This gluten free strawberry shortcake cake is a enjoyable tackle the traditional dessert, with an impossibly tender vanilla cake, a thick layer of recent whipped cream, and naturally loads of recent strawberries.
Probably the most tender vanilla cake made with butter and a contact of oil is sturdy sufficient to carry all these strawberries, their juice, and fluffy whipped cream.
My take
Nicole’s Recipe Notes
I like the berries and cream flavors of traditional gluten free strawberry shortcake a lot and needed to have the ability to serve it as a correct birthday cake. This recipe makes the right present stopper dessert for a crowd.
I might have used the identical recipe as our traditional gluten free vanilla cake that is appeared at numerous weddings and birthday events over time (to rave critiques each time!). However that cake has a extra delicate, open crumb, excellent for fluffy vanilla buttercream.
Right here, I needed an much more tender however barely dense cake with a velvet easy crumb. So I added some oil to the butter, for a cake that’s steady sufficient to carry tons of strawberry juice, whipped cream, and berries.
For the reason that cake itself does not have any strawberry taste, not like our gluten free strawberry cupcakes, we begin by mixing sliced strawberries with sugar and a little bit of vinegar. The berries launch tons of their juice that we pour on prime of the cooled cake, and have tons of strawberry taste and aroma.
substitutions
Substances and substitutions
For the complete ingredient checklist for the cake, strawberries and whipped cream, please see the recipe card. Listed below are some notes on substances and the way you would possibly keep away from different allergens:
- Dairy: This cake is made with entire milk and butter, and each add richness and tenderness. If that you must make it dairy-free, strive vegan butter (Miyoko’s Kitchen & Soften manufacturers work finest) and unsweetened unflavored nondairy milk like almond milk or Ripple unsweetened milk. Coconut milk within the carton (not the can) ought to work effectively, too). For the whipped cream, you may strive utilizing chilled coconut cream or one of many new dairy free whipping lotions.
- Eggs: You may want 1 entire egg and 1 egg white for this cake. To make the cake egg-free, for the entire egg, you may strive a “flax” or “chia” egg, or Bob’s Crimson Mill egg replacer. For the egg white, strive unsalted aquafaba, or the brine from a can of chickpeas. You can too strive 1 1/2 of your favourite egg replacer, too.
- Gluten free flour: I’ve made this cake with Nicole’s Finest and Higher Batter’s unique mix. It could additionally work effectively with my mock Cup4Cup or my mock Higher Batter. If you would like to strive utilizing Bob’s Crimson Mill, it does not comprise sufficient xanthan gum for the cake to not crumble, so strive including one other 1/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum to the dry substances.
- Oil: Any impartial oil will work, like canola, vegetable, peanut, avocado, or grapeseed. I do not advocate utilizing all oil as an alternative of a mixture of butter and oil, or the cake will style (and odor) oily.
- Sugar: The cake requires 3/4 cup of granulated sugar, and the strawberries for 1/4 cup. You’ll be able to strive changing it with a granulated sugar various like Lankato monkfruit sweetener. You can too strive lowering the sugar the cake by about 25 grams and it ought to nonetheless work. I do not advocate swapping in a liquid sweetener right here.
- Vinegar: Including a little bit of white balsamic or white wine vinegar to the strawberries helps draw out their moisture. As a substitute, you may add a splash of salt to the strawberries with the sugar.
My Professional Tip
Knowledgeable ideas
Sift the flour
Like with our gluten free angel meals cake, it is so necessary to the feel of this cake that you simply sift your the flour mix to ensure the rise is even and the cake is lighter. Because it’s the primary ingredient within the cake, you may simply sift it proper into the blending bowl.
Use softer butter
We’re utilizing the “reverse cream methodology” to make this cake, which simply implies that we whisk collectively the dry substances (together with sugar), after which beat softened butter (and oil) in to create a velvety cake that has a considerably denser crumb.
To be sure that the butter mixes simply into the flour, be certain yours is slightly softer than the non-greasy butter we often want if we’re beating it first with sugar. If you wish to be actually exact, a temperature of about 75°F on an prompt learn thermometer is simply excellent.
Forestall your display screen from going darkish
Put together the strawberries
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In a medium-size bowl, place the sliced strawberries and sprinkle the granulated sugar and (non-obligatory) vinegar on prime. Toss gently to mix with out crushing any strawberries.
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Enable the combination to sit down when you make the cake so the strawberries launch their juices.
Put together the cake
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Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch or 9-inch spherical cake pan and line the underside with a spherical of parchment paper (hint the perimeter of the pan on the parchment, then lower out the circle). Set the pan apart.
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In a big measuring cup or medium-size bowl, place the egg, egg white, milk, and vanilla. Whisk to mix very effectively, and put aside.
