This strawberry whipped cream cake is made with a soft and fluffy vanilla cake base, topped with whipped cream and fresh strawberries.
This cake starts with a soft, fluffy vanilla cake that’s incredibly light and full of flavor.
On top, there’s a thick layer of freshly whipped cream that’s just the right amount of sweet, and it’s all finished with plenty of fresh, juicy strawberries.
The mix of creamy, fruity, and cakey layers makes every bite taste like summer. It's light and melts in your mouth in every bite.
Whether you're making it for a birthday, a weekend gathering, or just because strawberries are in season, this cake always hits the spot.
For more strawberry desserts, check out my strawberry lemon cake, chocolate strawberry cake, strawberry tiramisu, strawberry cheesecake cookies, strawberry compote, and strawberry cinnamon rolls.
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Why this recipe works
- Light texture – the vanilla cake has a soft, fluffy crumb that makes it feel light and not overly rich, which pairs perfectly with the whipped cream and fresh strawberries.
- Perfect for ripe strawberries- this cake is a great way to use up fresh strawberries when they’re in season. The natural sweetness and juiciness of ripe berries makes this dessert fresh and light.
- Delicious flavor- with the subtle vanilla cake, lightly sweetened whipped cream, and bursts of strawberry in every bite, the flavor is simple, fresh, and so satisfying. Perfect for strawberry and cream lovers.
- Easy to make- no complicated layers or techniques, just a single cake layer, whipped cream, and sliced fruit. It’s beginner-friendly but still feels special and looks impressive.
- Lots of variations- you can easily switch it up by using other berries, adding citrus zest to the whipped cream, or even brushing the cake with a little jam or syrup for extra flavor.
Ingredients
Before you start to make this recipe, measure and prepare your ingredients so the cooking process will go smoothly and easily.
Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
Butter- use unsalted butter for this recipe. Only butter will work for this recipe, no margarine, and no coconut oil. Margarine has a weird taste and can ruin the flavor of this cake.
Eggs- you will need large eggs for this recipe. Make sure that your eggs are at room temperature.
Flour– I used all-purpose flour for this recipe. Cake flour will work great as well.
Sour cream- use either sour cream or Greek yogurt. Both will work great.
Baking powder- to allow the cake to rise. Make sure it's not expired.
Granulated sugar– I like to use granulated sugar, also the most common sugar used in baking. Caster sugar will work great as well.
Vegetable oil – I used vegetable oil for this recipe. canola oil will work great for this recipe.
Vinegar- is the secret ingredient that makes this cake extra moist and tender. You will need one teaspoon of vinegar for this recipe.
Vanilla extract- you can use vanilla bean extract or pure vanilla extract for better flavor.
Buttermilk– gives the cake extra moisture. You can make your own buttermilk if you don’t have one on hand. Simply mix a cup of milk with a tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice and let it sit for at least 10 minutes.
Kosher salt- you will need about ½ teaspoon of kosher salt for this recipe.
For the whipped cream
Heavy whipping cream- use cold heavy whipping cream.
Powdered sugar- you will need powdered sugar for the whipped cream. You don't have to buy powdered sugar, you can simply make it at home by blending granulated sugar in a blender or food processor.
Strawberries- fresh, ripe strawberries are essential for the best flavor. Look for bright red berries that are juicy and sweet. They add natural sweetness and a slight tartness.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and prepare a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, add the softened butter, vanilla extract, granulated sugar, and kosher salt. Mix with an electric hand mixer until creamy and smooth for about 3 minutes.
Gradually add the oil while mixing constantly until the mixture is smooth.
Add the eggs, vinegar, and sour cream, and mix until well combined.
Add the buttermilk, ½ of the flour, and baking powder, and mix until almost combined. Add the other ½ of the flour and mix until just combined, and there are no visible lumps of flour.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake the cake in a 180°C (350°F) preheated oven for about 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean with a few moist crumbs.
Allow the cake to cool completely. Run a butter knife or a thin spatula around the edges of the cake to release it from the sides of the pan.
Make the whipped cream
In a cold mixing bowl, beat cold heavy cream with powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and vanilla instant pudding. Whip until soft to medium peaks form.
Next, prepare the strawberries. Rinse them well, pat them dry, remove the stems, and slice or quarter them, depending on the look you want for your cake.
Once the vanilla cake is completely cool, place it on a serving plate. Spread the whipped cream evenly over the top, then layer on the sliced strawberries.
Expert Tips
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and butter. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with a back of a knife.
- Don’t overmix the cake batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have a moist cake and not a dense and dry cake.
- Pat the strawberries dry. After rinsing your strawberries, gently dry them with a paper towel. Too much moisture can cause your whipped cream to slide off or make the top soggy.
- Chill the bowl for whipped cream. Whipping cream works best when everything is cold. Pop your mixing bowl and beaters in the fridge or freezer for 10–15 minutes before whipping.
- Don’t overwhip. Stop whipping as soon as you get soft peaks (when the cream just holds its shape). Overwhipping can turn it stiff or grainy, and eventually into butter!
- Line your baking pan with parchment paper! This step helps the cake to bake evenly, and it makes sure that your loaf cake will release easily from the pan.
- Test for doneness carefully. Insert a toothpick into the center, it should come out clean or with just a few crumbs attached when done.
- Let the cake cool completely. If your cake is still warm, the whipped cream will melt and slide off. Give it time to cool fully before decorating.
- Top just before serving. Strawberries can release juice and whipped cream can deflate over time, so for the freshest look and best texture, decorate close to serving time.
Faq's
A whipped cream cake will last about 2–3 days in the fridge. Keep it covered and chilled to maintain freshness and prevent the cream from breaking down.
To keep whipped cream from melting on a cake, you can stabilize it by adding 1 tablespoon of vanilla instant pudding mix (instant vanilla powder). This helps the cream hold its shape for longer.
