This simple strawberry shortcake cake is the best way to use up summer’s sweet and juicy strawberries! Vegan friendly and includes a gluten-free alternative!
You might be able to tell by my recipe page that I have a thing for cake! Whether it’s a layer cake, sheet cake, cupcakes, or pancakes, I’m not too picky…I love them all, especially if they’re topped with loads of sweet berries—I mean, can you think of anything better?
This simple layer cake is the perfect way to enjoy those plump and juicy strawberries in the market right now. Moist vanilla cake topped with fresh (coconut) whipped cream and loads of berries is the most delicious ending to a long summer’s day.
It’s also the cake I request for my birthday every year! Growing up, my mom used to make me a similar one, but using boxed cake mix instead. She made it for me each year until we moved halfway across the country and I no longer get to see her on my birthday. Inspired by the memory of my mom’s version, which I still remember as being the best cake ever, I recreated this from-scratch recipe when we moved away. My husband and kids now make it for me each year to keep up the tradition.
Still, every time I have this cake, I visualize mom in the kitchen slicing pounds of strawberries and beating homemade whipped cream with the hand mixer to layer with those soft, buttery cakes she’d made earlier in the day. I smile to myself at the sweet memory and allow each bite to transport me back to that happy place.
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Strawberry Shortcake
- Total Time: 25 mins
- Yield: 8" cake 1x
Description
This simple layer cake is the best way to use up summer’s sweet and juicy strawberries! Vegan friendly and includes a gluten-free alternative!
Ingredients
Vanilla Cake (Gluten-free version below. Refined sugar free version here)
- 2 cups almond milk or other non-dairy milk (can also use regular milk if not vegan)
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice
- 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 1/3 cup natural cane sugar
or coconut sugar (will make cake darker in color)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup avocado oil
, melted refined coconut oil
, or other neutral tasting cooking oil
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- coconut oil, for pans
- parchment paper
- 1/4 – 1/3 cup strawberry jam, optional
- whipped cream cheese frosting
- 1–2 pounds fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
or coconut sugar (will make cake darker in color)
, melted 
, or other neutral tasting cooking oil
Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 16 oz. regular or dairy-free cream cheese or mascarpone (can substitute with additional coconut cream/whipped cream, if preferred)
- 2 (14 oz) cans coconut cream or full-fat coconut milk refrigerated overnight (about 1¾ cup firm coconut cream only, liquid discarded. Can also use 1 cup regular whipping cream if not dairy-free)
- 3–5 tablespoons honey or maple syrup (OR 1/4–1/2 cup powdered sugar, use more or less to taste)
Gluten-Free Vanilla Cake:
- 2 cups almond milk (or other milk of choice)
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice
- 2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour blend
- 1 cup super fine almond flour
(This helps the texture significantly so I don’t recommend subbing for more gf all-purpose flour)
- 1 1/3 cup natural cane sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup avocado oil
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- seeds from 1 vanilla bean, optional
- vegetable shortening
or coconut oil, for pans
- parchment paper
- whipped cream cheese frosting
- 1–2 pounds fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
(This helps the texture significantly so I don’t recommend subbing for more gf all-purpose flour)
or coconut oil, for pansInstructions
Vanilla Layer Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350F. Combine 2 cups milk with vinegar and set aside to sour.
- Grease two or three 8-inch pans and line the bottom with a parchment paper circle, cut to fit the pan, and then grease the parchment paper circle. I don’t recommend skipping this step or your cakes could stick to the bottom of the pan. Set pans aside. Alternatively, you can line a cupcake pan with paper liners to make cupcakes.
- In a large bowl, mix together dry ingredients—flour(s), sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt until well combined.
- Mix in oil, vanilla, and sour milk with a whisk or mixer and beat just until blended and smooth. Don’t over-beat.
- Evenly distribute the cake batter into the three pans and place onto the middle rack in the preheated oven. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until center is set and a toothpick inserted comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cake will be pretty light in color. More or less time may be needed depending on your oven.
- Let cakes cool for several minutes in the pan before inverting onto a cooling rack to cool thoroughly. Cakes are the easiest to handle and decorate when they are wrapped in plastic wrap and frozen overnight. If you don’t have the opportunity to chill overnight, please make sure they are thoroughly cooled before topping with the cream. The whipped cream will melt and slide off of a warm cake.
Whipped Cream:
- In a large mixing bowl, begin to beat the cream cheese until smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Add sweetener and continue to beat until fluffy. Add cold, hardened coconut cream and beat on high until light and fluffy, a few more minutes. Taste and adjust sweetener if needed. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.
- If using regular whipping cream, beat whipping cream separately until fluffy and stiff peaks form (about 3-4 minutes) and then fold it into the cream cheese mixture.
Putting it Together:
- Place one of the fully cooled cakes onto your cake plate. Spread a heaping spoonful of strawberry jam over the center of the cake layer (optional), then top with 1/3 of the whipped cream and about 1 cup of sliced berries.
