How cute is this Strawberry Shortcake? This dessert is incredibly simple to make at home and it’s my favorite way to use fresh strawberries!
I don’t know what it is, but when I say the words Strawberry Shortcake it just makes me smile. And what’s not to smile about? A light and flakey cake smothered with homemade whipped cream and topped with marinated strawberries…aah, there’s nothing like it. An absolute classic among desserts!
How to Marinate Strawberries for Shortcake
I used to hate strawberries. I’m talking like many moons ago when I was a kid. I couldn’t stand the texture, the taste, nothing. ACK! These days I can eat them by the barrel…and I do think strawberries should come by the barrel. For this Strawberry Shortcake I toss fresh, sliced strawberries with sugar and lemon juice. This combined with the natural juices of the berries creates the most incredible sauce!
The Best Homemade Shortcake
As you might know, I’m not much of a baker! When I do make sweets from scratch I want it to be as easy as possible with the most delicious results. Check and check with this recipe! My shortcake uses pantry baking staples and 2 cups of heavy cream for a moist, sweet cake that pairs perfectly with strawberries and fresh whipped cream.
More Dessert Recipes
No-Bake Lemon Cheesecake Bars
Lemon Vanilla Butter Cake
Red, White, & Blue Popsicles
Peach & Blueberry Cobbler
Almond Berry Gallette
Coconut Macaroons
Lemon Blueberry Olive Oil Cake with Coconut Whipped Cream
Strawberry Shortcake
- Yield: 8 1x
Description
This Strawberry Shortcake is light and airy, topped with fresh homemade whipped cream, and marinated strawberries.
Ingredients
For the berries
- 1 1/2 pounds strawberries (quartered)
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
For the shortcake
- 2 cups cake flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups heavy cream
For the whipped cream
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream (very cold)
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl add the strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice and gently stir to combine. Set aside. The sugar and lemon juice will help bring out the natural juices in the berries and create a light sauce.
- In a separate bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt. Add the heavy cream and stir to combine. Mixture will be sticky. Pour mixture into an 8 inch round pan and bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and place on cooling rack to cool completely.
- Meanwhile make the whipped cream. In a bowl or stand alone mixer, beat the cold whipped cream until soft peaks form. Add powdered sugar, vanilla, and lemon zest and beat another 1-2 minutes.
- Once the cake has cooled use a serrated knife and cut the cake in half, creating two circles, one on top of the other. Scoop a large spoonful, (or two or three) onto the bottom layer of the cake. Top with the strawberry mixture. Place the other cake on top, creating a sandwich, and add more whipped cream and berries to the top of the cake. Slice and serve with any leftover whipped cream or berries.
Happy happy joy joy!
Shannon
The best ever!!! EVER!
Life is but a Dish
It’s one my faves too!
Sarah Filchak
I found myself with way too many strawberries so made this and YUM!! I typically make individual shortcakes so this was a nice change. Next up I want to try the strawberry shortcake trifle 🤤
★★★★★
Yvette
Made this a few weeks ago for family gathering. Everyone loved it! The cake is perfect and not overwhelmingly sweet. Thanks for another great recipe!
★★★★★
Melissa
Delicious
★★★★★
Kristen Wade
Made this for Mother’s Day and it was a hit! Not overly sweet which allowed the strawberries to shine. We loves the addition of the lemon! Will be making this again very soon!
★★★★★
America
Easy and so delicious!
★★★★★
Jackie McKee
So good. I made this for Mothers Day/ My Birthday. And it was amazing.
Ashley De La Torre
Wow, just wow! I have always been so intimidated to make strawberry shortcake. This recipe was so easy and SO delicious! Definitely will be making again over and over for many years to come!
★★★★★
Lisa Brock
My daughter wanted to make a strawberry shortcake for so long but I didn’t have a good recipe!!! Now we have the best most delicious recipe ever!! Thank you for sharing!! Love your inspiration and your recipes.
-Lisa B
★★★★★
Bre
Recipes usually say “it’s easy” and it’s the most complicated thing, this was EASY. I cannot believe how easy it was to make this! Not to mention it’s delicious!! My family truly thinks I’m a wizard and I’m going to forever let them believe it. Can’t wait to make it again with mixed berries.
★★★★★
Leah
I love this recipe. It’s great because it’s really easy to make it dairy free!
★★★★★
Tiffany Gonzalez
She knocked it out of the park with this one. The cake is so delicious by itself, topped with strawberries and fresh whipped cream, you can’t go wrong. It was super simple to make as well and a show stopper.
★★★★★
Sarah
Loved. First time making strawberry shortcake.