To select ripe strawberries, choose bright red, shiny berries that are firm but not hard and emit a sweet fragrance.
Avoid those with white or green tips and check for mold or mushy spots. For best flavor and freshness, pick strawberries with their green caps intact.
Storing
This cake will last up to 3 in the fridge. Cover the cake with plastic wrap or foil to prevent it from drying out and from the fridge flavors to soak into the cake.
Freezing
You can freeze the plain vanilla cake layer before adding the whipped cream and strawberries. Once it’s completely cool, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, then a layer of foil, or place it in an airtight container.
It’ll stay fresh in the freezer for up to 2 months. When you're ready to serve, let it thaw at room temperature, then top with freshly whipped cream and sliced strawberries for the best texture and flavor.
It’s best not to freeze the whole decorated cake, since whipped cream and fresh berries don’t thaw well.
Substitutions
Dairy-free- to make this cake dairy-free, replace the buttermilk with almond milk and the butter with vegan butter, also use dairy-free heavy cream for the frosting and vegan whipping cream.
Gluten-free - if you want to make this recipe gluten-free, simply replace the flour with gluten-free flour.
Variations
Berries- instead of using strawberries, you can use blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries. Use the same recipe and swap the strawberries with your favorite berry.
Freeze-dried strawberries- for extra strawberry flavor, add ¼ cup of ground freeze-dried strawberries to the whipped cream.
Lemon zest- add a teaspoon of lemon zest to the cake batter for a bright, tangy twist.
Cream cheese frosting- top this cake with cream cheese frosting instead of whipped cream. I recommend using my whipped cream cheese frosting recipe from my pumpkin olive oil cake recipe.
Serving Tips
Strawberry sauce- top this cake with strawberry sauce for a delicious twist. I recommend using my homemade strawberry topping.
Passion fruit- top the cake with fresh passion fruit for sweetness and a slight sour kick.
Zest- top a slice of this cake with the zest of lemon or orange for extra aroma and flavor.
Equipment
- Mixing bowl (set of 3).
- Whisk Set (pack of 3) to whisk the ingredients together.
- You will need a 9-inch springform pan for this cake. I love this set from Amazon.
- Offset spatula for smoothing out the whipped cream on top.
- Rubber spatula to fold the mixture and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Electric hand mixer.
More strawberry desserts
Dubai strawberry cups- These Dubai strawberry cups are made with fresh strawberries, creamy pistachio mixed with crispy kataifi, and chocolate.
Strawberry mousse cake- This strawberry mousse cake is made with a graham cracker crust and a creamy mousse filling made with fresh strawberry puree.
Strawberry cheesecake bars- These strawberry cheesecake bars are made with a graham cracker crust, creamy cheesecake filling, and easy strawberry topping.
If you tried this recipe, don’t forget to leave a rating and a comment below. I love hearing from you.
If you liked this recipe
📖 Recipe
Strawberry Whipped Cream Cake
Ingredients
For the vanilla cake
- ¼ cup Butter soft, unsalted
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 cup Granulated sugar
- ¼ cup Vegetable oil
- ¼ cup Sour cream
- 1 teaspoon Vinegar
- 2 Eggs
- ½ cup Buttermilk
- 1 ½ cup Flour
- 1 ⅓ teaspoon Baking powder
Whipped cream
- 1 cup Heavy cream cold, full fat
- 3 tablespoon Powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon Vanilla instant pudding mix
- 20 Strawberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and prepare a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the softened butter, vanilla extract, granulated sugar, and kosher salt. Mix with an electric hand mixer until creamy and smooth for about 3 minutes.
- Gradually add the oil while mixing constantly until the mixture is smooth.
- Add the eggs, vinegar, and sour cream, and mix until well combined.
- Add the buttermilk, ½ of the flour, and baking powder, and mix until almost combined. Add the other ½ of the flour and mix until just combined, and there are no visible lumps of flour.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake the cake in a 180°C (350°F) preheated oven for about 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean with a few moist crumbs.
- Allow the cake to cool completely. Run a butter knife or a thin spatula around the edges of the cake to release it from the sides of the pan.
Make the whipped cream
- In a cold mixing bowl, beat cold heavy cream with powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and vanilla instant pudding. Whip until soft to medium peaks form.
- Next, prepare the strawberries. Rinse them well, pat them dry, remove the stems, and slice or quarter them, depending on the look you want for your cake.
- Once the vanilla cake is completely cool, place it on a serving plate. Spread the whipped cream evenly over the top, then layer on the sliced strawberries.
Notes
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and butter. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with a back of a knife.
- Don’t overmix the cake batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have a moist cake and not a dense and dry cake.
- Pat the strawberries dry. After rinsing your strawberries, gently dry them with a paper towel. Too much moisture can cause your whipped cream to slide off or make the top soggy.
- Chill the bowl for whipped cream. Whipping cream works best when everything is cold. Pop your mixing bowl and beaters in the fridge or freezer for 10–15 minutes before whipping.
- Don’t overwhip. Stop whipping as soon as you get soft peaks (when the cream just holds its shape). Overwhipping can turn it stiff or grainy, and eventually into butter!
- Line your baking pan with parchment paper! This step helps the cake to bake evenly, and it makes sure that your loaf cake will release easily from the pan.
- Test for doneness carefully. Insert a toothpick into the center, it should come out clean or with just a few crumbs attached when done.
- Let the cake cool completely. If your cake is still warm, the whipped cream will melt and slide off. Give it time to cool fully before decorating.
- Top just before serving. Strawberries can release juice and whipped cream can deflate over time, so for the freshest look and best texture, decorate close to serving time.
Amy says
The cake is super soft, and it's delicious with the whipped cream and strawberries, very fresh!