Strawberry Shortcake Cake

What do you get when you take two beloved desserts and mash them together? Strawberry Shortcake Cake! Layers of sponge, cream, & berries in perfect harmony.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword How Do I Make Strawberry Shortcake Cake, How To Make Strawberry Shortcake Cake, Strawberry Shortcake Cake, Strawberry Shortcake Cake Recipe

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 30

Total Time 1

Servings People

Calories 605kcal

Author Kathleen

Ingredients

Cake:

2 1/3 cups cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 ounces unsalted butter
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 cup buttermilk

Whipped Cream Frosting

4 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
3 cups heavy cream
1 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Strawberries

5 cups fresh strawberries sliced
5-7 fresh strawberries -left whole

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make the Cake:

Preheat oven to 350ºF (177ºC). Set the oven shelf to the bottom third of the oven. Butter two 9-inch diameter cake pans. Line the bottom of the pans with parchment then butter the parchment.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together cake flour (2 1/3 cups), baking powder (1 1/2 teaspoons), baking soda (1/2 teaspoon), and salt (1/4 teaspoon); set aside.
In a small mixing bowl, add egg (3) and vanilla (2 teaspoons) and whisk until combined.
In the bowl of an electric mixer on medium speed, cream butter (6 ounces) until light and fluffy. Over the course of 3 minutes, beat in sugar (1 1/3 cups). Over the course of 2 minutes, beat in the egg mixture. Lower the mixer speed to low and add flour alternately with the buttermilk (1 cup), starting with and finishing with the flour mixture, scraping down the bowl.
Pour the batter evenly into prepared pans. Bake in a preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the tops are beginning to become golden and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in pans on a baking rack for 15 minutes, then carefully remove cakes from the pan and cool completely.

Make the Whipped Cream Frosting:

In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with a whisk attachment, add cream cheese (4 ounces), sugar (1 cup), and vanilla (2 teaspoons) and mix until combined. While the mixer is still whipping, slowly pour in the heavy cream (3 cups). Scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times and continue to whip until the cream holds a stiff peak.

Prepare Strawberries:

Wash and dry (on paper towels) strawberries (5 cups). Set aside the best-looking whole berries for garnish the top of the cake. Cut the remain berries, just before ready to assemble, in thick slices.

Assembly:

Carefully place the first layer of the completely cooled cake on the serving plate. Spread half the whipped cream frosting on top of strawberries. Arrange a layer of strawberry slices on the cake. Repeat with the second layer, adding whole strawberries with sliced strawberries.
Place in fridge for one hour to allow frosting to firm up a bit for easier and neater slicing. Serve.

Notes

Preparation: This recipe has very specific instructions for the cake batter. Honestly, it’s not any more difficult than a standard cake; it’s just detailed, and I urge you to follow the directions as closely as possible. You want your batter to be fluffy, not dense and overwhipped.
Cooling: After the cake is baked, it’s very fragile, particularly while it’s warm. Be careful when you transfer the layers from the baking pans to your cooling rack. Using parchment paper and letting the cake cool a few minutes in the pan will help stabilize it a bit.
Melting: Cool! Your! Cake! If your cake layers at all warm when you start to assemble, the frosting will melt and your cake will collapse.

Nutrition