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Into the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a big mixing bowl with a handheld mixer), sift (sure, it’s important to sift!) the gluten free flour mix.
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To the blending bowl, add the xanthan gum (if wanted), baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar, and whisk to mix effectively.
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Add the butter and oil to the massive mixing bowl, and blend on medium pace till the combination seems uniformly sandy (about 2 minutes). Cease the mixer a number of occasions to scrape down the edges to ensure all the flour will get moistened by the butter and oil.
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With the mixer on low pace, add the whisked moist substances.
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As soon as the moist substances have been added, improve the mixer pace to medium and beat till the combination appears principally uniform (about 2 minutes). Utilizing a silicone spatula, flip over the batter a number of occasions by hand.
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The batter ought to be fluffy and comparatively easy, though a number of lumps are high-quality. Don’t overmix the batter in an try and make it completely easy. Will probably be thickly pourable.
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Switch the batter to the ready pan, and easy into an excellent layer with an offset spatula. Bang the underside of the pan flat on the counter a number of occasions to interrupt any massive air bubbles.
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Place the baking pan within the middle of the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes. Rotate the pan within the oven 180°, and scale back the oven temperature to 325°F.
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Proceed to bake at 325°F till the cake is evenly golden brown throughout, has begun to tug away from the edges of the pan and a toothpick inserted within the middle comes out with no quite a lot of moist crumbs hooked up (at the least one other quarter-hour for an 8-inch cake, much less for a 9-inch cake).
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Take away the cake from the oven and place the pan on a wire rack. Enable the cake to chill within the pan for quarter-hour on the rack earlier than turning it over onto the rack (and eradicating the parchment paper liner) and letting it cool fully.
Put together the whipped cream
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Place the heavy whipping cream and confectioners’ sugar in a big mixing bowl or the clear bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
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Whip on medium-low pace within the stand mixer or utilizing a handheld mixer till the cream simply begins to thicken. Improve the mixer pace to medium or medium-high and proceed to whip till the combination holds a stiff (however not dry) peak.
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Place the whipped cream within the fridge to relax when you end the cake.
Serving: 1slice | Energy: 445kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 4g | Fats: 27g | Saturated Fats: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 2g | Monounsaturated Fats: 8g | Trans Fats: 0.2g | Ldl cholesterol: 88mg | Sodium: 244mg | Potassium: 155mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 899IU | Vitamin C: 25mg | Calcium: 96mg | Iron: 0.4mg
Vitamin data is robotically calculated, so ought to solely be used as an approximation.
Recipe variations
Since this recipe has 3 distinct elements, you may mess around with flavors and textures fairly simply. Listed below are some concepts to get you began:
Frosting concepts
There are about as many recipes for gluten free frosting as there are flavors you may think about. Strive utilizing a traditional vanilla buttercream recipe and including a layer of chopped strawberries on prime. Or add some strawberry jelly to the buttercream (use jam in case you favor some strawberry items).
You can too use a stabilized whipped cream as an alternative of standard whipped cream so you may preserve the cake out at room temperature for longer.
Totally different fruits
Instead of strawberries, you should use a special fruit. Raspberries can be the best swap, since they’re going to launch juice as they sit with the sugar and vinegar. You can too strive blueberries, however I might brush the highest of the cake with blueberry and even apple jelly moderately than soaking the berries first. Ardour fruit or kiwi would in all probability additionally work, or a mixture of various fruits.
Make a layer cake
You can too double the yield of the recipe (to 16 slices) and divide the cake batter equally into 2 separate 8-inch or 9-inch cake pans. Then, comply with the instructions as written, besides use fewer strawberries within the middle. Then, layer the second cake on prime of the a number of the strawberries, and prime with whipped cream and extra strawberries.
FAQs
I would not advocate making this cake in a loaf pan. If you would like a vanilla cake that is in a loaf form, do this gluten free pound cake recipe.
It is best to be capable of make this recipe into 12 cupcakes, pour strawberry juice on prime after they’ve cooled, then prime with whipped cream and berries. I believe they need to take about 22 minutes to bake at 350°F, however I can not ensure. I might chop the strawberries moderately than slicing them, although, to suit extra on every cupcake. Or you may use our gluten free cupcakes recipe as an alternative and use the identical toppings.
make forward/leftovers
Storage directions
As soon as you’ve got assembled the cake by including the strawberry juice, plus the whipped cream and strawberries, the cake is finest served the identical day. You’ll be able to refrigerate the cake, as assembled, to maintain the whipped cream from melting. Simply let it come again to room temperature earlier than serving.
The plain vanilla cake may be made, cooled and wrapped tightly, then saved for as much as 1 day on the counter, 3 days within the fridge, or as much as 2 months within the freezer. If frozen, defrost at room temperature earlier than ending the cake.
