As my shipment of Plugra butter showed up at my door I thought to myself what will I make this time? Spring is morphing into summer as my portable a/c can tell you (the dog and I are wimps) and that says Strawberry Shortcake to me.
Growing up we were a house divided in the land of Strawberry Shortcake. My dad and I were on Team Sponge cake…the little store bought ones with the little well in the middle to put the strawberries. My mom grew up eating hers with buttered homemade biscuits and, therefore, was on Team Biscuit. Try as she might she never converted me ( I was a pain and refused to try)…well not for a while anyway. Then one time when visiting my grandmother I didn’t have the option of the sponge cake. It was biscuits or nothing. This dessert loving girl wasn’t passing up dessert so I sucked it up. I then of course made the face of where has this been all my life. Oh, the smirk on my mother’s face as once again she was right.
I thought why not make a cake that incorporates my families two ways of eating strawberry shortcake? I did not make a sponge cake as I really wanted a yellow butter cake the flavor is kind of reminiscent of the sponge cake…only way better. Figuring out how to put a biscuit into the cake was interesting and ultimately ended with me pulverizing it and putting it in the frosting. Makes it not exactly a smooth cake but strawberry shortcake is homely dessert.
Since this frosting has only a few ingredients I highly suggest using Plugra butter, it just makes for the best frosting. I suggest it for the cake as well, but the frosting is a must! Be careful when purchasing the freeze dried strawberries that you don’t get dehydrated strawberries as that will not work at all. They are very important to the recipe and make the cake taste really, really strawberry.
This is my new favorite way to make Strawberry Shortcake, especially since you don’t have to choose teams. 🙂
*Yes, this post was sponsored by the wonderful butter makers… Plugrá European-Style Butter. A butter I have always used and a company I have a long standing relationship with. All the words and opinions and atrocious grammar are all mine. Please support those companies who support my blog to help keep recipes coming your way.
Strawberry Shortcake Layer Cake
Yellow cake recipe (follows)
Strawberry buttercream recipe (follows)
15 strawberries (more for garnish), cleaned and sliced
Freeze dried strawberries (for garnish)
Yellow Butter Cake:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 ½ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1/8 cup vegetable oil
4 oz. unsalted butter, at room temperature (I used Plugra)
1 TBSP vanilla extract
3 large eggs
Prepare pans with either baking spray or butter and flour. Use a parchment cake circle (or make one) to prevent the bottom of the cake from sticking.
Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream butter on medium for 1-2 minutes.
Place dry ingredients into the stand mixer and combine with butter for 30 seconds.
Add milk, oil, vanilla and eggs and mix on medium-high for one minute.
Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake at 350. For 9-inch pans its 20-25 minutes. For 6-inch pans 45-50 minutes.
Let cool to room temperature then wrap in plastic wrap and move to fridge to firm up a little to help with assembly.
Cake recipe adapted from the I am Baker
Strawberry Buttercream:
12 oz. unsalted butter, at room temperature (I used Plugra)
8 oz. freeze dried strawberries (you can find these at Trader Joe’s and health stores)
2 ½ cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
4 TBSP heavy cream
1 buttermilk biscuit (fully cooked)
Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat butter at medium speed until creamy, smooth, and lightened in color, about 2 minutes.
Add sugar, cream, vanilla, and salt and mix at low speed until somewhat incorporated.
Increase the speed to high and mix until buttercream is smooth and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. (If the buttercream is too thick, add a little more cream, if it’s too thin, add more powdered sugar.)
Add the freeze dried strawberries and beat until fully combined. It will make the frosting pink.
Take the biscuit and put it into the food processor and pulse until you have very small crumb.
With the mixer on low add the biscuit crumbs and mix until fully combined.
To assemble the cake:
Trim cake tops so that they are even.
Take the bottom cake layer and spread about a ½ cup of frosting onto the cake layer. Your frosting is going to not go on smoothly as it has biscuit crumbs in it…that’s okay.
Place strawberry slices on top of the frosting.
Now this part is unusual, you are going to frost the bottom of the top layer so that when you flip it over the frosting will adhere to the strawberries. It’s easier to do it this way as frosting over fresh strawberries is not an easy task in my early days I was dumb and tried that.
Once the top layer has been placed on top, push down slightly to have the layers in place. Frost a crumb coat. Don’t freak if it looks dreadful at this stage, mine did.
Place in fridge for 20 minutes to help the frosting firm up so that it will be easier to frost.
Remove from fridge and frost with remaining frosting.
Pipe frosting on top if desired. Add extra freeze dried strawberries and fresh strawberries if desired.
I loooove strawberry shortcake-any version! This looks super delish. I am looking forward to summer and what a great desert to welcome it
This is an absolutely stunning cake, Peabody! And I bet it tastes just as spectacular too!
What a perfect cake! SO craving a slice now.
This cake is gorgeous! My girls would flip, they both love not only strawberries, but freeze dried strawberries as well. Guess this is going on the summer to bake list! 🙂
I am definitely on team sponge cake.
What a beautiful cake!!!! It looks like summer 🙂
I vote for shortcake as well…unless THIS cake is one of my options. Holy yum!
Ugh why are all of your desserts so amazing-looking?! This cake looks perfect, love the strawberry frosting 🙂
You are my new best friend @June. I have struggled for so long to get better at cake decorating.
What a lovely cake! Your desserts always look bakery quality 🙂
Beautiful cake! I’ve always had my shortcake with biscuits….no other way!!
I love this cake. It reminds me of the Cupcake Royale strawberry frosting. <3
@Cakespy- very similar in taste to cupcake royale frosting as well
A Plugra butter convert here and I am slowly getting all my friends on board. Used to have to drive to Phoenix to buy it, then figure out a way to keep it from melting, but finally local Safeway started carrying it. Plugra butter for all!
Oh, I am definitely on Team Sponge Cake, or Team Angel Food Cake, even if that might not be “traditional” shortcake. This cake, with a biscuit in the frosting? Blowing my mind! So beautiful, too.
Wow, Peabody, this cake is gorgeous. I’m in charge of the cupcakes at my cousin’s baby’s first birthday and I have a chocolate cake recipe, but need another flavor. I think strawberry would be perfect. 🙂
First off, GORGEOUS cake! Second.. Team Biscuit…can we still be friends?!
Looks awesome! Strawberry and cake they are perfect pairing. Fresh fruits in cake is my weakness so I am devouring it with my eyes!
I need this. I’ve always been on team biscuit, love the dense and crunchiness. This cake looks absolutely amaze balls.
Hi. I’m not a fan of freeze dried strawberries. Can I use fresh ones in the frosting? If so, how much?
Fresh will not work as there is far too much liquid in the fresh and you will not have the right consistency. The freeze dried ones get basically powdered and just give the frosting strawberry flavor. It taste nothing like just eating a freeze dried strawberry.
Thank you for the advice. I’ll try the freeze dried.
Let me know how it turns out.