Strawberry Shortcake Cake for Summer Entertaining

Looking for a simple yet delicious dessert? 

This strawberry shortcake is the best of summer wrapped up in an insanely delicious package. The traditional strawberry shortcake dessert is a fluffy biscuit with whipped cream, fresh berries, and strawberry syrup. 

It’s a freaking delicious treat that lends itself best to being turned into a cake. 

This strawberry shortcake “cake” is made with fluffy vanilla cake layers, stabilized whipped cream, fresh strawberry slices, and sweet strawberry syrup. 

I’ll show you how to master this simple cake that your friends and family will devour. It starts with a vanilla cake that is used in the majority of my recipe. If you practice this recipe, then you’ll be a fantastic baker in no time. 

Then you’ll make a whipped cream that uses gelatin, so it doesn’t collapse under the weight of multiple cake layers. It tastes just like a rich whipped cream but can stand for days. 

Finally, the key ingredient to this cake is the strawberries and how we will use them. The cake layers are soaked with simple strawberry syrup, which is a basic simple syrup recipe and strawberries that release its flavor into the sugar.  

The slight pink of the syrup soaks deep into each cake layer and keeps the fluffy cake moist and delicious! 

My favorite part about his cake is just how simple it is, which is ideal for beginner bakers. The recipe components like the cake layers and strawberry syrup can be made several days in advance and can be together for a last-minute dessert. 

This strawberry shortcake “cake” is perfect for any late spring, summer celebrations. It’s ready for your summer parties and makes a beautiful hostess gift. 

Tips for Success: 

• Read through all the ingredients and instructions so you can get a better idea of how much time and what you need to make this cake.
• A single batch of this cake recipe makes three, 6-inch round cake layers or two 8-inch round cake layers. Double the cake recipe to make enough cake batter for three, 8-inch cake layers.
• In this cake recipe, you need 1 cup buttermilk; if you don’t have any buttermilk on hand, you can easily use 1 cup whole milk mixed with 1 Tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar to make your own. 
• To make cake flour at home, mix 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour and ¼ cup cornstarch. Sift or whisk together to get rid of any lumps. 
• Be careful not to overmix this cake batter, or else the cake will come out dense. Mix until all ingredients are well incorporated.
• You can bake the cake layers ahead of time. Wrap the cake layers in plastic wrap and freeze up to one month. 
• You can make the stabilized whipped cream a day ahead and refrigerate it overnight. Keep cold until ready to use. 
• Serve at room temperature and enjoy! 

What Tools You’ll Need to Make This Cake: 

• 5-quart, Stand Mixer with mixing bowl & paddle attachment
• 3, 6-inch cake pans or 2, 8-inch cake pans
• Offset spatula 
• 8-inch or 10-inch white cake board 
• Serrated knife or cake leveler 
• Turntable 
• Cake scraper or bench scraper
• Whisk or sifter
• Rubber Spatula
• Non-Stick Cooking Spray and Parchment Paper
• Ice Cream Scooper with Trigger Release (for dividing cake batter evenly)
• Piping Bags (I use reusable silicone bags)
• Piping Tip – Ateco Star Tip #844
• Squeeze bottle
• Cake Stand, optional

Here’s how to make this simply sweet strawberry shortcake! 

Let’s Get Started! 

How to Make Homemade Vanilla Cake 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Spray three 6-inch round cake pans with non-stick spray, line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper and spray again. Set aside.
2. In a medium-size bowl, whisk and stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. 
3. In the stand mixer bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, oil, and sugar on medium-high for 5 minutes.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time to the stand mixer bowl and beat on medium until well incorporated.
5. Turn the mixer on low and add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until fully incorporated. 
6. Pour in the buttermilk and vanilla extract. Mix on medium for another 30 seconds and scrape down the sides of the bowl. 
7. Evenly distribute the cake batter among the three cake pans and bake for about 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
8. Remove cakes from the oven and let cool in pans for 10 minutes before inverting onto cooling racks to cool completely. Wrap cakes in plastic wrap and place them into the freezer to chill for 30 minutes to 1 hour. 

How to Make Strawberry Simple Syrup

1. In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and water over medium heat. Continue to heat for 5 minutes until the sugar has fully dissolved. Remove from the heat and add the strawberries. 
2. Set aside to cool and soak for 1 hour before straining out the berries and pouring into a squeeze bottle. 

Stabilized Whipped Cream That’s Perfect for Cake Decorating

1. Place a stand mixer bowl and whisk attachment into the refrigerator or freezer for 10 minutes to keep heavy cream cold while whipping. 
2. In a small microwaveable bowl, place the powdered gelatin and pour cold water over the top. Allow gelatin to bloom for 2-3 minutes. After the gelatin has bloomed and softened, melt in the microwave for 10-15 seconds. Set aside to cool.  
3. In a stand mixer bowl fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the cold heavy cream and powdered sugar together on high speed. Whip for 3-5 minutes until you get a soft peak. 
4. On medium, slowly pour in vanilla extract, and melted gelatin mixture. Whip on high for 15 seconds to incorporate gelatin. Remove from mixer and place into a piping bag fitted with a #844 star tip. 

Putting It All Together

1. Remove the cake layers from the freezer and unwrap the cake layers. Next, use a serrated knife to cut off the dome of the cakes to make the layers flat and even. 
2. Create small holes with a skewer in each cake layer and pour the strawberry syrup into the holes. Soak both sides of each cake layer. 
3. Add a small amount of buttercream onto the center of the cake board. Layer one cake layer, cut side up onto the cake board—pipe ⅔ cup of whipped cream over the top, and place sliced strawberries. 
4. Place another cake layer cut side down over the top. Repeat the process for another layer. 
5. Pipe stars on top and add halved strawberries on top with a sprig of mint. 
6. Serve cake at room temperature and enjoy! 

You May Also Enjoy: 

• Strawberry Margarita Cake
• Spring Flower Fault Line Cake for Home Bakers
• Cake Planning Checklist (freebie)
• How to Decorate Your First Cake (free course) 
• Cake Decorating for Beginners (online course)
• Cake Decorating Tool Kit (24-piece kit with free shipping) 

Now that you know how to make this strawberry shortcake “cake,” you’ll be a better baker and become more confident too. This cake is perfect for beginners since you can easily break this cake decorating process up over several days. It also makes a freaking delicious last-minute dessert that everyone will devour! I can’t wait to see your cake creations! 

Please feel free to email her at xokatierosario@gmail.com if you have any questions. I’m here to help! 

Happy Baking! 

Hey, if you liked this tutorial, you really should check out, Cake Decorating Creator Program, my online cake course. I coach you on everything I teach on these cake tutorials so that you can uplevel your baking and decorating skills. We 10x it so you get the results you want most. Like any new skill, it’s important to learn from the ground up to build a foundation, so take on any cake challenge. It is an investment your future self will thank you for. Check it out at XOKatieRosario.com/online-cake-course. I will see you there.

Watch The How-to Video Below: 

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