- Top with another cake layer and repeat the process.
- At the end, top cake with remaining whipped cream and a pile of whole and halved berries.
- For best results, keep in a cool room and serve shortly after assembling. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Category: Cake, Dessert, Vegan
You may also enjoy these similar recipes:
Vegan Vanilla Cake with Strawberry Buttercream
Vegan Vanilla Sheet Cake with Strawberries
Vegan Lemon Cake with Fresh Berries
Don’t use the 2x button, it’ll get you into trouble when in “put it together” it specifies to only use 2 of the 4 cups of the milk for souring. Just double things yourself.
Hi,
Do you think the recipe will work if I cut it in half? I dont need 3 cake layers, and I only have about 1 cup of gluten free flour.
Thank you!
Hi Sarah, I have a similar vanilla cake recipe here (https://www.wifemamafoodie.com/easy-vanilla-cake-with-vanilla-buttercream/) that only uses 1 cup gf flour, along with almond and coconut flours. You can use the cake from that recipe and the buttercream from this recipe if you’d prefer. I find that it’s easy to have the measurements already converted than to do the math in your head for each ingredient 🙂 Let me know if you have any questions about it!
How many cupcakes would this recipe make?
Hi Rachel, this recipe will make about 24-28 cupcakes!
Hi,
For the scale, when it says 1x, is that still for 3 cake layers?
Thanks!
Hi Sarah, yes that’s for 1 recipe, which is a three layer cake. 2x would double the recipe to make a much larger cake or 2 cakes. Hope that helps!
I’m excited to try this cake. What size rounds do you typically use?
Disregard. I missed that part in the recipe. 🙂
Hi!!
Do you think it would work to substitute vegan butter (earth balance sticks) for the oil? If so, would I use the same amount as oil?
Thanks so much!
Hi Vicki, you can substitute butter, but the cake probably won’t be as moist. I find that oil adds more moisture than butter, but butter adds more flavor. 🙂 Let me know how it goes if you give it a try!
Maybe you could use half butter and half oil?
★★★★★
This looks delicious
Thank you, Michael! It really is delicious!
Looks delicious! My daughter requested a strawberry shortcake for her birthday I was wondering what other flours I can use? Oat flour or sprouted spelt would either work?
Hi Danielle, I haven’t tried this recipe with either flour, so I can’t be sure how well they would work. I believe sprouted spelt will work in lieu of some of the all-purpose flour, but using that flour alone will cause the cake to be dry and delicate. Are you wanting to replace all of the all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour with an alternative flour?
I don’t have gluten free flour on hand aside from oat flour I have sprouted spelt flour and oat flour . Am I better off with the gluten free cake?
I don’t have gluten free flour on hand aside from oat flour I have sprouted spelt flour and oat flour . Am I better off with the gluten free cake? Using either of those flours or the regular ?
Maybe practice a small test batch (like 1/3 a recipe) using a combo of the flours to see how it works. I would start with 2 parts spelt to 1 part oat flour and go from there. I’m honestly not sure how well it will work as I’ve never tried baking with that combo before, but please update me on the progress if you give it a go! I’ll try to help in any way I can!
Magnificent
Hey! This cake looks so beautiful!!! I can’t wait to try it, but I’m just curious as to which brand of vegan cream cheese you used. Also, would it work to use a 9” cake pan and just do two layers?
Hi Jessica, yes I think the larger pan will work fine for two layers. 🙂 As far as the vegan cream cheese goes, I like Kite Hill and the one from Trader Joe’s. Let me know how it turns out for you!
An amazing recipe! I took the tip of baking them in a papered cupcake tin to make Strawberry Short Cupcakes.
After cooled enough to handle, I took them out of the paper and sliced them in half, making mini double-decker short cakes. They were a huge hit! The cake is not too buscuit-y and not too sweet. I happened to have a container of strawberry Daiya cream cheese that worked perfectly–also it helps the whipped cream hold up as the weather gets warmer.
I’m totally making these again for our school’s treat day. Thank you!
Thank you for leaving such great feedback and for your kind words. I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe and I appreciate you taking the time to write and let me know! The addition of the strawberry cream cheese for the whipped topping sounds amazing too. Will have to try that myself sometime soon!
Have a great weekend! 🙂
droolworthy indeed!! each and every one of them.. if i show these to my tween DD, I know we will be baking the weekend away 🙂
Oh my yummy yum yum. One of my all time fave desserts and your is so pretty!
OH my!! Your photos make me wanna eat the whole thing! It looks mouthwatering!
I love strawberry shortcake! Looks absolutely perfect and so festive!
Wow this looks so good! I love your photography as well
This looks delicious. The addition of coconut for the cream makes this sound so good. We have a strawberry plant, so hopefully I will be able to get enough strawberries to layer in a cake.
So pretty, Joscelyn! Love the layers!