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Vegan Strawberry Shortcake

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This vegan strawberry shortcake features a fluffy, tender vanilla cake layered with fresh strawberries and coconut whippped cream.

a slice of vegan strawberries and cream cake on a plate

This vegan strawberry shortcake has been my go-to cake for celebrations. My boyfriend requests it every year for his birthday! It’s super delicious and fancy-looking, but it’s actually pretty simple to make. For an easier option, you can make it a single layer cake and just add the whipped cream and strawberries on top. Either way I promise it will be delicious!!

ingredients for vegan strawberries and cream cake

Key Ingredients

  • All Purpose Flour + Cornstarch ⟶ This is basically cake flour, so you can sub cake flour if you have it.
  • Vegetable Oil ⟶ Use a neutral flavored oil such as avocado oil, canola oil, or vegetable oil blend.
    • Oil-free option ⟶ Raw Cashew Butter* Make sure your cashew butter is thin and runny. If it’s too thick, the cake will turn out more dense. If your cashew butter is very thick, you can thin it out by mixing in a little neutral oil (such as avocado or sunflower oil).
    • Note the oil-free option will be a little more dense, but still delicious with an extra buttery flavor from the cashews.
  • Soy Milk ⟶ I recommend soy milk as it has a high amount of fat and protein compared to other non-dairy milks, producing a cake that is rich and tender. However, any milk of choice should work, except full-fat coconut milk.
  • Apple Cider Vinegar* ⟶ mixes with soy milk to create a vegan “buttermilk”, which makes the cake more tender and helps it rise
  • Coconut Cream* ⟶ Coconut milk works as well, but you’ll get more from coconut cream. If using coconut milk, you may need two cans.
close up of vegan strawberries and cream cake

How to Make

This vegan cake is simple to make and doesn’t require any fancy methods!

  1. Chill a large mixing bowl and beaters in the fridge. This is for the coconut whipped cream and helps keep the coconut cream cold so it whips up more easily.
  2. Make the “buttermilk” by combining vinegar and soy milk. Set aside while you prepare the rest of the cake. The soy milk should curdle during this time.
  3. Sift/whisk together dry ingredients.
  1. Mix wet ingredients together, including the soy milk/vinegar mixture, until smooth. If using cashew butter, it should be runny and easy to stir. If it’s too thick, heat it in the microwave for 15-30 seconds until runny.
  2. Combine wet and dry ingredients together. Stir until a smooth, slightly thick batter forms. If using cashew butter, the batter will be thicker than the oil version.
  1. Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F for about 30-35 minutes in an 8″ pan, or 25-30 minutes in a 9″ pan. Test for doneness by poking the center of the cake with a toothpick. If the toothpick comes out clean, or with a few cooked crumbs, the cake is done.
  2. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then gently remove from the pan and transfer to a cooling rack. I do this by turning the cake over onto a plate first (place the plate on top of the cake and turn the pan over), and then turning the cake over onto a cooling rack.
  1. While the cake is cooling, prepare the coconut whipped cream. Remove the chilled mixing bowl and beaters from the fridge.
  2. Scoop the top layer of thickened coconut cream out of the can and into the chilled bowl, leaving any liquid behind. Reserve the liquid for smoothies or another recipe.
  3. Beat the coconut cream with a mixer for a couple minutes, until creamy and light peaks form.
  4. Add sugar and vanilla and beat for another minute. Chill in the fridge until ready to use.
  1. Once the cake is cooled, use a serrated knife to cut the cake in half so you have two layers of cake.
  2. Frost the bottom layer with coconut whipped cream, layer on strawberry slices, and finish with another layer of coconut whipped cream.
  1. Frost the top of the cake with the remaining coconut whipped cream and strawberries.

