Strawberry Shortcake Cake

This heavenly strawberry shortcake cake brings all the joy of summer right to your table! Your family and friends will absolutely love this beautiful layered dessert that combines fluffy sponge cake with fresh strawberries and creamy filling. The best part is how we lighten up the cream with Greek yogurt, so you get all that amazing flavor without the guilt.

Recipe Details

Timing & Servings: Prep Time: 50 minutes, Additional Time: 55 minutes, Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes, Serves: 12 people, Yield: 1 cake.

Nutrition Profile: Nut-Free, Low-Sodium, Soy-Free, Vegetarian.

Nutrition Facts (per serving): 263 Calories, 9g Fat, 40g Carbs, 6g Protein.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Reduced-fat milk: You’ll need ½ cup, which helps make the cake tender and moist. Room temperature works best for mixing smoothly.

Butter: 4 tablespoons plus extra for greasing your pans. This gives the cake that rich, buttery flavor we all love.

All-purpose flour: 1½ cups will create the perfect cake structure. Make sure to sift it for the fluffiest texture.

Baking powder: 2 teaspoons helps your cake rise beautifully and stay light.

Large eggs: 3 eggs at room temperature will whip up much better and give you more volume. Trust me on this one!

Vanilla extract: 1 teaspoon for the cake plus ¼ teaspoon for the strawberries adds that warm, sweet flavor.

Salt: Just ¼ teaspoon brings out all the other flavors perfectly.

Sugar: 1 cup for the cake plus ¼ cup for the strawberries creates the perfect sweetness balance.

Fresh strawberries: 1 pound quartered gives you those gorgeous red berries in every bite. Pick the ripest ones you can find!

Heavy cream: ½ cup whips up into fluffy clouds of deliciousness for your filling.

Confectioners’ sugar: 2 tablespoons sweetens the cream just right without being too heavy.

Nonfat vanilla Greek yogurt: 1 cup is our secret weapon for lighter, tangier cream that still tastes amazing.

How to Make Strawberry Shortcake Cake

Step 1: Butter your two 9-inch round cake pans and line with parchment paper. Preheat your oven to 350°F so it’s ready to go.

Step 2: Heat the milk and 4 tablespoons butter in a small pan over low heat. Just melt the butter, then set aside to cool slightly.

Step 3: Mix your flour and baking powder together, then sift it onto parchment paper. This makes folding it in so much easier later!

Step 4: Whisk the eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and salt together by hand first. Stream in the 1 cup sugar while whisking to combine everything.

Step 5: Switch to your stand mixer with whisk attachment and beat on medium-high speed for 3-5 minutes. The mixture should look lighter and super fluffy when ready.

Step 6: Gently whisk in the warm milk mixture by hand. Add the flour in 4 parts, lifting the parchment to sprinkle it in.

Step 7: Use your whisk like a rubber spatula to fold everything together gently. Don’t overmix – just until combined.

Step 8: Divide the batter between your prepared pans and smooth the tops. Bake for 20-24 minutes until golden and firm in the center.

Step 9: Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edges. Flip onto wire racks, then flip again so parchment is on bottom.

Step 10: While cakes cool, mix strawberries with ¼ cup sugar and ¼ teaspoon vanilla. Let them sit for 20-30 minutes to get juicy.

Step 11: Whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add confectioners’ sugar and whip to firm peaks, then fold in the yogurt.

Step 12: Remove parchment from cake layers. Place one layer on your serving plate and drizzle with strawberry juices.

Step 13: Spread half the cream mixture over the first layer. Top with half the strawberries, then add the second cake layer.

Step 14: Finish with remaining cream and strawberries on top. Your beautiful cake is ready to serve!

Easy and Quick Strawberry Shortcake Cake Version

Want to save some time? You can totally use a good quality vanilla cake mix instead of making the sponge from scratch! Just follow the box directions for two 9-inch layers. The strawberry and cream filling is what really makes this special, so you’ll still get that amazing homemade taste. This shortcut cuts your prep time down to just 20 minutes!

Serving Ideas

This gorgeous cake is perfect as the star of any celebration or Sunday dinner! It’s a complete dessert that doesn’t need anything else, but a cup of coffee or cold milk makes it even better. Try serving it with some fresh mint leaves for a fancy touch, or add a drizzle of strawberry sauce if you want to go all out.

Storage

Keep your finished cake covered in the fridge for up to 3 days – if it lasts that long! The cake layers can be made ahead and wrapped tightly, then stored in the fridge for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Just defrost at room temperature before assembling. For best results, assemble the cake the day you plan to serve it.

Substitutions

No Greek yogurt? You can use regular vanilla yogurt or even sour cream instead. If you don’t have heavy cream, try using whipped topping from the store. Frozen strawberries work too – just thaw them completely and drain off extra liquid first. You can swap the all-purpose flour for a 1:1 gluten-free blend if needed!

Pro Tips

• Room Temperature Eggs: Set eggs out 15 minutes early or dip them in lukewarm water for 5 minutes. They’ll whip up much fluffier!
• Don’t Overmix: Once you add the flour, mix just until combined. Overmixing makes tough cake.
• Perfect Strawberries: Let them macerate with sugar for the full 30 minutes. Those juices add so much flavor!
• Stable Cream: Don’t overwhip after adding the yogurt, or it might break. Fold gently until just combined.
• Clean Cuts: Use a sharp knife wiped clean between cuts for the prettiest slices.

FAQs

Can I make this cake ahead of time?

You bet! The cake layers freeze beautifully for up to 3 months. Just wrap them well after cooling completely. You can also make the whole assembled cake up to 2 days ahead – it actually gets even more delicious as the flavors meld together!

Why do my cake layers look dense instead of fluffy?

This usually happens when the eggs aren’t whipped enough or the flour gets overmixed. Make sure to beat those eggs until they’re really light and fluffy – it takes the full 3-5 minutes. Then fold in the flour super gently, just until you can’t see any white streaks.

Can I use frozen strawberries for this recipe?

Sure! Just thaw them completely and drain off the extra liquid first. Frozen berries release more juice, so you might want to use a bit less sugar when macerating them. They won’t look quite as pretty as fresh ones, but they’ll taste great!

What if I don’t have a stand mixer?

No worries! A hand mixer works perfectly fine – just beat the eggs for about 5 minutes instead of 3. You can even do it by hand with a whisk if you’ve got strong arms, though it’ll take about 8-10 minutes of whisking to get that fluffy texture.

I’d love to hear how your strawberry shortcake cake turns out! Drop me a comment below with your favorite tips or any fun variations you tried. There’s nothing better than sharing delicious recipes with friends who love to bake!