flour instead of all purpose flour?
I’m sure it would be fine. I just personally prefer all purpose and haven’t ever tested cake flour in this.
Can I cover this cake in buttercream? Or will it be too heavy?
That would be fine. It would be heavier, but not necessarily bad.
The flavor and texture was amazing! My family loved it!
So glad to hear that!
This is a great recipe. I was trying to find a shortcake recipe that wasn’t a biscuit. This one fit the bill. I didn’t use it for a full sized cake though. I have a lot of littles, so it’s easier to do this as muffins. It worked beautifully and they were a big hit.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Can you use boxed vanilla cake mix instead of from scratch?
Sure.
This is a favorite for birthdays in my family! Love, love! Can this be made in a 9×13 pan?
So glad to hear that! It should be fine in a 9×13, I’d just reduce the oven temperature to 325.
Hi. This looks delicious, but wondering if I need to adjust the temp or baking time if only using two 9 inch pans? Thank you
You don’t need to adjust the temp. Baking time should be similar, just maybe a few more minutes.
I tried doing half on this recipe in cupcake forms, and they turned out PERFECTLY!! suuppeerr fluffy, subtle taste with the batter and with the strawberries? Delicious!!
So glad you enjoyed them!
Hi! I attempted this recipe for my family, but for some reason it came out dense and crepe-like. I have no idea why, since I followed the recipe exactly and made sure not to over-mix the batter. Other than that, it was delicious, and everyone seemed to enjoy it even though it wasn’t very cake-like.
It sounds like it didn’t rise properly. I’d check and make sure your baking powder is still good. Also be sure you are properly creaming the butter and sugar and not over mixing the batter after adding the dry ingredients.
I want to make this cake using 4 cake pans (8 inches). Want a nice tall cake. How would you adjust the recipe? I was thinking of making an extra 1/2 batch. Would I also need to adjust the temperature and the bake time?
It depends on how tall you want it to be, but I’d think an extra 1/2 batch would work. The temperature should be the same, but you may need to adjust the bake time.
I hadn’t made a strawberry shortcake before but we had a bunch of strawberries that were about to go off so I decided to try it and I used your recipe. It came out perfectly and tasted wonderful! I’m looking forward to using more of your recipes.
So glad you enjoyed it!