Strawberry Whipped Cream Cake

This strawberries and cream cake has always been close to my heart. It was my grandfather’s favorite, and I made it for his birthday almost every year when fresh June strawberries were at their best. I even made it for my grandma sometimes in January, thanks to those early Florida berries showing up in East Coast markets.

The cake itself is simple and nostalgic: light, tender layers filled with sweet whipped cream and juicy strawberries, just the way my grandparents loved it. Every time I make it, I think of my grandpa saying grace at my wedding and closing with his signature “And God Bless America!” It’s more than just a dessert—it’s a family tradition I’m so happy to share with you.

This Strawberries and Cream Cake Belongs in Your Recipe Box

• Soft cake, sweet cream, and jammy berries. Every slice is stacked with fluffy buttermilk white cake, thick swirls of whipped cream, and juicy strawberries that start to sink into the layers just enough to make it all taste like summer.
• The cake doesn’t play backup. Sure, you could use a mix, but this homemade white cake is tender, buttery, and holds its own under all that fruit and cream. It’s simple, but it’s the kind of simple that makes you go back for another forkful. Of course, if you’re making it gluten-free, you can always use a gluten-free white cake instead.
• Real ingredients, no shortcuts. This is all about fresh berries and soft peaks of whipped cream—no tubs, no cans, nothing artificial. And if you catch strawberries at their peak? Even better. You’ll want to eat it straight from the fridge the next morning.

What You’ll Need

With layers of white cake, fresh strawberries, and homemade whipped cream, this cake is all about making simple ingredients shine. I’ve included some notes on what you’ll need below. Scroll down to the printable recipe card for a full list with amounts.

• Cake Flour: Cake flour is the key to baking incredibly soft, light, and springy white cakes like angel food cake. All-purpose won’t give this cake the same moistness and texture.
• Leavening: Baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Check the best before dates on your leavening to make sure they’re as fresh as possible.
• Butter: I like to bake with unsalted butter, but salted is also fine.
• Sugar: I recommend granulated white sugar for the most consistent texture.
• Egg Whites: Separating the egg whites from the yolks is easiest to do when the eggs are cold from the fridge.
• Vanilla: Make sure it’s real vanilla extract or equal parts vanilla paste.
• Buttermilk: If you don’t have buttermilk, you can substitute 1 1/2 tablespoons of vinegar plus enough milk to equal one cup. Or, substitute or one cup of milk with half a cup of Greek yogurt.
• Fresh Strawberries: Rinse, dried, and hulled before you slice them and macerate them with sugar. If you can’t find fresh strawberries out of season, you can make this cake with frozen berries instead. In this case, thaw them completely and drain them well beforehand. You don’t need to macerate frozen and thawed strawberries.
• Whipped Cream: I use the same homemade whipped cream in my strawberry shortcake recipe. All you need is full-fat heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar (also called confectioner’s sugar), and vanilla extract.

Tips for Success

• Measure the flour correctly. The best way to measure accurately is to use a kitchen scale. If you don’t own a scale, use the spoon and sweep method: spoon the flour from the bag into the measuring cup (never scoop straight from the bag!), and level off the top with a knife afterward. This avoids overmeasuring, which can lead to a dry, crumbly cake.
• If you don’t have cake flour, try substituting 3/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour combined with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch (a suggestion courtesy of King Arthur Flour!).
• Time-saving tip: If you’re short on time to make the white cake from scratch, use your favorite box of white cake mix from the grocery store.
• Use fresh filling ingredients. Even if you use a store-bought cake mix, I recommend using fresh strawberries and homemade whipped cream whenever possible. You’ll taste the difference!
• Chill the bowl when making whipped cream. Put the bowl that you’ll use for whipping the cream in the freezer for 5-10 minutes beforehand, and use very cold heavy cream to help it whip better. Try to whip the cream just before you are going to assemble the cake.
• Don’t over-whip the cream. Be sure not to overbeat the whipped cream or it will separate and turn into butter.

How to Store

• Refrigerate: Store this strawberry whipped cream cake covered airtight in the fridge as soon as possible after frosting it (unless you’re serving it right away). It’ll last for 1-2 days before the whipped cream starts to weep.
• Freeze: I don’t recommend freezing the frosted cake, however, you can freeze the baked and cooled cake layers for up to 2 months. Wrap the cakes tightly in a double layer of plastic wrap. Thaw the cakes at room temperature before filling and frosting the cake.

More Strawberry Desserts

• Strawberry Shortcake Trifle
• Strawberry Fruit Dip
• Gluten Free Strawberry Muffins
• Strawberry Cheesecake Parfaits
• Strawberry Icebox Cake
• Gluten Free Strawberry Crumble