Strawberry Shortcake Cake
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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!
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!
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.
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!
Read transcript
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
This Strawberry Shortcake Cake is an easy twist on the classic dessert with layers of moist vanilla cake, juicy strawberries and fluffy whipped cream!
- 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 (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
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.
Keywords: strawberry shortcake cake, strawberry shortcake recipe, strawberry vanilla cake, how to make strawberry shortcake cake, strawberry cake recipe
Enjoy!
This cake looks delicious, Lindsey! I’ll have to try it out this summer! 🙂
I hope you enjoy it!
Heyy the bottom keeps burning 🥵
OMG, this cake looks scrumptious……I’m going to try to make it for Mother’s Day, I guarantee it will be a hit!
★★★★★
Is it ok to put less sugar
You could reduce the sugar but keep in mind that sugar doesn’t just sweeten things. Sugar also adds moisture. So if you were to leave some out, your cake could end up a little more dry.
Wow love,
you are incredible
i made this yesterday and took it to my Gran’s it reminded her of summer holidays in her childhood!
Thanx your twins are gorgeous😍
★★★★★
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks Meilani
I made this and it’s very good and pretty. How can I make the cake a bit more moist? Do I just add more oil?
On another note do you have an email I can write to you to tell you how your recipes and baking have been a Blessing during a very very very difficult time in my life. Your recipes have been my sanity.
You could try replacing a little bit more of the butter with a little bit more oil. I’m glad you enjoyed the cake!
And yes, I’d love to hear from you. lifeloveandsugar@gmail.com
Gorgeous cake and it looks so good!
Hi Lindsay! This cake looks sooo good! Would love to try it this summer. Strawberries are my favourite too 🙂
I only have two 9 inch pans, how should I save the batter while I wait? Any tips or thoughts? 😃
★★★★★
You can just let it sit at room temperature until the other ones are done and then bake it. That should be fine.
Hi Lindsay! Do you think this recipe would work as a sheet cake? I’m thinking of making this for a potluck with around 30 people, thought a round cake may be a bit more difficult to portion out than a sheet cake.
It would work well as a large sheet cake, like a 12 x 18. I find that as a 9 x 13 cake, it gets a little dense.
Can I use cake flour instead of all purpose .?
I haven’t tried it, but I assume it’d be fine.
I just made this cake a couple days ago. And needless to say after 2 days it was completely gone. Now, my family and friends are asking me to make it again. It was a easy recipe to follow. And it came out beautifully. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe. It’s now a regular part of my baking recipes. I luv it😍
★★★★★
Wonderful! I’m so glad to hear it was a hit!
Hi! You are my favorite dessert blogger and people think I’m a professional baker when I make your cakes because your recipes are amazing! Quick question, I’m making this now for Father’s Day and and I noticed that for half a cup of butter you wrote 168g and for oil it was listed as 120g. I am lazy and weigh everything rather than getting out measuring cups/washing them. LOL I am used to both butter and oil being 14g a tablespoon, making half a cup 112g. Could there be a mistake? TIA!
Hi !
Can you make this cake vegan? Looks amazing
Gaby
I don’t really know anything about vegan baking, so I’m not sure. I’m sorry!
I made this recipe for Easter and it was a huge hit, everyone was obsessed with it. I’m going to make it again this weekend and was asked if it was possible for me to make it a chocolate cake instead! If possible, how would you recommend I go about adding in the coco? I’m a beginning baker so I don’t wanna just wing it!
I’m so glad it was a hit! I’d suggest taking a look at this cake and using that for the chocolate layers.
Hi Lindsay, thank you for sharing your recipe. I am thrilled to make this for my husband’s birthday 😊. I would like to ask, what whip cream are you using, is it dairy or non-dairy whip cream? Thanks a lot and keep safe.
I use regular dairy heavy whipping cream.
what a wonderful recipe :)! that looks absolutely delicious! would be great for a summer party. The photos look stunning as well! thank you for sharing with us!
Hi,
Can I substitute the milk with buttermilk?
I haven’t tried it with this cake but it should be fine.
I am going to make this cake tomorrow but I misread that I needed cream to whip and not already whipped whip cream … lol. Will this work and should I add icing sugar to the already whip cream?
Thanks!
Kristy
What kind of whipped cream did you get? If it’s a stable one, like Cool Whip, it’ll be fine. Otherwise, I’m not sure.
This looks amazing! How is this stored and will the whipped cream hold with the powdered sugar and be stabilized?
Can’t wait to make this! 😊
If you make the whipped cream as listed, it holds up very well for days and days. As for storage, an air tight container in the fridge is best.
I am lactose intolerant . Can I use margarine and almond milk
Thanks,
I have never tested either of those things so I’m not sure.
