This gluten free strawberry shortcake cake is a fun take on the classic dessert, with an impossibly tender vanilla cake, a thick layer of fresh whipped cream, and of course plenty of fresh strawberries.
The most tender vanilla cake made with butter and a touch of oil is sturdy enough to hold all those strawberries, their juice, and fluffy whipped cream.
My take
Nicole’s Recipe Notes
I love the berries and cream flavors of classic gluten free strawberry shortcake so much and wanted to be able to serve it as a proper birthday cake. This recipe makes the perfect show stopper dessert for a crowd.
I could have used the same recipe as our classic gluten free vanilla cake that’s appeared at countless weddings and birthday parties over the years (to rave reviews every time!). But that cake has a more delicate, open crumb, perfect for fluffy vanilla buttercream.
Here, I wanted an even more tender but slightly dense cake with a velvet smooth crumb. So I added some oil to the butter, for a cake that is stable enough to hold tons of strawberry juice, whipped cream, and berries.
Since the cake itself doesn’t have any strawberry flavor, unlike our gluten free strawberry cupcakes, we start by mixing sliced strawberries with sugar and a bit of vinegar. The berries release tons of their juice that we pour on top of the cooled cake, and have tons of strawberry flavor and aroma.
substitutions
Ingredients and substitutions
For the full ingredient list for the cake, strawberries and whipped cream, please see the recipe card. Here are some notes on ingredients and how you might avoid other allergens:
- Dairy: This cake is made with whole milk and butter, and both add richness and tenderness. If you need to make it dairy-free, try vegan butter (Miyoko’s Kitchen & Melt brands work best) and unsweetened unflavored nondairy milk like almond milk or Ripple unsweetened milk. Coconut milk in the carton (not the can) should work well, too). For the whipped cream, you can try using chilled coconut cream or one of the new dairy free whipping creams.
- Eggs: You’ll need 1 whole egg and 1 egg white for this cake. To make the cake egg-free, for the whole egg, you can try a “flax” or “chia” egg, or Bob’s Red Mill egg replacer. For the egg white, try unsalted aquafaba, or the brine from a can of chickpeas. You can also try 1 1/2 of your favorite egg replacer, too.
- Gluten free flour: I’ve made this cake with Nicole’s Best and Better Batter’s original blend. It would also work well with my mock Cup4Cup or my mock Better Batter. If you’d like to try using Bob’s Red Mill, it doesn’t contain enough xanthan gum for the cake not to crumble, so try adding another 1/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum to the dry ingredients.
- Oil: Any neutral oil will work, like canola, vegetable, peanut, avocado, or grapeseed. I don’t recommend using all oil instead of a combination of butter and oil, or the cake will taste (and smell) oily.
- Sugar: The cake calls for 3/4 cup of granulated sugar, and the strawberries for 1/4 cup. You can try replacing it with a granulated sugar alternative like Lankato monkfruit sweetener. You can also try reducing the sugar the cake by about 25 grams and it should still work. I don’t recommend swapping in a liquid sweetener here.
- Vinegar: Adding a bit of white balsamic or white wine vinegar to the strawberries helps draw out their moisture. In its place, you can add a dash of salt to the strawberries with the sugar.
My Pro Tip
Expert tips
Sift the flour
Like with our gluten free angel food cake, it’s so important to the texture of this cake that you sift your the flour blend to make sure the rise is even and the cake is lighter. Since it’s the first ingredient in the cake, you can just sift it right into the mixing bowl.
Use softer butter
We’re using the “reverse cream method” to make this cake, which just means that we whisk together the dry ingredients (including sugar), and then beat softened butter (and oil) in to create a velvety cake that has a somewhat denser crumb.
To make sure that the butter mixes easily into the flour, make sure yours is a little softer than the non-greasy butter we usually need if we’re beating it first with sugar. If you want to be really precise, a temperature of about 75°F on an instant read thermometer is just perfect.
Prevent your screen from going dark
Prepare the strawberries
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In a medium-size bowl, place the sliced strawberries and sprinkle the granulated sugar and (optional) vinegar on top. Toss gently to combine without crushing any strawberries.
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Allow the mixture to sit while you make the cake so the strawberries release their juices.
Prepare the cake
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Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch or 9-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with a round of parchment paper (trace the perimeter of the pan on the parchment, then cut out the circle). Set the pan aside.
