Strawberry Shortcake

This strawberry shortcake starts with a super easy, moist vanilla cake you can mix with a spoon. It's layered with sweetened strawberries and clouds of homemade whipped cream for the perfect spring or summer dessert.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword strawberry shortcake

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Total Time 35

Servings 9

Calories 575kcal

Ingredients

For the cake:

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup sugar
¾ cup sour cream at room temperature (you could also use yogurt, full-fat works best here)
2 large eggs at room temperature
½ cup vegetable or canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon almond extract optional but so good

For the strawberries and whipped cream:

2 pounds fresh strawberries
¼ cup sugar
2 cups heavy whipping cream
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons powdered sugar divided
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon kosher salt (use ⅛ teaspoon if using Morton's brand, as it is much saltier)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter or spray an 8 or 9-inch square pan and line it with a parchment sling (so the parchment hangs over at least two sides like a sling), then butter or spray once more.
Add the flour, baking powder, and salt to a medium-sized bowl, and whisk to combine. In a separate large bowl, add the sugar, sour cream, eggs, oil, vanilla, and almond extracts and whisk well to combine. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet. It will be lumpy and that’s fine, just make sure there are no dry pockets of flour that haven’t been incorporated. Pour the batter into the pan and smooth the top. Place in the oven to bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the sides begin to pull away from the pan. Note that it may take a bit longer if you use an 8-inch pan. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then pick up the sling and carefully transfer to a cooling rack. The cake can be made up to 2 days ahead of time.
When ready to serve, wash, hull, and slice the strawberries—you should get about 4 heaping cups. Add them to a large bowl, along with the sugar. With a large spoon or spatula, toss and let macerate for at least 15 minutes (ideally 30) tossing the strawberries often to help them release their juices.
While the strawberries macerate, make the whipped cream. Add the heavy cream, ¼ cup of powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt to a large bowl. Use a stand mixer or hand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whip everything on low speed. I whip my bowl of cream in the sink so it doesn't splatter everywhere. Gradually increase the speed to medium and then medium-high once the mixture thickens. Whip to soft peaks.
To serve, cut the cake into 9 equal squares. Slice each square in half, horizontally. Spoon a few dollops of whip cream onto the bottom cake half then top with a few spoonfuls of strawberries in their juices. Top with the other half of the cake, and then top with more whipped cream and strawberries. Repeat with all of the other cakes. Dust the tops with sifts of powdered sugar and serve.

Notes

• The cake can be baked 2-3 days ahead of serving. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Or, freeze the cake for up to 2 months.