My great nephew requested Strawberry Shortcake for his birthday. I found this recipe by searching on Pinterest. Everyone loved the cake. Even my other great nephew who doesn’t even like whipped cream. I have never made this before. The instructions were very easy to follow.
★★★★★
Awesome! I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it!
The bottom keeps burning
Will this cake hold if it is assembled the day before. I would like to do the whipped cream layers and cover the outside with buttercream, thoughts? The cake looks delicious!
That should be fine.
I made this for my teenage daughters birthday, and our family went crazy over it!!! My mom told me this recipe is definitely a keeper, and I agree!!! Thank you!
★★★★★
Awesome! I’m so glad it was a hit!
Im going to make this for my 18th birthday soon but I just wanted to make sure I get this right. The sugar I put with the strawberries to bring out the juices ,that’s table sugar right? Not powdered sugar?
Yes, regular granulated sugar. Enjoy it and happy birthday!
Thank you!!
Hi there! Was wanting to make this for Easter and was wondering if I should order cake pans or if using cupcake/muffin pans would work? I’m worried about the density, so I could always make them thinner.
This recipe would work fine as cupcakes if you would prefer not to have to order pans.
Hi can I bake the cake day before and assemble next day?
Definitely!
Made this for Easter this year and came out fantastic. I split it up dropped it off at my families’ front door and it was a huge hit. I didn’t have the piping bags so just kind of put on the whip cream with a knife. It made a two layer 8 inch cake for me but the layers were thicker.
I had some butter chunks In the batter but that was baking error in my part and now I know the benefit of creaming the butter generously. Thanks for a great recipe.
★★★★★
This recipe is fabulous! My cake is a bit dense as I missed your tip on how long to beat so will fix that next time. Even so the overall taste is phenomenal. Thanks for the best recipe for my favorite kind of cake.
★★★★★
This was a really great recipe. It was easy to follow and you wrote the steps incredibly well to where I didn’t have to really look anything else up.
I measured all the ingredients by weight in grams. The only change I made was using 3 tablespoons of sugar for the strawberries instead of 4 (I don’t like it too sweet) and I substituted the milk and cream for lactose free. I also didnt have 3 pans so I divided the batter into two pans and baked it for a little longer (about 6-7 extra minutes). Maybe a higher temperature would have worked that way for two pans but the cake turned out delicious and everything melded together well. I am honestly not a fan of cake but this one was REALLY good. Perfect level of sweetness. I wouldn’t change a thing (other than what I did above for my own personal taste and my family being lactose intolerant and me only have 2 pans!) Great recipe. Here’s a pic of how it turned out: https://imgur.com/a/VBnA4We
★★★★★
This looks so good! I am going to be making it for mother’s day, however I would also like to try the batter as cupcakes, do you think this would hold up okay in cupcake form?
Yes, it would be fine as cupcakes.
If made as cupcakes does the time they need to cook for differ?
Yes, I bake the cupcakes for about 15-18 minutes.
I loved this recipe! it’s so simple yet delicious. The cake is so moist and fluffy!
★★★★★
Hi there,
I love in Canada and we don’t have challenge butter. I noticed that the recipe is similar to this one below
https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/moist-vanilla-layer-cake/
Should I still follow the strawberry shortcake butter amounts? I was just wondering what the change in butter amounts did. I was thinking the strawberry shortcake one would be a little more sturdy? Thank you so much in advance!
Hey, I live in Canada. I used this recipe for the cake and just substituted another brand of butter; it worked perfectly!
Thanks so much!
The additional oil in this one makes it a touch more tender.
Thank you so much! This was amazing!! No one eats fruit desserts in our house but the kids gobbled this up!!
★★★★★
Is the heavy cream at room temperature or cold when making the frosting?
★★★★★
It should be cold.
Absolutely delicious!! Never made strawberry shortcake before. So happy I found your recipe!!
I will be making this again!! Thank you so much for sharing!!
I plan to cook the cake for my son’s birthday this Friday but I only have three pan 10,8 and 6 inch. Can I try it in those And still get a good cake or use just the 8 inch one and wait until each Layer is baked?
Thanks a lot!
I might just use the 8 inch one and wait for each layer.
I made this cake, and it was delicious! I love the texture of the cake layers. This was my first time making strawberry shortcake and it was simple to follow, and came out better than I could have expected. Thank you so much for this recipe. I have a sweet tooth so I decided to add homemade strawberry topping into the layers. I would definitely recommend this recipe to others.
★★★★★
Hi Lindsay, I was wondering what type of milk you used. Was it whole milk or 2 percent? I am planning on making this for Mother’s day, great recipe! Thanks Lindsay!
I typically use 2%
I made this recipe for Easter and it was a huge hit, everyone was obsessed with it. I’m going to make it again this weekend and was asked if it was possible for me to make it a chocolate cake instead! If possible, how would you recommend I go about adding in the coco? I’m a beginning baker so I don’t wanna just wing it
loved the cake, i just found the cake to be a tad dense. is that how its supposed to be ? everything else was phenomenal.
