Strawberry Shortcake Cake

When I think of summer, I think of this dessert. Seriously. It’s the taste of a sunny afternoon, a backyard barbecue, or just a simple, happy moment. This isn’t your grandma’s classic strawberry shortcake with dry, crumbly biscuits. Nope. This is something else entirely.

We’re making a cake. A super moist, tender, and light cake that soaks up all the juicy strawberry goodness.

The story goes that “shortcake” originally meant a rich, buttery biscuit. And those are great! But I’ve always found they can be a little heavy. This recipe swaps the biscuit for three layers of a delicate vanilla cake. Between those layers? Fresh, sweet strawberries and a tangy cream cheese frosting that’s stable enough to not melt into a puddle.

It sounds fancy, but it’s not. It’s just a really, really good cake. So, let’s get into it.

What to Expect: A Quick Look

Before you start pulling out bowls and turning on your mixer, here’s the lowdown. Knowing this stuff upfront makes everything go way smoother.

• Time Commitment: You’ll need about 30 minutes to get everything ready and 20 minutes to bake. With cooling time, you’re looking at a little over an hour from start to finish. That cooling time is super important, by the way!
• How Much It Makes: This recipe makes enough for 12 servings. If you have a smaller crew, you can easily cut the recipe in half. I’ve included a little chart to help with the math.
• Is It Hard to Make?: I’d call it intermediate. None of the steps are rocket science, but putting the layer cake together takes a bit of patience. But don’t worry, I’ll walk you through it.

Scaling Guide	Full Recipe (12 Servings)	Half Recipe (6 Servings)
Flour	2 ½ cups	1 ¼ cups
Sugar	1 ¾ cups	⅞ cup
Eggs	2 large + 2 egg whites	1 large + 1 egg white
Sour Cream	⅔ cup	⅓ cup
Milk	¾ cup	6 tablespoons
Cream Cheese	8 ounces	4 ounces
Heavy Cream	2 ¼ cups	1 ⅛ cups

• Tools You’ll Need:
  • A mixer: A stand mixer is great, but a hand mixer works just fine. You’ll need it for the batter and the frosting.
  • Three 8-inch round cake pans: If you only have two, no sweat. Just bake the layers in two batches.
  • Parchment paper: This is your best friend. It’s like a non-stick insurance policy for your cakes.
  • The usual suspects: Mixing bowls, a whisk, a spatula.
  • A cake stand or platter to show off your work!
• Can I Make It Ahead?: Yes! This is a huge time-saver.
  • Cake: Bake the layers a day ahead. Let them cool completely, then wrap them up tight in plastic wrap and leave them on the counter.
  • Filling: You can mix up the strawberry filling a day early, too. Just keep it in a sealed container in the fridge.
  • Frosting: I really recommend making this right before you build the cake. It has the best texture when it’s fresh.

The Ingredients: What You’ll Need and Why

Great ingredients make a great cake. It’s that simple. Here’s a breakdown of the key players.

For the Tender Cake Layers:

• The Basics: You’ll need 2½ cups of all-purpose flour, 3 teaspoons of baking powder, and ½ teaspoon of salt.
• For Moisture and Sweetness: We’re using 1¾ cups of granulated sugar and ½ cup of vegetable or canola oil. The oil is my secret weapon! It makes the cake incredibly moist and keeps it that way for days.
• The Binders: 2 large eggs and 2 large egg whites. It’s important that these are at room temperature. Cold eggs don’t mix in as well, which can make your cake dense. Just leave them on the counter for about 30 minutes before you start.
• For Flavor: 2½ teaspoons of pure vanilla extract and an optional ½ teaspoon of almond extract. I always add the almond extract. It adds a little something extra that people can never quite put their finger on.
• For Tenderness: ⅔ cup of sour cream and ¾ cup of milk. These should also be at room temperature. They are the key to a super tender crumb.

For the Juicy Strawberry Filling:

• The Star: You’ll need 3 cups of fresh strawberries. Try to get the ripest, reddest ones you can find. Their flavor is front and center here. I use about 2½ cups for the filling and save the other ½ cup to decorate the top.
• The Helper: 2 tablespoons of strawberry jam. This little trick makes the strawberry flavor even more intense and creates a nice, syrupy coating on the berries.

