Indulge in Gluten Free Strawberry Shortcake Cake for a layered treat that's made complete with a coconut milk frosting and loads of fresh strawberries.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Recipe Name: Gluten Free Strawberry Shortcake Cake
Ready In: 55 minutes
Serves: 12
Main Ingredients: Cake, almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda, salt, eggs, melted coconut oil, honey
Why You'll Love It: This gluten-free strawberry shortcake cake layers a soft vanilla cake with fresh strawberries and whipped cream for a dessert that tastes just like classic strawberry shortcake in cake form.

Your new favorite strawberry treat

There's strawberries, and then there's strawberry shortcake, and then there's strawberry shortcake... cake. That's right, today we're whipping up a strawberry shortcake flavored cake that features the same layers, frosting, and fruit that we know and love.

It's an easy recipe that is perfect for any occasion, whether you have a birthday party, a gathering where you're in charge of desserts, or you just want something sweet! Because sometimes... we just need some strawberry cake.

strawberry shortcake overhead with strawberries

Ingredients in gluten free shortcake cake

This gluten free strawberry dessert is made in two parts: the cake and the the frosting! Some of the ingredients overlap (like vanilla and honey), and many are Erin Lives Whole baking staples that you probably have on deck if you've made any of my other dessert recipes!

Cake

Almond Flour: First up, create the base of the cake by using 2 cups of almond flour.
Coconut Flour: Add in ½ cup of coconut flour to work with the almond flour and create a great texture.
Baking Soda: To help with rising, use 1 teaspoon of baking soda.
Salt: Add a dash of salt for flavor in the amount of ¼ tsp.
Eggs: As for eggs, you will need to include 5 to help the ingredients bind together. This will also help keep the cake moist.
Coconut Oil: Include ½ cup of melted coconut oil.
Honey: Add ½ cup of honey as a delicious sweetener.
Vanilla: Supplement some flavor with 1 tablespoon of vanilla.
Lemon Juice: Finally, finish up the cake portion of this recipe with 1 teaspoon of lemon juice! It adds a tangy but subtle zest.

Frosting

Coconut Milk*: For the frosting, begin with 1 can of chilled coconut milk. See my notes below for choosing the correct type.
Vanilla: Include 1 tablespoon of vanilla to get a nice, rich flavor.
Honey: Next, use 2 tablespoon of honey for sweetening.
Strawberries: Finally, the strawberries! Start with 1 cup of finely crushed freeze dried berries. Follow those with 1 container of fresh!

Substitution Tip

*In choosing your coconut milk, I recommend one of the following brands: Thai Kitchen, Native Forest, Savoy, or Whole Foods 365. Other brands will not whip properly, meaning your frosting will not take on the correct consistency. If you'd like to skip the coconut milk altogether, you can use thawed Cool Whip or Coco Whip (found in the freezer section of your grocery store).

Tools used to create this cake

When it comes to kitchen tools, you'll need select items for creating strawberry shortcake. Hand beaters will be very helpful, but you can use a wooden spoon or whisk if you don't have them.

Cutting board
Knife
Two 8 inch cake pans
Parchment paper
Nonstick spray
Small mixing bowl
Stirring utensil
Large mixing bowl
Whisk
Hand beaters

For measuring, you will need the following sized cups: ¼ tsp, 1 tsp, 1 tbsp, ½ cup, and 1 cup.

How to make gluten free strawberry shortcake cake

Ready to treat your sweet tooth? Making this cake is an easy process that begins with mixing the cake items and then stirring together the frosting ingredients. Then, we'll bake and assemble!

To begin, preheat the oven to 350ªF and prepare two 8 inch cake pans with parchment paper and nonstick spray.

In a small bowl, mix the almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda, and salt.

Then, in a large bowl, whisk the eggs, coconut oil, honey, vanilla, and lemon juice.

Next, add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until everything is completely combined.

Divide the batter evenly between the two cake pans and bake for 20-23 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let the cakes completely cool.

While they're cooling, prepare the frosting by pouring the thick white part of the coconut milk (from the top of the can) into a cooled bowl. Using hand beaters, beat until fluffy. Not all coconut milk is the same, so please use a brand listed above to ensure that you'll get fluffy whipped cream.

Next, add the vanilla and honey and beat until everything is combined.

Add the finely crushed freeze dried strawberries. If using Cool Whip or Coco Whip, now would be the time to fold in the freeze dried berries.

Prepare the cakes by adding half of the frosting to one half of the cake, then adding sliced strawberries. Repeat with the next layer of cake, topping with full strawberries if desired.

Substitution Tip

A handful of ingredients can be substituted for other items, which is great if you find yourself in a pinch and missing an ingredient or two. Many of these items are what makes the cake healthy though, so I recommend keeping the swaps to a minimum.

Baking soda: Out of baking soda? Just use powder! You'll need 3x the amount of powder, which in this case will amount to 3 tsp.
Coconut oil: Feel free to swap coconut oil with any other baking oil, whether canola, vegetable, or whatever you prefer.
Honey: You can replace honey with a similar sweetener like maple syrup or molasses, or use sugar. A 1:1 ratio should work well.
Coconut milk: Lastly, coconut milk can be replaced with Cool Whip or Coco Whip in an equal amount.

How this strawberry cake is healthier

I am all about making desserts as healthy as possible, and I do so by using a few key ingredient swaps! Here's what makes this cake healthier than other strawberry cakes you may find.

Flours
First, I ditched the all-purpose flour for coconut and almond flour. This is a very simple swap that contributes less calories and more nutrients and makes the cake gluten free.

Coconut oil
Rather than using vegetable or canola oil, I went with coconut oil for healthier fats and a great texture.

Honey
I love using honey in my baked treats because not only does it provide natural sweet flavor, it's also lower glycemic than sugar. It actually tastes a bit sweeter too!

Coconut milk
Lastly, I skipped cream by using coconut milk. This swap contains healthier fats and helps to get the perfect fluffy frosting.

Storing leftovers

Leftover strawberry shortcake cake can be stored in the refrigerator. Keep it in a tightly sealed container to lock in the fresh flavors and enjoy within 2-3 days.

If you liked this recipe, you'll want to try these!

Does this strawberry shortcake have you craving more strawberry classics? Try some of these! They're all great ways to indulge in something sweet and fruity, and the overnight oats and muffins make great sweet breakfasts!

Erin Antoniak