★★★★
Hi there! I so love all your recipes but I for some reason every time make the your vanilla raspberry cake with the reverse creaming method) or this cake – I follow the recipes exactly and immediately they shrink in on the sides and kind of shrivel up. They still taste wonderful but they fail me more than they are a success looks wise. Do you have any idea why this is happening?
★★★★★
I made this recipe and its so good! But instead of oil, I used melted butter and it still turned out great!! This is my go to recipe now.
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed it!
This is a great summer dessert! The vanilla cake is absolutely delicious. I made it as our Fourth of July dessert, so I added some blueberries. I only made two layers – the extra batter made 8 cupcakes, which I froze.
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed it!
Gorgeous cake. Made this for my daughter’s 17th birthday today. It was so delicious. Thank you!
★★★★★
Glad you enjoyed it!
Can this be made 2days ahead and then assembled day of?
I’d personally make it one day ahead so it’s fresher, but you could do 2. I’d make the whipped cream fresh though.
Hi can you use vegetable shortening instead of veg oil ?
★★★★★
I supposed you could. You could also use additional butter. I think the oil adds better moisture though.
This cake was amazing! My husband wanted strawberry shortcake for his Birthday. I was nervous as i had never made this before! The recipe, directions and hints were perfect! It came out wonderful and my husband and family loved it! Thank you!!
★★★★★
This was absolutely delicious. It was my first attempt at a homemade strawberry shortcake and I will likely make it again. My only regret is that it isn’t strawberry season but next strawberry season, I definitely see me making this again. And it was so beautiful!! I wish I could upload a picture!
★★★★★
So glad to hear you enjoyed it!
How would you recommend transporting the cake. I wanna make it for a family function but I’m unsure how he will hold on a 40 min drive
★★★★★
I’ve been known to heavily tape (using packing tape) an ice pack to the inside of a cake carrier before. Not super fancy, but it works.
Hi Lindsay,
I use the metric system (I live in Europe) and noticed that in your recipe it says to use 1/2 cup of butter and then behind it it says 168 grams. But 1/2 cup of butter weighs 113 grams. I noticed someone named Marcia asked in a comment on June 21, 2020 @ 11:30 am if it was a typo but she never got a reply.
★★★★★
I’m not sure that I ever saw the other comment, but the butter measurement in grams has been updated. Thanks!
Do the eggs have to be room temperature?
★★★★★
Not really. Having them at room temperature can help them incorporate more easily, but it doesn’t hurt your cake if they’re cold.
Awesome thank you so much!
Hey there! I made your cake for a graduation and my family loved it! However, three layers was a lot for me to manage. Could I split the batter into two cake pans for a 2 layer cake instead of 3? Thanks!
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed it! Two layers should be fine, you’d just need to increase the baking time. I also think the layers turn out a little more dense that way.
Ive made this cake multiple times throughout these few months, and it just tastes so amazing! It turns out well everytime. I was wondering if i would be able to halve this recipe to make a 6 inch cake?
★★★★★
I’m glad you’ve enjoyed it! I don’t really make 6 inch cakes, so it’s hard to say. But that seems like it’d be fine.
I am going to attempt this for my daughters 16th birthday.
Hi! Wondering if I could half the recipe?? I don’t need a big cake because I’ve made another cake as well:)
Yes, that should be fine. Just not sure what size pan I’d recommend, since I haven’t done it.
Trying this recipe this weekend! I usually layer my tiered strawberry shortcake with the whipped cream and a strawberry preserve. Will these sponges hold up to a three-tiered cake layering that way?
Thank you!
Using strawberry preserves instead of fresh strawberries should be just fine.
Hi, It look soo good.. I am planning to bake this for my daughter’s birthday. I only have 10″ pans. How much should I increase the amount of ingredients? Thank you…
I haven’t tried that size pan, so I’m not sure. You could try doubling it.
I made this cake for my Mom’s birthday and it was a hit, Absolutely delicious!!! I’m making it again for the holidays so I have a question. Last time, the sides were slightly brown, nothing too bad, but is there a way to prevent this?
★★★★★
Glad you enjoyed it! The browning is from the cake pan. Not sure you can really avoid that.
This recipe was amazing! I saw where you said it could also be made as a large sheet cake (12×18)…would the baking time be different for that or the same?
I’m not sure. Based on my vanilla sheet cake recipe, I would say probably around 12-15 minutes. https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/vanilla-sheet-cake/
Im planning on making this cake, but I’m wondering if you have any tips for not getting dark edges. My cakes always come out with dark edges and since this is naked it seems important that is the same color as the cake.
Cake pans naturally brown the sides of the cake. A lighter cake pan is going to brown it less.