This refreshing spring and summer dessert turns classic strawberry shortcake into an easy, crowd-pleasing two-layer cake. It's made with freshly whipped vanilla cream and sweet, juicy strawberries!
Strawberry Shortcake Cake - My Family's Favorite Summer Dessert
I’m so excited to share this Strawberry Shortcake Cake — it's everything you love about traditional strawberry shortcake, but even better! Instead of individual shortcakes, this version is a beautiful two-layer cake that's easier to assemble, serves a crowd effortlessly, and looks absolutely stunning on any spring or summer table.
- I baked the cake layers in two 8-inch round pans, which makes the perfect size for a summer party or family gathering.
- Texture and flavor: The cake itself is soft, buttery, and fluffy, and it pairs perfectly with the light, vanilla-flavored whipped cream and sweet, juicy strawberries. It feels fancy enough for a celebration but simple enough for an everyday treat just like this strawberry peach cake!
- Fancy yet practical: Compared to classic shortcake, this Strawberry Shortcake Cake is not only prettier but also way more convenient — no need to bake and assemble multiple little shortcakes! I love how you can just slice and serve it like a regular cake, and each bite has the perfect balance of tender cake, whipped cream, and fresh strawberries.
- Plus, it comes together so easily: the batter is simple, the cakes bake in just 25 minutes, and the homemade whipped cream takes only a few minutes to whip up. I know I’ll be making this showstopper on repeat all season long! I will also be making this strawberry blueberry cake and individually sized strawberry banana bread muffins.
About Homemade Whipped Cream
When it comes to strawberry shortcake, it has to have real homemade whipped cream—not the store-bought kind. Homemade tastes so much better, and you can control exactly how much sugar goes in.
For this cake, I made a simply sweetened whipped cream flavored with a touch of vanilla. I usually make it by whipping heavy cream with powdered sugar until soft or medium peaks. In this case, I prefer whipping to soft peaks as this keeps the texture of the cream luxuriously light and silky. One of the drawbacks of using whipped cream for a cake filling is that it can make the cake layers less stable and once sliced the cake won’t look as neat as if you had whipped to medium-stiff peaks or used an alternative filling such as buttercream. But for me, the texture and flavor are completely worth it!
Strawberry Shortcake Cake
This refreshing spring and summer dessert turns classic strawberry shortcake into an easy, crowd-pleasing two-layer cake. It's made with freshly whipped vanilla cream and sweet, juicy strawberries!
Ingredients
For the cake layers
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups white granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the filling and topping
- 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup fresh strawberries sliced (for the filling)
- 1 cup fresh strawberries for the topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line the bottom of two 8 inch baking pans with parchment paper then grease the paper and up the sides of the pan with butter. Set aside.
- In the large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment add the soft butter and sugar. Beat on a medium speed for 3-5 minutes or until light and fluffy.
- Stop the mixer and scrape down the mixing bowl.
- With the mixer on a medium speed add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition. Stop the mixer and scrape down the mixing bowl.
- In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt.
- With the mixer on its lowest speed gradually add the flour mixture. Beat until you can no longer see white streaks of flour and the cake batter looks smooth and creamy.
- Give the cake batter a couple of gentle turns by hand using a rubber spatula. Scrape the bottom of the mixing bowl to make sure there are not pockets of dry flour there. Take care not to over mix.
- Transfer the cake batter evenly between the two prepared pans. You can do this by eye but if you want to weigh it for perfectly even layers you can. Each pan should contain around 430g of cake batter.
- Place the pans side by side on the middle shelf of your oven. Bake for 25 minutes or until the cakes are a pale golden color and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the pans for 15 minutes then run a sharp knife around the edge and invert each cake on to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
- When the cakes are completely cool (this usually takes around one hour) you are ready to make the Chantilly cream.
- In a large mixing bowl add the cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Beat on a medium speed for 2-3 minutes or until soft peaks have formed.
- Place one cooled cake on a serving plate and spread over half of the Chantilly cream then arrange the sliced strawberries on top. Sandwich with the second cake layer then add the remaining cream and arrange the strawberries on top.
Notes
- Don't overpack the flour! Ensure you properly measure your flour by spooning it into a measuring cup then level the top. Too much flour will lead to dense and tough crumb.
- I grease my 8 inch pans with butter instead of baking spray as the butter will give the edges of the cake a lovely golden crust.
- Make sure to completely cool the baked cake sponges before adding the cream otherwise the cream might melt.
- Use fresh and ripe strawberries: They should be sweet, firm and juicy!
- You can chill the assembled cake briefly before serving which will help it stay in tact when sliced.
- Make ahead tips: You can bake the cakes up to 2 days in advance. But whip the cream, prepare the strawberries, and assemble the cake immediately before serving.
- Storage tips: Strawberry shortcake cake is definitely best enjoyed fresh and on the day it has been made. If you do have leftovers, they should be refrigerated and stored in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information
Strawberry Shortcake Cake
Amount per Serving
Calories
509
% Daily Value*
Fat
34
g
52
%
Saturated Fat
21
g
131
%
Trans Fat
1
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
2
g
Monounsaturated Fat
9
g
Cholesterol
164
mg
55
%
Sodium
243
mg
11
%
Potassium
136
mg
4
%
Carbohydrates
48
g
16
%
Fiber
1
g
4
%
Sugar
30
g
33
%
Protein
6
g
12
%
Vitamin A
1204
IU
24
%
Vitamin C
17
mg
21
%
Calcium
95
mg
10
%
Iron
2
mg
11
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
How to Make Strawberry Shortcake Cake (Step by Step)
- Here’s a quick overview with photos—be sure to check out the full recipe with exact measurements in the recipe card above. I’m so excited for you to try this summer dessert!
- First, gather all your ingredients; here’s a photo showing everything you’ll need:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the bottom of two 8-inch baking pans with parchment paper and grease the paper and sides with butter; set aside.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened butter and sugar on medium speed for 3–5 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- With the mixer on low, gradually add the dry ingredients until the batter is smooth and creamy.
- Divide the batter evenly between the 2 prepared pans.
- Bake side-by-side on the middle oven rack for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let the cakes cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then run a knife around the edges and invert onto a wire rack to cool completely (about 1 hour).
- Once the cakes are cool, whip the cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract together until soft peaks form.
- To assemble, spread half the whipped cream over one cake layer, top with sliced strawberries, add the second cake layer, and finish with the remaining cream and whole strawberries on top.
More Summer Strawberry Desserts
I made the cakes a day in advance, grabbed some whipped cream at the store, chopped up fresh strawberries and cooked them with sugar, a splash of lemon juice until jammy, then mixed in more fresh strawberries and used that as a filling and topping. So easy!
Hi Kassandra! Love that you cooked your strawberries into a jammy sauce - so delish!
This was so delicious! I didn't realize how easy this ake was until I started making it. I bought too many strawberries that I didn’t want to go to waste and saw you post this on FB. Thinking of making this with raspberries next, and add lemon zest to cut through the richness.
This is a great recipe to solve the problem of too many strawberries, lol! 🙂