Strawberries and Cream Cake

Strawberry Shortcake on a sheet of brown parchment paper on a cake stand.

4.84 from 6 votes

Light and fluffy almond vanilla cake, with a super simple vanilla whipped cream, and topped with fresh strawberries, this Strawberries & Cream Cake is perfect for spring and summer.

Prep Time30

Cook Time30

cooling1

Total Time2

Course: Afternoon Kaffee, Dessert

Cuisine: American, German

Keyword: Strawberries, Whipped Cream

Servings:

Calories: 489kcal

Equipment

Stand Mixer or Electric Mixer

Ingredients

Vanilla Cake

160 grams unsalted butter soft
250 grams granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
4 eggs large, room temperature
100 grams almond flour whole or blanched
125 grams all purpose flour
1.5 teaspoons baking powder

Whipped Cream

8 ounces cream cheese cold
80 grams granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
350 grams heavy cream cold

Strawberries

500 grams strawberries more as needed

Instructions

Vanilla Cake

Preheat the oven to 350 F and place a rack in the center of the oven.
Line a 9” metal round pan, springform if you have it, with parchment paper or a baking spray with flour in it.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, add in the butter, sugar, salt, vanilla and almond extracts.
Use the paddle attachment to beat on medium high speed for 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
Add in the eggs, one at a time, mixing completely before adding the next. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl in between each egg. After the first two eggs, add in the almond flour and beat until just combined.
Then continue with the remaining two eggs.
Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl again.
Pour in the all purpose flour and baking powder and mix again on medium speed for about 30 seconds until combined.
Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan and smooth out the top. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar.
Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center, comes out clean.
Place the baked cake on a wire rack to cool for ten minutes. Then run a knife along the edge between the cake and the pan.
Remove the spring form or tip the cake out of the pan. Leave to cool completely on a piece of parchment paper on a wire rack.

Strawberries & Vanilla Whipped Cream

In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, add in the cream cheese, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract.
Whip on medium high speed for one minute until smooth.
Pour in the heavy cream and whip again on medium high speed until medium stiff peaks form. Place in the fridge until ready to assemble.
Rinse the strawberries and dry. Remove the tops and then cut the strawberries in half or dice.
Use a large spoon or spatula to scoop the whipped cream onto the cooled cake. Lay the strawberries down into the whipped cream. You can arrange them however you want or just sprinkle them all over the top!

Notes

Tips for making Strawberry Shortcake

Make sure the butter and eggs are at room temperature. This will help them mix seamlessly but if they start to look a lil split or curdled don't stress.
I used whole almond flour in this cake but blanched almond flour works too. I like the texture and flavor that the whole almonds give to the cake.
If you can't have almonds, or just want a basic vanilla cake, this Vanilla Cake baked in a 9" pan would be perfect.
This cake bakes FAST so make sure you are paying attention and test it by inserting a toothpick into the center and seeing if it comes out clean.
Allow the cake to cool fully before moving on to the Whipped Cream layer. If it is still warm, the cream with become runny and soak into the cake.
If the cream isn't stiff enough (it should be a little soft), place it in the fridge to encourage the cream cheese to start setting.
Make sure to dry the strawberries off before putting them on top of the cream as the water can cause the cream to split. Not the end of the world, just doesn't look as nice.
No matter which way you decide to layout the strawberries on top, whole, halved, or diced, the cake will be delicious so don't stress. In the photos I kept them whole because they were just picture perfect but if I was serving it, I would slice the strawberries and pile them high on top.

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