The Best Strawberry Shortcake

5 from 23 votes

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Simple, sturdy cake is one of our favorite ways to enjoy Strawberry Shortcake. You just can’t go wrong with a fluffy cake that is layered with strawberries and finished off with whipped cream.

I look forward to strawberry shortcake every year. It means warm weather is here and strawberries are ripe for the picking. This has been one of my favorite desserts since I was a child and I’m excited to share this classic shortcake recipe with you.

shortcake cut in halve and then layered with fresh strawberries and whipped cream in a white bowl
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Strawberry Shortcake Cake

Ingredients:

  • Granulated sugar: this is adding the sweet to your cake, it doesn’t have a lot (it’s not an overly sweet cake) but just enough
  • Butter: I love using butter in this cake recipe, it adds flavor and is the fat in the recipe
  • Egg: this helps everything to bind together
  • Flour: you’ll just need a simple all-purpose flour here, nothing fancy
  • Milk: this is the wet ingredient for your cake and what helps everything come together
  • Fresh strawberries: it wouldn’t be strawberry shortcake with out these! This recipe is best with fresh in-season strawberries
  • Freshly whipped cream: the simple joys! Freshly whipped cream is such a treat and goes so well with the cake and strawberries

How to make Strawberry Shortcake:

  1. Mix up your cake by adding your butter and sugar to a large bowl and mixing well.
  2. Add the egg and beat.
  3. Add the dry ingredients and mix and then beat in the milk. Bake up your cake.
  4. Prep your strawberries and whipped cream while the cake bakes.
  5. After it’s cooled a bit serve the cake with strawberries and whipped cream on top.
Strawberry shortcake two ways - one recipe for a sweet biscuit-like shortcake and one recipe for a cake-like strawberry shortcake, because I aim to please.

What happens when you put sugar on a strawberry?

I like to add a tablespoon or two of sugar to my cut strawberries and let them sit while I make the shortcake. This gives the strawberries some time to release their juices and makes a nice syrup to drizzle on top of the shortcakes. So good.

Making the whipped cream?

To make whipped cream, I simply add 1-2 cups of heavy whipping cream, 1/4 cup powdered sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla to the bowl of my stand mixer or electric mixer and whip the cream until soft peaks form. SO much better than anything pre-made from the store. Very worth the 5 minutes of prep, if you ask me.

Strawberry shortcake two ways - one recipe for a sweet biscuit-like shortcake and one recipe for a cake-like strawberry shortcake, because I aim to please.

How do I serve strawberry shortcake?

To serve strawberry shortcake I slice the cake into 9 pieces. Remove one piece from the pan and split it down the middle. Top half of the cake with strawberries and whipped cream, add the second half of cake, and top with more whipped cream and strawberries. 

Storage Tips:

Store any leftover cake covered at room temperature. Separate from any leftover strawberries or whipped cream.

Strawberry shortcake is such a lovely dessert. It’s light, not too sweet, and easy to prepare. Enjoy a slice (or two) from my kitchen to yours!

plate with cake on it with strawberries on top and whipped cream

More strawberry recipes:

5 from 23 votes

Cake-Like Strawberry Shortcake

My famous strawberry shortcake recipe made with a simple homemade cake (so not fussy!), sweetened strawberries, and whipped cream. We eat this once a week all spring long.
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
Servings: 9

Ingredients 

  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup melted butter
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1-2 pounds fresh strawberries, hulled, sliced, and sweetened to your liking
  • 2-4 cups freshly whipped cream, sweetened if you like

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9-inch square baking dish (or line it with parchment).
  • In a medium bowl, add the sugar and melted butter and stir to combine well.
  • Add the egg and vanilla and stir to combine.
  • Add the flour, baking powder, and salt, and beat with an electric mixture or stand mixer to combine.
  • Add the milk and beat again until the mixture is smooth with no lumps. Place the batter in the prepared pan.
  • Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the cake is lightly golden and springs back when lightly touched.
  • Remove from the oven and allow to cool at least 30 minutes before serving.
  • To serve, slice the cake into 9 pieces. Remove one piece from the pan and split it down the middle. Top half of the cake with strawberries and whipped cream, add the second half of cake, and top with more whipped cream and strawberries.
  • Serve right away.
  • Store any leftover cake covered at room temperature, separate from any leftover strawberries or whipped cream.

Notes

  • It’s best to use an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer for this cake. I’ve made it a few times where I stirred it all by hand and I was left with little flour chunks in my batter and cake. Incorporating the milk with an electric mixture helped to ensure there were no flour chunks in my cake.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 of 9 servings, Calories: 231kcal, Carbohydrates: 33g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 44mg, Sodium: 214mg, Potassium: 149mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 15g, Vitamin A: 303IU, Vitamin C: 30mg, Calcium: 98mg, Iron: 1mg
Like this recipe? Rate and comment below!

And I’m dying to know, what is your go-to Strawberry Shortcake recipe? Biscuit or Cake?! Do tell! If you don’t have a favorite yet, I’d for sure try this cake recipe.

About Melissa

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55 Comments

  1. I have a question. If I use salted butter, do I still need salt that the recipe calls for, or should I reduce it?

    1. It’s up to you. The butter should have about an 1/8 of a teaspoon of salt in it so you could reduce it by that much but I have found that it’s never enough salt to make a difference.

  2. I love this recipe! I have even made it a couple more times with cherries on top and blueberries inside – its become my go-to simple but tasty cake recipe for enjoying seasonal berries 😄

  3. 5 stars
    Hello… I just made your recipe except I wanted to lower the carbs so I swapped out the sugar for Swerve sweetener & the flour for Almond flour… The whipped cream I made with powdered swerve & Heavy whipping cream…I ate some of the crumbs and it is so buttery and tasty…I can’t wait for supper so I can enjoy this wonderful summer treat….

  4. Very good! Cake is super tender. On the calorie count – is it counting the cake, strawberries and whipped cream?

  5. 5 stars
    This was delicious. A nice cross between traditional shortcake biscuits and cake. 9X9 is not a common size in Canada so I used an 8X8 lined with parchment paper. Also baked for 5 minutes longer. It turned out perfectly!