Strawberry shortcake is the kind of dessert that instantly brings to mind sunny picnics, family gatherings, and carefree summer days. This classic treat layers sweet, juicy strawberries and pillowy whipped cream over tender, buttery shortcakes for a combination that’s both simple and utterly irresistible. Whether you grew up eating the store-bought sponge cake version or homemade from scratch, one bite of this will remind you just how delightful homemade shortcake can be.
This is my go-to method for making strawberry shortcake that feels special but is still incredibly easy to pull together. The shortcakes are soft, slightly crumbly, and lightly sweetened, acting as the perfect base for macerated strawberries and freshly whipped cream. It’s the kind of dessert that feels rustic and elegant all at once — and best of all, it comes together in under an hour. Trust me, once you make this from scratch, you’ll never look at store-bought the same way again.
Ingredients
Shortcake
- Flour—2-1/2 cups
- Baking Powder — 1 teaspoon
- 3 Eggs
- Butter (softened)— 1 cup
- Vanilla Extract— 1 tablespoon
- White Sugar— 1-1/2 cups
- Buttermilk— 1 cup
- Salt— 1 teaspoon
Whipped Cream
- 16 fl oz Heavy Cream
- Powdered Sugar— 1/2 cup
- Vanilla Extract— 1 teaspoon
- Salt— 1/4 teaspoon
Macerated strawberries
- Diced Strawberries— 2 cups
- Lemon Juice— 1 tablespoon
- Sugar— 3 tablespoons (optional)
What You’ll Need
- 2 Round Cake Pans (9 inch)
- 4 Mixing Bowls
How to Make Strawberry Shortcake
- Preheat oven to 350F (177C) then coat cake pans with cooking spray and set aside.
- Use a hand mixer to cream butter and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. This should take about 2-3 minutes. Add in eggs one at a time , fully incorporating after each addition then fold in vanilla extract.
- In a separate mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt then stir dry mixture into wet alternating between buttermilk. Continue to stir until all white streaks are gone.
- Evenly divide the cake batter into 2 pans and bake for about 27 minutes.
- Once the cakes are out of the oven allow them to cool in the pan for ten minutes then transfer them to a cooling rack.
- Now for the macerated strawberries. In a large mixing bowl, combine diced strawberries, lemon juice, and sugar (If strawberries are sweet enough for your liking then skip sugar).
- Now the whipped cream. Use a hand mixer to whip heavy cream on high until stiff peaks start to form. Sift in powdered sugar and salt then fold in vanilla extract.
- Assemble the cake. Start with bottom cake round, covering with an even layer of whipped cream and frosting then place top layer and repeat.
- Slice and enjoy.
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