Strawberry Whipped Cream Cake

This Strawberry Shortcake Layer Cake is two layers of tender yellow cake with strawberry whipped cream and fresh strawberries! This cake turns a comfort food favorite into a total showstopper!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 16

Total Time 46

Servings slices

Calories 420kcal

Author Amee

Equipment

Ingredients

Yellow Cake

1 ½ cups cake flour (see note)
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (see note)
2 eggs, at room temperature
⅔ cup buttermilk, at room temperature (see note)

Strawberry Whipped Cream

1 ¼ cups freeze-dried strawberries (about 1 ounce; see note)
2 cups heavy (whipping) cream, cold
¼ cup powdered sugar

Topping

1 pound fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced as desired

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Yellow Cake

Preheat oven to 350℉. Grease two 8-inch cake pans (or three 6-inch pans; see note) and set aside.
In a small bowl, combine dry ingredients and set aside.
1 ½ cups cake flour, 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder, ¼ teaspoon salt
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter, sugar, and vanilla bean paste (see note). Beat until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, ¾ cup granulated sugar
Add eggs one at a time, allowing the first egg to fully incorporate before adding the second.
2 eggs, at room temperature
With the mixer running on low, add half of the dry ingredients. Mix until just nearly incorporated, then add the buttermilk (see note). Once nearly combined, add the remaining dry ingredients, mixing until just incorporated.
⅔ cup buttermilk, at room temperature
Divide batter among prepared pans (see note). Bake 16-18 minutes (15-17 minutes for 6-inch cakes), or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow cakes to cool in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.

Strawberry Whipped Cream

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the freeze-dried strawberries (see note) until ground as finely as possible. Set aside.
1 ¼ cups freeze-dried strawberries
Combine cream and powdered sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, beat the mixture on medium-high until soft peaks form. Add the freeze-dried strawberry powder, and mix to combine.
2 cups heavy (whipping) cream, cold, ¼ cup powdered sugar

Assembly

Place one cake on plate or cake stand, and top with whipped cream. Slice berries and arrange on top. Repeat with remaining cake layers.
Note that if all the whipped cream is topped with berries, the layers won't hold together well. Better to cut the berries smaller and/or push them into the whipped cream a bit.
Cake is best when served the same day it's assembled, but can be stored in the refrigerator, covered, for up to three days.
Enjoy!

Notes

Note on cake flour: Cake flour lends a lighter texture and more tender crumb to the cake. If you don't have cake flour, you can substitute with all-purpose flour, the cake just won't be quite as tender.

Note on vanilla bean paste: So tasty, and leaves lovely flecks of vanilla bean in your cakes! If you prefer, you can substitute with an equal measure of vanilla extract.

Note on buttermilk: If you don't have buttermilk, you can make a quick substitution with milk (2% milkfat or greater) and vinegar or lemon juice. For this recipe, put 2 teaspoons lemon juice or vinegar into a liquid measuring cup, then add enough milk to come up to the ⅔ cup line. Let sit for 5 minutes, then it's ready for use!

Note on cake pans: I used two 8-inch cake pans for the cake in the photos, but this recipe can also be made in three 6-inch cake pans if you'd like. For 6-inch cakes, bake for about 15-17 minutes.

Note on dividing batter/use of kitchen scale: I use a kitchen scale to ensure I'm dividing the batter evenly between the pans. This helps ensure even baking and layers that are equal in size.

Note on freeze-dried strawberries: Make sure to use *freeze-dried* strawberries, as they are free of moisture and will process into a powder. If you prefer regular whipped cream, you can just leave them out! I add one teaspoon of vanilla bean paste to my plain whipped cream for flavor.

Nutrition