Name: Strawberry Shortcake Layer Cake
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 65 min
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups cake flour; 1/2 teaspoons baking powder; 3/4 cup sugar; 1 teaspoon lemon zest; 1/3 cup sugar; 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar; 7 large eggs, (separated); 1/2 cup vegetable oil; 1/2 cup water; 1 teaspoon vanilla; 4 cups heavy cream, (chilled); 1/4 cup powdered sugar, (sifted); 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 1 pint fresh strawberries

Jump to Recipe

Starting this week on a sweeter note with this Strawberry Shortcake Layer Cake with Chantilly Cream…because it’s almost Spring! Extra light and airy, this chiffon cake is much more moist and flavorful than any other cake out there. Hinted throughout with sweet vanilla and light twist of lemon to give this cake that bright pop of summer flavor that it needs. Then, after baking, this cake is topped with a silky smooth Chantilly Cream plus lots of fresh strawberries to ensure every bite tastes just like a strawberry shortcake…just so much better! Every bite is full of bright spring and summer flavors. It’s sweet, without being too sweet, light, full of flavor, and just SO GOOD! Enjoy for as a special summer breakfast with family, brunch, or even as a simple but stunning dessert. This cake is great anytime throughout the spring and summer months.

slice of strawberry shortcake layer cake being cut into with fork, full cake behind with jar of flowers

→ This post is also available as a Web Story: Strawberry Shortcake Layer Cake

About The Recipe

Okay, I know the official Spring is technically still a few weeks away, but I think this cake will make the weather turn in our favor because this cake is definitely all about those warmer days.

Honestly, I’m not sure there’s anything that embodies spring/summer more than this cake. Okay, maybe a few of our other summery recipes we just posted, but we are currently loving this lighter take on the classic strawberry shortcake. It’s honestly one of the most delicious cakes we have ever baked! It’s so perfectly sweet and every bite is truly delicious.

slice missing from cake on white cake plate with pink napkin, cake knife, and flowers with cake slice behind

And, my mom and I have honestly been wanting to make some form of strawberry dessert for a few weeks now. It was just a matter of what should we do. We’ve already done a strawberry shortcake, a strawberry snack cake, and even strawberry ice cream! So, we knew this post needed to be something just a little bit different…even just a little special.

I will be the first to admit that I absolutely love layer cakes. I love making them and sharing them with family and friends!

But my favorite part will always be making them pretty.

So, when gorgeous strawberries started making their way into our local farmers markets and we found ourselves with about four or five baskets full of strawberries…the idea finally came to us!

strawberry shortcake cake on white cake stand with pink napkin, flowers, and glasses behind

overhead shot of cake with slice missing with lots of strawberries on top, white flowers, a cake knife, pink napkin and slice below

While our strawberry shortcake is delicious, there was just something that sounded like so much fun with turning it into a layer cake.

But – that also prompted our first challenge. What kind of cake should we make to represent the shortcake?

Let me tell you, we ran through about a hundred different ideas and ways to make a yellow cake. But, there wasn’t really anything jumping out at us that seemed like it would hold up to refrigeration and being sandwiched in-between layers of strawberries and chantilly cream.

I’ll be honest, few days passed us by before we figured it out. It wasn’t until the other day that we finally remembered the one cake neither of us had thought about! A classic chiffon cake. So, after a little bit of research, we decided it would be the perfect cake to do what we wanted!

It’s light, fluffy, refrigerates well, and it holds flavor. We finally found our cake!

overhead shot of strawberry shortcake cake slice on white plate with forkful of cake

And, after a little bit of testing, we have the perfect cake to share with all of you!