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In a large measuring cup or medium-size bowl, place the egg, egg white, milk, and vanilla. Whisk to combine very well, and set aside.
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Into the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large mixing bowl with a handheld mixer), sift (yes, you have to sift!) the gluten free flour blend.
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To the mixing bowl, add the xanthan gum (if needed), baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar, and whisk to combine well.
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Add the butter and oil to the large mixing bowl, and mix on medium speed until the mixture appears uniformly sandy (about 2 minutes). Stop the mixer a few times to scrape down the sides to make sure all of the flour gets moistened by the butter and oil.
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With the mixer on low speed, add the whisked wet ingredients.
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Once the wet ingredients have been added, increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until the mixture seems mostly uniform (about 2 minutes). Using a silicone spatula, turn over the batter a few times by hand.
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The batter should be fluffy and relatively smooth, although a few lumps are fine. Do not overmix the batter in an attempt to make it perfectly smooth. It will be thickly pourable.
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Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, and smooth into an even layer with an offset spatula. Bang the bottom of the pan flat on the counter a few times to break any large air bubbles.
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Place the baking pan in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes. Rotate the pan in the oven 180°, and reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.
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Continue to bake at 325°F until the cake is lightly golden brown all over, has begun to pull away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with no more than a few moist crumbs attached (at least another 15 minutes for an 8-inch cake, less for a 9-inch cake).
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Remove the cake from the oven and place the pan on a wire rack. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 15 minutes on the rack before turning it over onto the rack (and removing the parchment paper liner) and letting it cool completely.
Prepare the whipped cream
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Place the heavy whipping cream and confectioners’ sugar in a large mixing bowl or the clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
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Whip on medium-low speed in the stand mixer or using a handheld mixer until the cream just begins to thicken. Increase the mixer speed to medium or medium-high and continue to whip until the mixture holds a stiff (but not dry) peak.
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Place the whipped cream in the refrigerator to chill while you finish the cake.
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 445kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 88mg | Sodium: 244mg | Potassium: 155mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 899IU | Vitamin C: 25mg | Calcium: 96mg | Iron: 0.4mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe variations
Since this recipe has 3 distinct parts, you can play around with flavors and textures pretty easily. Here are some ideas to get you started:
Frosting ideas
There are about as many recipes for gluten free frosting as there are flavors you can imagine. Try using a classic vanilla buttercream recipe and adding a layer of chopped strawberries on top. Or add some strawberry jelly to the buttercream (use jam if you prefer some strawberry pieces).
You can also use a stabilized whipped cream instead of regular whipped cream so you can keep the cake out at room temperature for longer.
Different fruits
In place of strawberries, you can use a different fruit. Raspberries would be the easiest swap, since they’ll release juice as they sit with the sugar and vinegar. You can also try blueberries, but I would brush the top of the cake with blueberry or even apple jelly rather than soaking the berries first. Passion fruit or kiwi would probably also work, or a combination of different fruits.
Make a layer cake
You can also double the yield of the recipe (to 16 slices) and divide the cake batter equally into 2 separate 8-inch or 9-inch cake pans. Then, follow the directions as written, except use fewer strawberries in the center. Then, layer the second cake on top of the some of the strawberries, and top with whipped cream and more strawberries.
FAQs
I wouldn’t recommend making this cake in a loaf pan. If you’d like a vanilla cake that’s in a loaf shape, try this gluten free pound cake recipe.
You should be able to make this recipe into 12 cupcakes, pour strawberry juice on top after they’ve cooled, then top with whipped cream and berries. I think they should take about 22 minutes to bake at 350°F, but I can’t be sure. I would chop the strawberries rather than slicing them, though, to fit more on each cupcake. Or you could use our gluten free cupcakes recipe instead and use the same toppings.
make ahead/leftovers
Storage instructions
Once you’ve assembled the cake by adding the strawberry juice, plus the whipped cream and strawberries, the cake is best served the same day. You can refrigerate the cake, as assembled, to keep the whipped cream from melting. Just let it come back to room temperature before serving.
The plain vanilla cake can be made, cooled and wrapped tightly, then stored for up to 1 day on the counter, 3 days in the refrigerator, or up to 2 months in the freezer. If frozen, defrost at room temperature before finishing the cake.
