This Gluten-Free Strawberry Shortcake has all the flavor of the classic dessert in one easy, sliceable cake. A tender shortcake-style vanilla cake is topped with fluffy sweetened whipped cream and ripe, juicy strawberries for a beautiful spring and summer dessert. It's fresh, simple, and elegant enough for entertaining, with no individual shortcakes to split, fill, and assemble-just slice and serve.
This gluten-free strawberry shortcake cake is baked as one simple layer, then finished with soft clouds of whipped cream and a crown of berries. It tastes like classic strawberry shortcake, but serves like a bakery-style dessert - clean slices, pretty presentation, and no last-minute biscuit assembly. I've also included tips for make-ahead whipped cream that holds longer for serving.
↓ Recipe
Gluten-Free Strawberry Shortcake Snapshot
- Tender shortcake-style cake - Soft, moist, and slices cleanly.
- Easy one-layer dessert - No splitting, filling, or assembling individual shortcakes.
- Classic berry-and-cream flavor - Ripe strawberries, fluffy whipped cream, and vanilla cake.
- Flexible for the season - Use strawberries, mixed berries, peaches, or other summer fruit.
For another easy gluten-free cake, try my gluten-free poundcake.
Ingredients You'll Need
- Flour - Use a good gluten-free flour blend. I use King Arthur.
- Baking powder - Helps the cake rise and gives it a lighter texture.
- Baking soda - Works with the acidity in the sour cream for lift and browning.
- Butter - Use good, unsalted butter.
- Sugar - Sweetens the cake and helps create a tender, moist crumb, and a little for macerating the berries.
- Eggs - Give the cake structure and help it slice cleanly.
- Vanilla - Use real vanilla extract for classic shortcake flavor.
- Lemon zest - Just the zest, no juice needed, nice with the berries.
- Sour cream - Adds acidity for the baking soda, and tenderness to the cake.
- Milk - Whole milk loosens the batter and helps create a softer crumb.
- Heavy whipping cream - For the whipped cream topping, and a little for the cake batter for extra richness.
- Strawberries - The classic topping for strawberry shortcake. Use ripe, fresh berries for the best flavors.
Please see the recipe card for measurements and salt.
Substitutions and Variations
- Other fruit - Try raspberries, raspberry sauce, blueberries, blueberry compote, peaches, plums, or other seasonal fruit.
- No good strawberries - Use frozen strawberries instead. Thaw, chop, and sweeten with a little sugar or monk fruit if needed. The thawed juices become your macerated strawberry sauce.
- Extra strawberry sauce - Use extra fresh or frozen berries to make this easy strawberry sauce.
Tools note - I use a 9-inch springform pan, lined with parchment and lightly buttered. A standard 9-inch round cake pan should also work; line the bottom with parchment, grease the sides well. Cool the cake 15 minutes before carefully turning it out.
Chef Sally's Tip: Don't Overmix the Batter: Gluten-free cake batter can trap air pockets if it's overmixed or beaten too aggressively after the flour is added. Mix gently on low speed just until the batter comes together, then finish mixing by hand with a spatula if needed. Resting the batter helps hydrate the flour, and a few gentle taps on the counter help release larger air bubbles for a more even crumb.
How to Make a Gluten-Free Strawberry Shortcake Cake
- Sift the dry ingredients together in one bowl.
- Cream soft butter and sugar just until fluffy with a hand mixer, minute.
- Add eggs 1 at a time, then the vanilla and lemon zest. Beat until just combined, do not over beat or aerate. Add the milk, sour cream, and cream.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix gently just until the batter comes together, finishing the batter off by hand mixing with a spatula.
- Scrap the thick batter into the springform pan. Smooth the batter until level. Using a mini off-set spatula works easiest. Tap the pan on the counter 4-5 times to release any bubbles.
- Rest batter 20-30 minutes to hydrate. Bake cake 30-35 minutes until light golden and it springs back in the center when touched. A cake tester should come out clean. Cool on a wire rack 15 minutes, then remove from pan and cool fully.
