Strawberry Shortcake Layer Cake
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This Strawberry Shortcake Layer Cake has 4 layers of vanilla sponge cake, plenty of fresh strawberries and homemade whipped cream!
This Strawberry Shortcake Layer Cake is a show-stopping twist on classic strawberry shortcake! This recipe has 4 layers of vanilla sponge cake soaked in simple syrup, plenty of fresh strawberries and homemade whipped cream! It’s such a refreshing summer dessert.
Looking for more strawberry recipes? Try my Baked Strawberry Donuts, Strawberry Cream Cheese Muffins, Strawberry Rose Cake or Strawberry Crumb Bars!
Ingredient Breakdown
Granulated sugar – sweetens cake.
Eggs – whipped with the sugar to provide structure and make the cake rise. Must be at room temperature because they will whip up better, do not use cold eggs straight from the fridge!
Vanilla extract – enhances flavor. Always use pure vanilla extract instead of imitation for best flavor.
All-purpose flour – provides structure.
How To Make Strawberry Shortcake Layer Cake
1. Make the Vanilla Sponge Cake: use a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment to whip the granulated sugar and eggs until thickened and pale yellow (about 10 minutes). Add in the vanilla extract.
2. Sift the 1/3 of the all-purpose flour into the egg mixture then carefully fold until just combined. Repeat until all of the flour is gone. Be very gentle and do not over-mix the batter otherwise it will deflate!
3. Immediately pour the batter into the prepared cake pans. Bake at 350Ā°F for 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes then remove from the pan and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
4. Make the Simple Syrup: in a small, pot combine the water and granulated sugar then bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Set aside to cool.
5. Make the Whipped Cream: place your mixing bowl and whisk attachment in the fridge for at least 10 minutes.
6. Use a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment to whip the heavy cream, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla extract on medium high speed until stiff peaks form. Be careful not to over whip or the texture will be grainy.
7. Assemble the cake: level the tops of the cakes with a serrated knife then cut each cake in half to create a total of 4 layers. Place one layer on a cake board then use a pastry brush to brush about 1/4 of the simple syrup over the surface of the cake. Spread an even layer of whipped cream on top using an offset spatula. Place a layer of sliced strawberries on top of the whipped cream layer. Repeat with remaining cake layers. Decorate the top of the cake as desired. Store Strawberry Shortcake Layer Cake covered for up to 3 days in the fridge.
Pro Tips For Strawberry Shortcake Layer Cake
- Weigh your ingredients using a kitchen scale! Measuring ingredients by volume is not accurate; baking is a science after all!
- Use room temperature eggs because they will whip up better, do not use cold eggs straight from the fridge!
- Make sure you sift the all-purpose flour. You want it to be super light so that it doesn’t weigh down and deflate your egg mixture.
- Be very gentle when folding the all-purpose flour into egg mixture and do not over-mix the batter otherwise it will deflate!
- Bake batter immediately. It can’t sit for long or it will deflate.
- Chill your bowl and whisk attachment before whipping the heavy cream. This will help your whipped cream reach stiff peaks faster and provide better texture and stability.
- If at any point your whipped cream gets too warm, put it in the fridge until cold again.
If you try this recipe then please leave a rating/comment below to let me know how you liked it and feel free to ask any recipe questions you may have! š
Strawberry Shortcake Layer Cake
Equipment
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- two 8 inch cake pans
- Parchment paper
- Fine mesh sieve
Ingredients
Vanilla Sponge Cake
- 300 g (1 1/2 cups) granulated sugar
- 6 eggs (room temperature)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 280 g (2 1/3 cups) all-purpose flour
Simple Syrup
- 240 g (1 cup) water
- 100 g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Whipped Cream
- 480 g (2 cups) heavy cream (cold)
- 80 g (2/3 cups) confectioners' sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 16 oz fresh strawberries, sliced
Instructions
Vanilla Sponge Cake
- Preheat oven to 350Ā°F. Grease the bottom of two 8-inch cake pans then line the bottom and sides with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Use a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment to whip the granulated sugar and eggs until thickened and pale yellow (about 10 minutes). Add in the vanilla extract.
- Sift the 1/3 of the all-purpose flour into the egg mixture then carefully fold until just combined. Repeat until all of the flour is gone. Be very gentle and do not over-mix the batter otherwise it will deflate!
- Immediately pour the batter into the prepared cake pans. Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes then remove from the pan and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
Simple Syrup
- In a small, pot combine the water and granulated sugar then bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Set aside to cool.
Whipped Cream
- Place your mixing bowl and whisk attachment in the fridge for at least 10 minutes.
- Use a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment to whip the heavy cream, confectioners' sugar and vanilla extract on medium high speed until stiff peaks form. Be careful not to over whip or the texture will be grainy.
Assembly
- Level the tops of the cakes with a serrated knife then cut each cake in half to create a total of 4 layers. Place one layer on a cake board then use a pastry brush to brush about 1/4 of the simple syrup over the surface of the cake. Spread an even layer of whipped cream on top using an offset spatula. Place a layer of sliced strawberries on top of the whipped cream layer. Repeat with remaining cake layers. Decorate the top of the cake as desired.
Video
Notes
- Weigh your ingredients using a kitchen scale! Measuring ingredients by volume is not accurate.
- Store Strawberry Shortcake Layer Cake covered for up to 3 days in the fridge.
- Nutrition: the provided nutritional information is an estimate for the entire cake. Please read myĀ Nutrition DisclaimerĀ for more information.
My kids begged to bake this cake and I didnāt feel like overseeing it. They just wanted to bake something because they saw me making a carrot cake. But I pushed through and helped them with baking this recipe. So glad did because this cake is soooo good. Everyone loved it but I didnāt have enough to share. I didnāt expect it to be so good and yet so light. I felt like I wasnāt cheating on my food plan. I want to make this in a 9 by 13 for my sisterās birthday on Sunday. How can I adapt this to make in a 9 by 13 pan?
Hi Valeria, I’m so happy to hear that everyone loved the cake!! To make this recipe using a 9×13 inch pan, I recommend doubling all of the measurements and baking all of the batter in one 9×13 inch pan. Once it’s cooled you can cut the cake in half so instead of 4 layers you would have 2 layers. Let me know how it turns out if you try it!
Best Strawberry š Shortcake in the Universe š!!!
Thanks Shirley! I’m so glad to hear that you loved this cake.
Absolutely delicous.
Thank you, Lori!