Strawberry shortcake is one of my all-time favorite desserts. This vegan strawberry shortcake cake captures all the joy of the classic treat with its own unique twist. It also takes less than 30 minutes to bake inside the oven which great.
The combination of soft and fluffy vanilla cake topped with whipped frosting and streusel crumble is what dreams are made of and let's not forget those fresh strawberries which are inside the cake.
I recommend serving this strawberry shortcake cake with a fresh dairy-free cream of your choice. Dairy-free ice cream is also tasty with this treat. Ultimately it's just down to your own personal preferences.
Are strawberries your favorite kind of fruit? If it is, also see my vegan strawberry cheesecake tacos, vegan strawberry lemon layer cake and vegan strawberry cheesecake bars recipes.
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Why You Will Love This Cake
- Amazing Flavors - The sweetness of the strawberry cake and frosting, combined with the butteriness of the streusel is so heavenly. Cakes topped with streusel such as, my vegan cranberry ginger cake and my vegan gingerbread coffee cake are often high on my list.
- Easy to Make - Making this strawberry shortcake cake is so simple. All you need to do is make the cake batter, fold in the strawberries, bake the cake, make the streusel and cream frosting, then assemble.
- Similarities to Actual Strawberry Shortcake - Not long ago, I tried a vegan strawberry shortcake which was more like a scone. Although, this recipe is different, it still has that same, delicious flavor profile.
- Allergy Friendly & Plant Based - This strawberry shortcake cake recipe is fully vegan and dairy free.
Ingredient Notes
- Apple Cider Vinegar - Mix this into the soy milk to create vegan buttermilk. It is the most important thing that you can add to a cake batter as it will react with the leavening agents to create a beautifully airy texture like in my vegan blueberry almond cake.
- Vanilla Extract - When making a strawberry shortcake cake, I love the cake itself to be a vanilla cake. I added a little more extract to the batter than I normally would.
- Fresh Strawberries - Don't use frozen strawberries for this recipe as they may lose their flavor inside the oven.
- Dairy-Free Butter - This will be used for both the streusel and the frosting. Make sure that the vegan butter that you use for the frosting is at room temperature.
- Canned Dairy-Free Whipped Cream - You can also use my vegan coconut whipped cream for a healthier topping alternative.
See recipe card for full information on individual ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- If you don't like strawberries, you can make this recipe with another kind of fruit. Simply follow the method instructions the same way that you would for the strawberry cake and swap the fruits 1:1. Berries such as, fresh raspberries, fresh blueberries and fresh cranberries are all amazing options.
- If you'd prefer a thicker frosting, you can totally leave out the whipped cream from this recipe. As it's a shortcake cake, I recommend keep it creamier but it is completely your choice. My vegan mascarpone chocolate sheet cake bars are a perfect example of a cake having a thicker cream cheese frosting.
How To Make Vegan Strawberry Shortcake Cake
For the full method, please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
1: Line and grease a square baking pan. Set aside.
2: Prepare the vegan buttermilk mixture.
3: Combine the dry cake ingredients inside a large bowl.
4: Also add the wet ingredients along with the strawberries. Fold into a batter.
5: Pour the cake batter into the lined baking pan. Bake inside the oven.
6: Let the cake cool completely.
7: Add the streusel ingredients to a small bowl and combine well.
8: Sprinkle the streusel onto a lined tray and bake inside the oven.
9: Let the streusel crumble cool fully.
10: Make the dairy-free whipped cream frosting.
11: Assemble the cake by topping it with the frosting, streusel and extra strawberries.
12: Slice the cake and serve.
Expert Tips
Don't over-mix the cake batter - Be gentle when you fold the cake batter together. Never over-mix it as this will overwork the gluten inside the flour. This ultimately creates a dense texture.
Dust the strawberries in flour - Before adding the strawberries to the vanilla cake batter, make sure that you roll them into a little flour. This will stop them from sinking to the bottom of the cake.
