This is all the best parts of both cake, and strawberry shortcake. This dessert has a tender crumb that is both moist and “biscuit” like, made with your sourdough discard, filled with fresh strawberries and of course, topped with a big ol’ dollop of whipped cream.
❤️ Why You’ll Love Strawberry Shortcake Cake
I feel like I should start off by saying that I served this to my brother who doesn’t like strawberries, and he even liked this cake!
Also, every time I make this for someone the first thing they say is “that didn’t take any time at all”, because a cake as delicious as this one always seems like it should take more time. When really all you need is simple, delicious ingredients and one hour of your time.
🍲 Ingredients
Sourdough Discard- unfed, inactive sourdough starter that’s been on the counter, or in the fridge.
All-purpose flour- 99% of my recipes are made with Costco’s organic, unbleached all-purpose flour.
Butter – salted or unsalted. This recipe calls for melted because I realize not everyone has room temperature butter ready, but I have also used softened butter and whipped it up like I would if I were making a cookie and it’s worked beautifully!
Salt – we use pink Himalayan salt in our recipes but use what you have on hand!
Yogurt – this gives the cake that moist, but crumbly shortcake texture. This can also be easily substituted for sour cream.
Baking powder – the leavening agent in the cake.
Vanilla extract – to round out the shortcake flavor.
Granulated Sugar – for sweetness.
Whipped Cream – I don’t care how many things I make from scratch; strawberry short cake just isn’t the same without the classic freezer tub of cool whip dolloped on top! But you can use any whipped topping you like.
👩🍳 How to Make Sourdough Strawberry Shortcake Cake
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together your dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt) and set aside.
- Melt your butter and transfer into your stand mixer bowl. On a medium – low speed with the paddle attachment, mix together your butter and sugar.
- Add in one egg at a time until mixed well.
- Add in the yogurt, sourdough discard and vanilla and whisk until all the ingredients are fully incorporated and there are no streaks from the yogurt or sourdough discard.
- Switch the speed to low and add one third of the dry ingredients in at a time and mix until just combined.
- With a spatula, fold in the fresh strawberries.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Transfer all the batter into a greased cake pan, or 9×9 baking dish and sprinkle one tablespoon of granulated sugar over the top.
- Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.
- Let cool in the baking dish and serve with a big dollop of cool whip!
🪄 Tips and Tricks
- A stand mixer isn’t necessary, it just makes things easier. I’ve made this plenty of times with just a bowl and a whisk.
- If you want to make a strawberry shortcake birthday cake, double this recipe, use two cake pans and spread a layer of cool whip in the middle and the top!
🗒 Variations
The cake crumb is set, but you can play around with the icing! I prefer the cool whipped icing to really drive the shortcake flavor home, but I’ve also made this with cream cheese icing, and it’s been a big hit! It also is a great cream cheese dip for the extra fresh strawberries I have.
- Cream Cheese Frosting – 1 8oz block of softened cream cheese + 3/4 cup powdered sugar + 1 tbs whole milk + 1/2 tsp vanilla extract.
🗒 Substitutions
The crumb of this cake lends very much to a shortcake texture, but if you want to switch to fresh blackberries instead of strawberries, I think that would be delicious!
- strawberries – blackberries
- yogurt – sour cream
🗒 Best served with
- Dessert and a cup of coffee.
- Spring brunch spread.
👝 How to Store Leftovers
Store your leftover cake in an airtight dish in the refrigerator for 3 – 5 days. Or you can keep it in the pan you baked it in and cover it with plastic wrap.
🤔 Common Questions
If you don’t have sourdough discard you can change the flour to 2 cups of all-purpose flour and 1 cup of yogurt to compensate.
Sourdough Strawberry Shortcake Cake
Equipment
- stand mixer or large mixing bowl with whisk
- cake pan
- Spatula
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup butter melted
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup sourdough discard
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ cup yogurt
- 1 ½ cups diced fresh strawberries.
- 8 oz cool whip topping
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together your dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt) and set aside.
- Melt your butter and transfer into your stand mixer bowl. On a medium – low speed with the paddle attachment, mix together your butter and sugar.
- Add in one egg at a time until mixed well.
- Add in the yogurt, sourdough discard and vanilla and whisk until all the ingredients are fully incorporated and there are no streaks from the yogurt or sourdough discard.
- Switch the speed to low and add one third of the dry ingredients in at a time and mix until just combined.
- With a spatula, fold in the fresh strawberries.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Transfer all the batter into a greased cake pan, or 9×9 baking dish and sprinkle one tablespoon of granulated sugar over the top.
- Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.
- Let cool in the baking dish and serve with a big dollop of cool whip!
I just made this and substituted frozen blueberries Other than adding 10 minutes to the bake time, I made no other changes. Delicious!
Made this tonight for the first time and everyone loved it! My 4 year old not only asked for seconds but said “can you make this again please mama” – thank you for sharing your recipes!!!
My most cherished compliments are the ones from kiddos!
This was SO good! If you’re looking for a cake that is just the right amount of sweet this is it. It’s not too rich & has just the right amount of tang from the sourdough! Easy to make, great instructions!
Exactly what I was going for! I’m so glad you liked it 🙂
This turned out perfectly, I used homemade whipped cream instead just personal preference. This is definitely a keeper.
What kind of yogurt does this recipe call for?
I usually use 0 sugar chobani vanilla greek yogurt but you can use whatever greek yogurt you like. You can also substitute for sour cream.