★★★★★
Kathy
I’ve never used cake flour before so this was an experiment. Lol. I enjoyed it a lot but I think I would add something else to the cake next time. Maybe some lemon juice or vanilla? The whipped cream was perfect!
★★★★★
Nicholle Burke
I will never buy store bought whipped cream or shortcake again! This recipe was so simple and was hands down the most delicious strawberry shortcake I’ve ever had. I didn’t have smaller pans so we did a single layer cake.
I was really worried after my cake was mixed because it was really sticky. Even though the recipe mentions this I was sure I screwed it up. I didn’t, it was perfect. This will be a staple desert. Perfect to bring to a party or event!
★★★★★
Nicholle Burke
I will never buy store bought whipped cream or shortcake again! This recipe was so simple and was hands down the most delicious strawberry shortcake I’ve ever had. I didn’t have smaller pans so we did a single layer cake.
I was really worried after my cake was mixed because it was really sticky. Even though the recipe mentions this I was sure I screwed it up. I didn’t, it was perfect. This will be a staple desert. Perfect to bring to a party or event!
★★★★★
Chloe
Yum!! I made the shortcake in mini-bundts for individual servings! It came out perfectly, lightly sweet! The recipe was super simple and even easier to make than I expected! This will be in my regular summer rotation for sure!
★★★★★
Angela
YUM! I made this for Mother’s Day brunch and everyone ages 2-72 loved it. I kept the cake intact and served the whipped cream and berries on top, just for easier serving purposes. It was so easy to make that my 5 year old was able to help a lot too (her favorite thing to do). The only change I made was increasing the powdered sugar to 1/2 cup for the whipped cream, solely because we prefer it a smidge sweeter. But the cake had the perfect touch of sweetness without being overpowering, especially with the whipped cream and strawberries. I’ll definitely be making this one again! Maybe I’ll do a mix of blueberries and strawberries for a 4th of July cake!
★★★★★
Sarah
Made our Mother’s Day Brunch extra special! So easy and absolutely delish!!!!
★★★★★
Sarah M
So yummy- even when I forgot to put the sugar into the cake! (Cue the crying face emoji). Another stellar recipe from you- keep in’ coming! 🙂
★★★★★
Chelsea
I made this for Mother’s Day and it was so perfect! Everything about it was super yummy and it was really simple to put together. Mine wasn’t as pretty as these pictures (lol) but still tasted excellent! I’ll definitely be making it again through spring and summer gatherings!
★★★★★
Hayley
This is so good! Not too sweet, perfect for a summer dessert. Very refreshing and light. My whole family enjoyed it for Mother’s Day. You need to give it a try!
★★★★★
Lauren Hobson
I have always wanted to make shortcake but assumed it was hard. As a non baker this recipe was so easy and its delicious. i made some lemon curd that we added as well! no more buying shortcakes for me. Will be making this again and again! Thanks for another great recipe!
★★★★★
Nicole
This was my one request for Mother’s Day and my fam totally delivered. Amazing and delicious!
★★★★★
Jennifer
This shortcake is seriously the best I’ve ever made. It was simple and turned out perfectly.
★★★★★
Claire
Made it for Mother’s Day yesterday, everyone loved it!
★★★★★
Jessica
So amazing! Made this for Mother’s Day and it was a HUGE HIT! The addition of the lemon really stands out! Cake not overly sweet, absolute perfection!
★★★★★
Rebecca
It was so good and such a hit for a Mother’s Day dessert! And super easy!
★★★★★
Meghan
So good! We made this for Mother’s Day and everyone loved it! I was expecting it to be sweeter but it was such a perfect balance with the whipped cream and strawberries! Definitely making again soon!
Karlee
If I could give this more than 5 stars, I would. This was extremely easy to make and such a crowd pleaser. My whole family was obsessed!!! Can’t wait to make it again!
★★★★★
Hailey
I’ve never made strawberry shortcake but Laney made me feel like I could do it! I wasn’t very successful getting the cake out of the pan to cool but like she said in insta stories- it doesn’t have to be pretty. I loved that it was heavy on the whipped cream. The lemon really comes out nicely.
★★★★
Lauren
This strawberry shortcake recipe was a home run! I made this for Mother’s Day, and was quite nervous as I’m not a baker whatsoever. The instructions were easy to follow and not too complicated! I’m glad that Laney added the note about the dough being sticky, because it had me worried when it went in the oven!
★★★★★
Tara
Beautiful cake and a great way to use delicious strawberries. I definitely wanted it to be a little more sweet than it was. It was simple to make and great to look at!
★★★★