Equipment Needed

Mixing Bowls
Whisk
Sifter
8 Inch Cake Pans
Cake Tester
Mixer
Rubber Spatula
Hand Mixer
Wire Cooling Rack

Ingredients

For The Cake:

Cake Flour
Sugar
Baking Powder
Lemon Zest
Egg Yolks
Vegetable Oil
Water
Vanilla
Egg Whites
Cream of Tartar

flour, cream of tartar, vanilla, baking powder, egg yolks, sugar, water, lemon zest, vegetable oil, and egg whites on marble counter

For The Filling:

Heavy Cream
Powdered Sugar
Vanilla
Strawberries

cream, vanilla, powdered sugar, and strawberries on marble counter

Instructions

In a medium sized bowl, sift together cake flour, baking powder, and sugar.

flour, sugar, and baking powder in a sieve

dry ingredients sifted into a glass bowl

Stir in the lemon zest with a whisk.

dry ingredients whisked together in a glass bowl

Whisk together egg yolks, vegetable oil, water, and vanilla until combined.

eggs, oil, vanilla, and water in glass bowl

Combine egg whites, the rest of the sugar, and cream of tartar in a large glass bowl (or in the mixer). Beat on high for 3-5 minutes, or until medium peaks form.

egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in glass bowl

Fold in the dry ingredients in small amounts. About 4-5 additions.

small amount of dry ingredients added to egg mixture

Fold in the egg whites in four additions.

Transfer the batter into three cake pans and bake at 350 for 20 minutes, or until the cake tests done and is pulling away from the pans. Let cool for about 5 minutes in the pan before turning out onto wire cooling rack.

baked cake layer on marble counter in pan

Once the cake is finished cooling, chop the strawberries. Set aside.

In the stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla until soft to medium peaks form. About 3-5 minutes.

cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a mixer

Now it’s time to assemble the cake! Place a cake layer on your chosen stand, spoon about 1 cup of chantilly cream and spread across. Sprinkle top with strawberries. Repeat until no more cake layers remain.

chantilly cream added on top of cake layer

Chiffon Cake Troubleshooting

Cake didn’t rise properly/sank after taking out of the oven. This could’ve been caused by a few things.The egg whites might not have been beaten enough or it could’ve been the egg whites weren’t folded in properly. The cake also could be underdone. Check your oven temps!

Cake has white streaks. Those white streaks are actually the meringue. It means they weren’t incorporated fully into the batter fully.

Cake stuck to the pan. No worries! Ours stuck a little bit, too. Just tap it a little and it should release from the pan.

Macerated Strawberries or Fresh?

For this recipe, we used fresh strawberries. You could definitely macerate the strawberries, if you wish! We didn’t mostly because we wanted our cake to be a little lighter than our original shortcake recipe. If you want to know how to macerate the strawberries, head over to our Strawberry Shortcake recipe!

strawberry shortcake cake slice on white plate with a fork, full cake beside, and white flowers

What To Serve With This Strawberry Shortcake Cake

When it comes to dessert, there’s no such thing as having too much! Here are some of our favorite things to serve with this cake or to top this cake with!

How To Store

This cake must be kept in the fridge! I highly recommend having this cake stored in a cake plate, but if you don’t have one that fits, you can put this cake on a cake board and wrap with either plastic wrap or aluminum foil. It should last about 3-5 days in the fridge.

Substitutions

Don’t have cake flour? No worries! You can take 1 cup of All-Purpose Flour, remove 2 Tablespoons, and then stir in 2 Tablespoons of cornstarch!
You can use macerated strawberries to give this cake something a little extra.
A whipped mascarpone cream can also be used instead of Chantilly Cream.

strawberry shortcake layer cake with pink napkin, flowers around, and glasses behind

Expert Tips

Make sure the egg whites are cold before whipping.
When mixing the meringue, be careful to not over-beat!
Fold in the egg whites, do not beat or stir.
If the cake stuck to the pan, don’t worry! Tap it against the counter and it should come out.
When whipped the chantilly cream, be careful not to over beat it! It’s easy to do. You want a light, fluffy, and creamy topping. It shouldn’t be hard and butter-like.
You may have extra chantilly cream. Free free to frost the cake with it, if you would like to!
This cake must be refrigerated.

When you make this Strawberry Shortcake Layer Cake, leave a comment down below! We love hearing from you and answering any questions you might have! Also, be sure to tag us on social media and hashtag it #BakersTable.

Strawberry Shortcake Layer Cake