Strawberry Shortcake Layer Cake
This Strawberry Shortcake Layer Cake is made of buttery vanilla cake layers filled with sweetened strawberry pieces and whipped cream. It is a strawberry shortcake in layer cake form for a little crowd!
I love buying birthday cakes for my kids because I get inspirations and ideas from the cakes. Bake shops reminds me why I love baking. I love creating something lovely and something delicious. And seeing such lovely crafts inspires me so much.
6 inch layer cakes are so pretty. They are smaller, and they look unique. This strawberry shortcake layer cake is inspired by a recent cake I bought for my daughter’s birthday. Small, dainty, and complete with sweet strawberries and whipped cream, a strawberry shortcake in a layer cake form.
Strawberry Shortcake Layer Cake
- Simple, not overly sweet and minimal decorating
- Just the perfect size for a small gathering or for a special dessert for your family at home
- The moist, buttery and soft cake layers and sweetened strawberries and cream are a such perfect elements in one cake.
Pointers and Tips for Making Strawberry Shortcake Layer Cake
- Use room temperature eggs, milk and sour cream for optimal mixing of ingredients.
- Use cake flour. Do not substitute all-purpose flour in this recipe as I find that cake flour makes a noticeable difference to how moist the cake is.
- Use softened butter. This allow for the proper creaming of butter and sugar. Cold butter will not yield a nice creamy texture with the sugar.
- Do not overmix the batter. After creaming, make sure that you beat just until the ingredients are incorporated (the eggs, vanilla, the liquids and the dry ingredients). At the end of mixing maybe finish mixing by hand with a rubber spatula to ensure there are no clumps of flour.
- Refrigerate the cake promptly. The whipped cream can soften if the cake is left out too long at room temperature. To keep layers intact, refrigerate the cake when not being served. To serve it again allow it to come to room temperature for 15 minutes.
Let’s Make Strawberry Shortcake Layer Cake
Cream the Butter and Sugar. This will take from 3-5 minutes. You want the mixture to be fluffy and creamy.
Add in the Eggs One at a Time. Beat well after each addition, but do not overbeat. Beat in the vanilla extract next.
Alternately Add the Wet and Dry Mixtures. Start with the 1/3 dry ingredients ( the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt combined), followed by half of the wet mixture ( the sour cream and milk combined). Beat until incorporated. Beat in another third of the dry, followed by the remaining wet mixture. The finish with the remaining flour, beating just until combined.
Pour and Scrape the Butter into the Prepared Pans. Each pan will get about 1 cup and a little bit more. Level the tops with an angled spatula. Make sure to follow the preparation of pans written in the recipe card.
Bake the Cakes. Bake the cakes in the preheated 350 F oven for 20-23 minutes. The cake should spring back to the touch and a toothpick inserted at the center will come out clean. Allow the cakes to cool completely in the pan over a wire rack.
Assembly of the Strawberry Layer Cake
Set one cake over a cake board. Set the board with the cake on top of a turntable if you are using. Spread about an inch of whipped cream in an even layer on top, followed by the strawberries. Cover the strawberries with an even layer of whipped cream.
Repeat this with another layer of the cake. Then, place the last cake layer on top and spread whipped cream on top and on the sides. Smoothen the cream with an angled spatula. Finally, garnish the top with more strawberries.
Tip: You can brush away the crumbs from the sides of the cakes first to minimize them from getting into the whipped cream, or you can spread on a thin layer of cream all over the sides of cake, then chill the cake for an hour. Then continue, icing the cake using the rest of the whipped cream.
Enjoy this simply divine cake! If you love simple cakes, also try Vanilla Chiffon Cake, Lemon Chiffon Cake, Easy Berry Cake and Honey Berry Cake.
Strawberry Shortcake Layer Cake
Equipment
- 1 Stand mixer (affiliate link)
- 3 6 inch round cake pans (affiliate link)
Ingredients
For the Vanilla Cake
- 2 cups (264.17 g) cake flour
- ½ tsp (3.04 g) salt
- ½ tsp (2.03 g) baking powder
- ¼ tsp (1.01 g) baking soda
- ¾ cup (179.9 g) butter softened
- 1 cup (211.34 g) sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla
- ¼ cup sour cream room temperature
- ½ cup milk room temperature
For the Strawberries
- 2 cups strawberries sliced to ¼ inch thick
- 2 tbsp strawberry jam
- 2-3 tsp sugar
For the Whipped Cream Icing
- 2½ cup whipping cream cold
- ¼ cup icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Prepare the Pans. Grease three 6 inch round cake pans. Line the bottom with parchment paper, then grease the parchment paper.
- Make the Vanilla Cake. Preheat the oven to 350 ℉. Whisk together cake flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a bowl. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar using the paddle attachment on medium speed for 3-5 minutes. The mixture should be light and creamy. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add Eggs. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. In a small bowl , combine sour cream and milk.
- Add the Wet and Dry Mixture Alternately. Beat in ⅓ of the flour, then add half of the milk mixture. Beat until incoporated. Beat in another ⅓ of the flour mixture, followed immediately by the reamining milk mixture. Lastly, add the remaining flour mixture amd beat just until combined, and free of pockets of flour.
- Bake. Pour and scrape the batter equally among three round pans. Each pan will have a little bit more than a cup of batter each. Level the tops with an offset spatula and bake at 350℉ for 20-23 minutes. The cake is lightly golden and the top springs back to the touch. A toothpick inserted at the center should come out clean.
- Cool the Cakes. Set the pans on top of a wire rack and allow the cake to cool in the pans completely. Taking the the cakes out of the pan while hot or warm may cause in breakage.
- Assemble the Cake. Set one of the cake on top of a turntable on a cake board, if you are using. Spread about an inch of whipping cream on top of the cake. Arrange some strawberry slices on top in an even layer. Then top with more whipped cream. Lay another cake on top and repeat this process. It is okay of the icing ooze out of the sides of the cake
- Lay the last cake on top and top the cake with whipped cream generously. Use a cake scraper or an offset spatula to even out the oozing icing on the sides of the cake. Spread more icing on the sides and spread and smooth until the cake is fully iced. Arrange more strawberries on top of the cake.
- Serve cake immediately or allow it to chill for at least an hour. Refrigerate leftovers promptly to keep the cake intact, as the whipped cream may soften. To serve the cake again, let it stand at room temperature for atleast15 minutes to half an hour.
For the Whipped Cream
- Combine whipping cream, icing sugar and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer. Use the whisk attachment to beat the mixture at medium high speed until fluffy and thick.
For the Strawberries
- Warm the strawberry jam in a microwave safe bowl in the microwave for 5-8 seconds. Stir in the strawberries and sugar. Allow to cool in the fridge for 5 minutes.
Notes
- Allow the cakes to cool in the pan completely, on top of a wire rack. If you attempt to turn the cake over while hot or warm, it may collapse and break.
- Refrigerate leftovers promptly after serving. To serve again, allow the cake to come to room temperature for at least an hour.
- A cake turntable will help so much in icing the cake, as well as an angled spatula or a cake pastry scraper.
A simple 6 inch three layer cake with sweetened strawberries and whipped cream!