Strawberry Shortcake Sheet Cake
on Jun 01, 2023, Updated Jun 28, 2024
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Sheet cakes are simple, but they’re still a favorite around here! This Strawberry Shortcake Sheet Cake is moist, fruity, and sweet, and it’s a cinch to whip up for a crowd-pleasing treat thanks to a little help from a box cake mix!
When it comes to entertaining a large group, nothing beats a sheet cake for convenience. What if we could marry the flavors of a summertime classic with the convenience of a crowd-friendly dessert? Enter the Strawberry Shortcake Sheet Cake, a perfect blend of light cake, luscious strawberries, and fluffy whipped cream, sure to make your next gathering a sweet success. This simple recipe uses a boxed cake mix for ease and it’s always a hit at gatherings.
Ingredients:
- White or yellow cake mix
- Milk, butter, and eggs
- Strawberries
- Heavy whipping cream
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla extract
Basic Instructions:
- Preheat the oven and prepare a jelly roll pan.
- Mix cake mix, milk, melted butter, and eggs in a bowl.
- Pour the mixture into the pan and bake until the cake springs back when lightly touched.
- Wash and chop strawberries into small pieces. Mix them with sugar and let them rest.
- Whip the cream with powdered sugar and vanilla extract until it forms peaks.
- Once the cake is ready, top it with the strawberries and their accumulated juice.
- Spread whipped cream over the strawberries.
- Slice and serve immediately or store in the fridge until ready to serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, while a white or vanilla cake mix is typically used for a traditional flavor profile, you can certainly use a different variety based on your preferences. Lemon or yellow cake could lend a nice twist to the dessert.
Yes, you can use frozen strawberries if fresh ones are not available. Make sure to thaw and drain them well to avoid excess moisture, which could make your cake soggy.
This cake is best stored in the refrigerator due to the whipped cream topping. It can be kept for up to three days, although it’s best enjoyed within a day or two.
Yes, you can bake the cake and prepare the strawberry and whipped cream toppings ahead of time. However, it’s best to assemble the cake close to serving time to keep the layers distinct and the textures at their best.
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Strawberry Shortcake Sheet Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 1 white or yellow cake mix
- 1 cup milk, whole preferred
- ½ cup butter, melted and cooled
- 4 eggs
For the Topping:
- 2 pounds strawberries
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F., and grease a jelly roll pan well (a rimmed baking sheet or cookie sheet that is 12×17 inches).
- In a medium mixing bowl, add the cake mix. Do not add the ingredients called for on the back of the box. Instead, you are going to add the milk, melted butter, and eggs to the cake mix.
- Stir very well to combine.
- Pour into the prepared baking pan and bake until the cake springs back when lightly touched, about 15 minutes (an under baked cake will leave an indent when touched).
- While the cake is baking, wash and remove the stems from your strawberries, and then chop them into smaller pieces. I like to cut the berries in half from bottom to stem and then lay the cut side down on the cutting board, cutting each half into 3 to 4 pieces about ½-inch wide. The goal is pretty small pieces that will fit on a fork nicely, but also not tiny.
- Put the cut strawberries in a medium bowl and add the sugar. Stir to combine well. I like to let the strawberries rest in the sugar for at least 10 to 15 minutes so that the sugar can draw out some of the natural juices in the strawberries.
- While the strawberries sit, whip your cream.
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, add the cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix on low until combined, and then increase the speed to high. Beat on high until the cream is well whipped and it forms peaks when the beaters are removed, about 3 minutes.
- When you are ready to assemble the cake, spoon the cut strawberries over the baked cake (it can be warm or cooled), and then drizzle the juice that accumulated in the bowl evenly over the cake too.
- Dollop the fresh whipped cream over the strawberries and then use a spatula to spread it evenly over the berries and cake.
- Slice with a sharp knife and serve right away, or store in the fridge for up to 12 hours before serving.
Notes
- Other recipes call for putting the berries on top of the whipped cream, and while it looks pretty, I find that they slip off when you are trying to serve it. I also like when the berry moisture can soak into the cake a bit.
- This recipe was tested with a 15.25-ounce box of Betty Crocker cake mix (both white and yellow cake mix of this kind were tested).
- If you are making this ahead of time, I’d recommend finding heavy whipping cream (opposed to just whipping cream). The whipped heavy whipping cream is more stable and stays whipped longer without losing its fluffiness or weeping.
- You can make any of these parts ahead of time and assemble before serving, or you can assemble and keep it in the fridge for up to 12 hours before serving. I like to store my sugared berries no more than a few hours, though. They get soft after 4 to 6 hours.
- If you can also use a lemon cake mix for a strawberry lemon cake!
Nutrition
There you have it – a crowd-pleasing dessert that’s a breeze to put together and sure to delight with its classic flavors. The Strawberry Shortcake Sheet Cake is a testament to the idea that convenience and taste can indeed go hand in hand. Whether for a picnic, a potluck, or a party, it’s a dessert that promises to impress.
Such an easy but delicious recipe. I add vanilla bean to the vanilla cake and it just adds that extra touch.
Made this for church, the whole pan was gone in no time! Also had plenty of compliments on it. Was super easy to make and is now going to become my “go-to” dessert for events.
Don’t you love how easy it is?? It’s a favorite of mine to take to a get-together too!