For the Dreamy Cream Cheese Frosting:

• The Base: 8 ounces of cream cheese, softened. This gives the frosting a perfect tang to balance the sweet cake and berries.
• The Sweetness: 1 cup of powdered sugar and ¾ teaspoon of vanilla extract.
• The Magic: 2¼ cups of heavy whipping cream. And it needs to be really, really cold. Take it out of the fridge right when you’re ready to use it. This is non-negotiable if you want your frosting to whip up properly.

How to Make the Strawberry Shortcake Cake, Step-by-Step

Alright, apron on? Let’s do this. I’ll break it down so it’s easy to follow.

Step 1: Make the Cake Batter

First, get your oven preheating to 350°F (175°C). While it’s heating up, get your pans ready. Grease three 8-inch round cake pans, then line the bottoms with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, just whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. This mixes them all together so you don’t get a clump of baking powder in one bite. Set that bowl aside.

Now, grab your mixer. In a large bowl, beat the sugar, oil, eggs, egg whites, and extracts until they’re all combined. Then, mix in the sour cream.

Time to add the dry ingredients. Be careful here. You want a tender cake, not a tough one.

With the mixer on low, add about half of your flour mixture. Once that’s mostly mixed in, slowly pour in the milk. When the milk is incorporated, add the rest of the flour. Mix only until you don’t see any more white streaks. Do not overmix! I like to do the last couple of stirs by hand with a spatula to make sure I get everything from the bottom of the bowl without overdoing it.

Step 2: Bake the Cakes

Divide your batter evenly between the three pans. Give each pan a little tap on the counter to pop any big air bubbles.

Bake for 18-22 minutes. You’ll know they’re done when a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean.

Let the cakes cool in their pans for a few minutes before turning them out onto a wire rack to cool completely. And I mean it. I once tried to frost a slightly warm cake and it was a soupy, sliding disaster. Trust me, wait until they are 100% cool.

Step 3: Mix the Filling and Frosting

While the cakes are cooling, let’s make the other parts. This is the easy part!

For the filling, just stir your sliced strawberries and strawberry jam together in a bowl. That’s it!

For the frosting, start by beating the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla in your mixer bowl until it’s totally smooth. No lumps allowed!

Once it’s smooth, turn the mixer on and slowly, in a steady stream, pour in the very cold heavy cream. Scrape the bowl down a couple of times to make sure it’s all getting mixed. Then, crank the speed to high and whip until the frosting gets thick and forms stiff peaks. A stiff peak is when you can pull the whisk out and the frosting stands up straight without flopping over.

Step 4: Build Your Cake!

This is the fun part where it all comes together.

1. Place one cake layer on your serving platter.
2. Top it with about a third of your frosting and spread it out.
3. Spoon about 1¼ cups of the strawberry filling over the frosting.
4. Place the second cake layer on top and do it all again. Another third of the frosting, the rest of the filling.
5. Place the final cake layer on top. Use the rest of the frosting to cover the top.

I like to pile the extra diced strawberries we saved in the middle for decoration. It looks pretty and gives a little hint of what’s inside. And you’re done! You just made a stunning layer cake.

Want to Mix It Up? Some Fun Variations

Once you have this base recipe down, you can play with it. Here are a few ideas I’ve tried:

• Make it Lemony: Add the zest of one lemon to the cake batter. It gives it a fresh, bright flavor that’s amazing with the strawberries.
• Go For a Sheet Cake: Not in the mood for a layer cake? Pour the batter into a 9×13-inch pan and bake it that way. Just top the whole thing with frosting and strawberries. All the flavor, half the effort. This is my go-to for a casual get-together.
• Try Cupcakes: This recipe makes fantastic cupcakes! Just reduce the baking time and check them for doneness.

How to Serve and Store It

You made a beautiful cake! Now what?

Serve up big slices on plates. If you want to get a little fancy, you can spoon some of the extra strawberry juice from the filling bowl onto the plate.

This cake is definitely best the day it’s made. If you have leftovers, cover it and pop it in the fridge for up to 3 days. The cake will get even moister, but it’s still delicious.

I wouldn’t recommend freezing the whole, assembled cake. The frosting and fresh strawberries can get a little weird and watery when they thaw. You can, however, freeze the unfrosted cake layers for up to 2 months. Just wrap them really well in plastic wrap and then foil. Let them thaw on the counter before you frost them.

I hope you love making—and eating—this cake as much as I do. Happy baking!

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