While cake is baking, prepare the strawberries - Leave small berries whole and halve or slice larger berries. Macerate some with a little sweetener if you want juicy berries and sauce.
Finish the cake - Spoon or dollop whipped cream over the cooled cake, then top with strawberries and a little strawberry juice or sauce.
When the cake is completely cool, wrap the plain cake in parchment or wax paper, then place it in a loose plastic bag or wrap lightly in plastic. The paper barrier helps protect the tender crumb from sticking or getting tacky. Store at room temperature and top with whipped cream and strawberries the day you serve.
Chef Sally's Tip for Make-Ahead Whipped Cream: For whipped cream that holds longer, use powdered sugar instead of granulated sugar-the small amount of cornstarch helps stabilize it. For a firmer make-ahead option, bloom ½ teaspoon powdered gelatin in 1 tablespoon cold water for 5 minutes, warm just until melted, then drizzle into softly whipped cream and finish whipping to medium peaks. Refrigerate until ready to use, up to a few hours ahead of time.
Serving Suggestions
Spoon whipped cream over the cooled cake, then pile with whole, halved, or macerated strawberries on top so the juices drip down the sides. For cleaner slices, cut the cake into 8 pieces and top each slice individually with whipped cream and berries. Add strawberry sauce if desired.
Make-ahead: The plain cake can be baked 1-2 days ahead. Once completely cool, wrap in parchment or wax paper, then place in a loose plastic bag or wrap lightly in plastic. Store at room temperature. Add the whipped cream and strawberries before serving.
More Desserts With Berries
Love desserts with berries? Me too, and here are a few more to try. And for another great GF cake, try this super moist Lemon Olive Oil Cake recipe.
📖 Recipe
Gluten-Free Strawberry Shortcake Cake
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 8 ounces KA Measure-for-Measure GF
- 1 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon ¼ teaspoon fine salt
Wet Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 stick, plus a bit extra for the pan
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 lemon, zested
- ½ cup full-fat sour cream
- 6 tablespoons whole milk ¼ cup+2 tablespoons
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream from the topping cream is fine
Topping
- 1 pound fresh strawberries 3-4 cups sliced
- 2-3 tablespoons sugar or monk fruit blend
- 12 ounces heavy whipping cream 1 ½ cups
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Prep pan and oven
- Heat oven to 350°F. With a little extra butter, grease a 9-inch springform (or round cake pan), then line with a parchment round.
Sift dry ingredients
- In a bowl, sift together the gluten-free flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, then whisk to evenly combine.
Blend wet ingredients
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until just light and smooth on a low speed, 1-2 minutes (don't over-aerate). Beat in the eggs one at a time just to combine. Mix in vanilla and lemon zest. Combine the sour cream, milk, and cream, blend into the batter on low.
Gently mix batter
- With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients in two additions. Mix just combined, then finish by hand with a spatula if needed. Batter will be thick and spreadable (not pourable).
Pan and settle
- Spread the pan into the pan and smooth the top with the offset spatula. Tap the pan gently 3-4 times on the counter to release air pockets. Rest the batter for 15 minutes to hydrate the flour.
Bake cake
- Bake cake until the center springs back when touched and a cake tester or thin skewer comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, about 30-35 minutes. Start checking at 28-30 minutes as oven vary.
Macerate strawberries
- While the cake bakes, hull and slice the strawberries. Add them to a bowl with the sugar and let stand for 30 minutes, until juicy.
Cool cake
- Cool in the pan 10-15 minutes, then release the spring and cool completely on a rack. If baking in a standard cake pan, after resting, invert the cake to remove with a wire rack then carefully turn it back over with another rack or flat plate.
Top and serve
- Spoon whipped cream over the cooled cake, then pile macerated strawberries on top. For cleaner slices, cut first and top each piece individually.
Notes
Nutrition
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