Strawberry Shortcake Cake

posted by Lindsay on May 6, 2019
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This Strawberry Shortcake Cake is an easy twist on the classic dessert with layers of moist vanilla cake, juicy strawberries and fluffy whipped cream! The perfect dessert for fresh summer strawberries!

Looking for a traditional strawberry shortcake recipe? Try my easy strawberry shortcake recipe with homemade biscuits and whipped cream!

collage of two images - full cake and a slice

Strawberry Shortcake Cake

This post is sponsored by Challenge Butter, but all opinions are my own.

One of the best things about summer is the fresh berries and ever since I was a kid, strawberries have easily been my favorite. Strawberries and cream make the perfect combination and when paired with any kind of cake or biscuit, it’s a great summer treat.

This Strawberry Shortcake Cake takes the classic dessert using biscuits and turns it into a beautiful layered cake that is perfect for a summer potluck or BBQ – or even a strawberry-lover’s birthday. It’s actually an awesome way to enjoy strawberry shortcake because you don’t have to worry about making individual biscuits. Just bake the cake layers and layer with fresh strawberries and cream! Easy peasy!

full strawberry shortcake cake from an overhead angle
slice of cake close up

How to make Strawberry Shortcake Cake

There are three main elements to this cake. The moist vanilla cake, sugared strawberries and homemade whipped cream.

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.

As I’ve mentioned before, a great quality butter goes a long way and I’m a big fan of Challenge Butter. It’s such a creamy butter made from the freshest milk and goes from farm to fridge in just two days. Plus, there aren’t any growth hormones, nor do they use any artificial preservatives, fillers or dyes. You know you’re getting a high quality butter when you get Challenge and it shows in it’s creamy texture.

The butter, oil and sugar are creamed together for several minutes, which adds air to the batter to give the cake it’s light texture. One of my favorite vanilla cakes!

Strawberries

Next are the strawberries. Fresh summer strawberries have the best flavor and I find that the best way to pick them out at the store is to smell them. I hold the package right up to my face. No shame here! Give me my yummy berries! If they don’t smell sweet and yummy, they won’t taste that way either.

challenge butter image
slice of strawberry shortcake cake with full cake in the background

Slice the strawberries and combine them with a little sugar, then let them sit for an hour or so. The sugar brings out the juices from the berries, which goes great drizzled over your cake. If you’re really into the juices, you could add even more sugar and let the strawberries sit a little longer.

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.

Tips for a perfect Strawberry Shortcake Cake

– Be sure to cream the butter, oil and sugar together for the full amount of time. It adds air to the cake that helps it rise when baking.

– Do not over mix the cake batter. It can leave you with a dense, tough cake.

– The more strawberries, the better. Having some extra on hand to garnish cake slices with is never a bad thing.

– This is a cake that’s best when made fresh. The cakes can be baked a day ahead and the strawberries can be prepped ahead too. I’d make the whipped cream just before layering the cake though. Put everything together the day you’ll be serving it so that maintains its fresh look.

This Strawberry Shortcake Cake is what summers are made for! Fresh, light and delicious! You’ll want to make it all summer long!

full strawberry shortcake cakecake with a bite taken out

More Great Strawberry Dessert Recipes

Classic Strawberry Shortcake
Strawberry Shortcake Trifle
Strawberry Shortcake Popsicles
Strawberry Shortcake Cheesecake
Strawberries and Cream Cupcakes
Strawberry Whipped Cream
No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake
Strawberry Layer Cake
Strawberry Cupcakes
Easy Strawberry Cheesecake
Strawberry Ice Cream Cake
Strawberry Cream Pie

Strawberry Shortcake Cake

Picture of a strawberry shortcake cake
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★★★★★

5 from 13 reviews

This Strawberry Shortcake Cake is an easy twist on the classic dessert with layers of moist vanilla cake, juicy strawberries and fluffy whipped cream!

  • Author: Lindsay
  • Prep Time: 1 hour
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
  • Yield: 14 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Cake Layers

  • 2 1/2 cups (325g) all-purpose flour
  • 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup (168g) 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

1. Prepare three 9 inch cake pans with parchment paper circles in the bottom and grease the sides. Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C).
2. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Add half of the dry ingredients to the batter and mix until mostly combined.
6. Slowly add the milk and mix until well combined.
7. 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.
8. Divide the batter evenly between the cakes pans and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs.
9. Remove the cakes from the oven and allow to cool for about 2-3 minutes, then remove to cooling racks to cool completely.
10. To make the strawberries, wash them and cut the stems off, then slice them.
11. 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.
12. When you’re ready to put the cake together, make the whipped cream. 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.
13. To build the cake, 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.
14. Add about half of the strawberries on top of the whipped cream.
15. Add the second layer of cake, another layer of whipped cream and another layer of strawberries.
16. 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.
17. 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.

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Enjoy!



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