Moist vanilla cake is topped with whipped cream and fresh strawberries. Can be made vegan and includes a gluten free option.
I made this cake for my daughter’s birthday a few weeks ago. She loves strawberry shortcake, but not the biscuit version…more vanilla cake-like with strawberries and whipped cream. I made a half batch of this butter cake for the cake part, then topped it with dairy-free whipped topping and fresh strawberries.
When I posted it on social media, I had a lot of people ask me for the recipe. Although I shared the cake I used, I made a few changes and also did half the recipe, so I thought I’d go ahead and add it here on the blog to make it easier. I know it can be tricky trying to halve a recipe in your mind. There are several instances where I halved most of the ingredients, then forgot and put the full amount of a few ingredients only to make a mess of the whole recipe.
This cake is definitely worth a try! It’s fairly simple and would be delicious using any type of berry! Hope you enjoy it!
Simple Strawberry Shortcake Cake
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 8–10 servings 1x
Description
Moist vanilla cake is topped with whipped cream and fresh strawberries. Can be made vegan and includes a gluten free option.
Ingredients
Vanilla Butter Cake: (gf recipe below)
1 1/4 cup milk of choice
2 teaspoons vinegar or lemon juice
1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoons salt
2/3 cup unsalted butter or dairy-free butter, softened
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or other oil of choice
3/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Strawberries and Cream:
1 (8 oz) container dairy-free frozen whipped topping, thawed (or 2 cups homemade whipped cream)
1 (8 oz) container strawberries, hulled and sliced
2–3 tablespoons sugar or other sweetener of choice
Gluten-Free Vanilla Butter Cake:
1 cup + 2 tablespoons milk of choice
2 teaspoons vinegar or lemon juice
1 cup gluten-free flour blend I used King Arthur Measure for Measure GF Flour Blend
1/2 cup blanched almond flour
1/3 cup coconut flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter or dairy-free butter, softened (For dairy-free, I like Miyoko’s European Style Butter)
3/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
Vanilla Cake:
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease and line an 8-inch or 9-inch pans with parchment paper; set aside.
Mix together milk and vinegar in a small glass container to sour. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt, whisking until blended. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat butter until creamy. Add oil and sugar and continue to beat until light and fluffy.
Add a third of the flour mixture to the creamed butter, beating until mostly incorporated. Pour in half of the milk, continuing to beat until well blended. Repeat with half of the remaining flour, then the rest of the milk. Finish with the rest of the flour, beating until well combined and batter is smooth. Stir in vanilla. (If making gluten-free cake, let batter rest 15 minutes before transferring to pans.)
Pour batter into prepared pan and place into the oven on the middle rack. Bake for 30–40 minutes, just until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Gluten-free cake may take up to 5–10 minutes longer. Bake time will depend on your oven and the size pan used.
Let cake cool in the pans for 5-10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely. Cake must be fully cooled before assembling.
Combine sliced strawberries and sugar in a bowl and let sit to macerate.
Once cake is cooled, top with whipped cream and strawberries. Makes 8–10 servings.
- Cook Time: 35 mins
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Healthier Strawberry Shortcake
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Very Nice Valentine Day cake recipe
★★★★★
Hi,
Your photos of the cakes are beautiful! I have two questions about the GF recipe:
1. Can I use buttermilk in place of the milk and vinegar/lemon juice?
2. The GF version has no oil and less butter than the regular version – is that correct?
Thanks!
Hi Sheila, thanks! Yes, you can use buttermilk in place of the sour milk. And yes, the gf version has no oil/less butter because the almond flour adds some oil and moisture. When I tested the recipe with the same amount as the regular version, it was too oily and dense, so cutting back on it really helped the texture. 🙂 Let me know how it goes if you give it a try!