Recipe FAQs
It is typically made from vanilla cake which is topped with lots of fresh whipped cream and strawberries.
In the U.S, strawberry shortcake looks more like a scone or a biscuit. However, in Japan it looks more like a sponge cake.
Store this cake at room temperature or inside the refrigerator for up to four days inside an airtight container.
More Vegan Cake Recipes
If you tried this Strawberry Shortcake Cake Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!
Vegan Strawberry Shortcake Cake
Ingredients
Cake Batter:
- 270 ml soy milk
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 270 g self-rising flour sifted
- 70 g granulated sugar
- 30 g light brown soft sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 0.25 teaspoon baking soda
- Pinch of salt
- 1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 75 ml canola oil
- 75 g dairy-free yogurt room temperature
- 140 g fresh strawberries tops removed and diced
Streusel:
- 40 g dairy-free butter melted
- 80 g all-purpose flour
- 40 g brown sugar demerara
- Pinch of salt
Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 80 g dairy-free cream cheese cold
- 80 g dairy-free butter block room temperature
- 1.5 Tablespoons coconut cream can refrigerated overnight
- 250 g powdered sugar sifted
- 50 g canned dairy-free whipped cream store-bought
Topping:
- Fresh strawberries chopped, to taste
Instructions
Preparation:
- Preheat the oven to 177 Celsius (350F).
- Line an 8-inch, square baking pan with a sheet of parchment paper, then grease the paper with some dairy-free butter. Set aside.
- Also prepare the buttermilk by stirring the apple cider vinegar into the soy milk. Set it aside to curdle for 8 minutes. You can measure your other ingredients while you wait.
Making the cake batter:
- Combine the self-rising flour, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, ground cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt inside a large mixing bowl.
- Now, pour in your curdled buttermilk, vanilla, canola oil and dairy-free yogurt before folding the dry cake batter ingredients into the wet ingredients. It should be almost combined.
- Add the strawberries into the batter and fold one more time until all the flour pockets are gone. Never over-mix cake batter.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pan and make sure that it is level and evenly distributed.
Baking the cake:
- Bake the strawberry cake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes. A skewer comes out clean when it’s done.
Making the streusel:
- Next, make the streusel. Add all the streusel ingredients to a small bowl. Either with your hands or a fork combine the mixture into a crumble.
- After your cake has been removed from the oven, the streusel needs be baked at the same temperature (177 Celsius).
- Spread your streusel onto a lined, flat baking sheet and bake inside the oven for 10 minutes until it’s golden brown.
- Remove the streusel from the oven. Set aside.
Making the whipped cream cheese frosting:
- Add the whisk attachment to a stand mixer. Cream together the dairy-free cream cheese, dairy-free butter and coconut cream on a high speed until the mixture becomes nice and creamy.
- Lower the stand mixer speed down to medium. Gradually add the powdered sugar to the mixture in regular intervals until it is completely combined into a frosting consistency.
- Beat the frosting once again on a high speed for 5 minutes. This will thicken then it even more.
- Turn your stand mixer off and fold in the canned dairy-free whipped cream using a large wooden spoon. If you’re not ready to use the cream frosting straight away, I advise that you place it into the fridge so that it can stay cool.
Assembling the cake:
- To assemble the cake spread the frosting over the cake before sprinkling on the streusel. Finally, add some extra strawberries on top and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Be gentle when you fold the cake batter together. Never over-mix it as this will overwork the gluten inside the flour. This ultimately creates a dense texture.
- Before adding the strawberries to the vanilla cake batter, make sure that you roll them into a little flour. This will stop them from sinking to the bottom of the cake.
Jo Addison says
This is a great recipe! The cake is moist and all the toppings add that wow factor. The flavours are beautiful. Thanks for sharing 😊
DJ says
Thanks a million, Jo! 🙂
Ruth76 says
Always loved strawberry shortcake and this is a great cake version of the classic
DJ says
Thank you Ruth!