Serve immediately or store covered in the fridge.

overhead shot of vegan strawberries and cream cake with a slice cut out

Helpful Baking Tools

  • Flour Sifter or Whisk ⟶ mixing your flour this way helps keep the cake soft and fluffy
  • Cooling Rack
  • Hand Mixer ⟶ If you don’t have one and don’t want to buy one, you can make the coconut whipped cream in a mason jar. Scoop the coconut cream into a chilled mason jar, put the lid on tightly, and shake vigorously until fluffy. Add sugar and vanilla extract and shake for another 30-60 seconds.
  • Cake Pan ⟶ I used an 8″ pan. If you are using a 9″ pan, check the cake around 25 minutes.
  • Kitchen Scale ⟶ highly recommended whenever you are baking! A scale is much more accurate than cup and spoon measurements, and accuracy is essential in baking.
vegan strawberries and cream cake with a slice cut out

Tips for Success

Bring cake ingredients to room temperature first ⟶ Let all the cake ingredients sit out at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before starting. Cold ingredients don’t mix as well and can result in dense cakes and an uneven crumb.

Chill coconut cream overnight ⟶ For the coconut whipped cream, however, you want to make sure your coconut cream, mixing bowl, and beaters are chilled! Warm coconut cream will not whip properly.

Dissolve sugar in soy milk and vinegar ⟶ Granulated sugar doesn’t always dissolve completely into the batter when added with the dry ingredients. This can cause speckling in your finished cake and makes the cake more dense and grainy. I recommend mixing the sugar with the soy milk and vinegar first, then let it sit for 5 minutes so the sugar can dissolve.

Tap/bang the pan before baking ⟶ This helps reduce air bubbles in the batter which can create tunneling/holes in the cake. You can also run a knife through the batter after banging the pan.

a slice of vegan strawberries and cream cake with a fork in hand slicing into it

Vegan Strawberry Shortcake FAQ

Yes, you can halve the recipe to make one 6-inch cake, or you can bake the cake in two 6-inch pans to make a 6-inch layer cake.

This is known as “tunneling” in baking and is a result of air bubbles being trapped in the cake batter. This usually happens from over-mixing which causes excess gluten development, and then the gluten network traps air bubbles. But it could also be from adding too much baking powder or baking soda, uneven mixing of the dry ingredients, or starting with cold ingredients. Here are some tips to avoid tunneling:

  • Room temperature ingredients: Make sure you are starting with room temperature ingredients as these will mix together much more easily. Bring all the cake ingredients out to room temperature at least 30 minutes before you start.
  • Sift dry ingredients: Sift the flour, baking soda, and baking powder at least once to avoid clumps of dry ingredients. This will help reduce the amount of mixing you need to do when combining the wet and dry ingredients. I like to sift the dry ingredients into a bowl, whisk together, then sift them again when adding to the wet ingredients.
  • Mix until just combined: Gently whisk the wet and dry ingredients together just until combined (meaning no dry flour is left). You don’t want to mix for too long or you will develop too much gluten which can cause tunneling and make your cake dense. If you followed the above tips, you shouldn’t have big lumps of flour. If you do see clumps of flour, pour the batter through a sieve.
  • Tap/bang pan before baking: Before baking, tap (gently bang) the cake pan on the counter a few times, then run a knife through the batter to remove air bubbles.

This happens if the outside of your cake cooks too quickly but the inside is still loose batter. Air bubbles from the batter inside rise up to the surface, creating cracks on top. This is usually a sign of your oven being too hot, or your cake pan isn’t a good conductor of heat. You can try using cake strips on your pan, or reduce your oven temperature to 325°F/165°C and increase the bake time by 5-10 minutes.

a slice of vegan strawberries and cream cake with a piece of the cake on a fork on the plate

More Vegan Desserts!

I hope I’ve inspired you to make this vegan strawberry shortcake! If you try it out, don’t forget to tag me in your photos on instagram @ellielikes.cooking, leave a comment/rating down below, and let me know how you liked it! I love seeing all of your tasty recreations 🙂 Happy baking ♡

Recipe updated February 15, 2025 with new measurements for baking powder and baking soda, and updated method.

Vegan Strawberry Shortcake

Fluffy, moist, and tender, this vegan strawberry shortcake is rich and decadent, but doesn't contain any eggs, milk, or butter!
Print Recipe
Prep Time:35 minutes
Cook Time:30 minutes
Rest Time:3 hours
Total Time:4 hours 5 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients

Cake

  • 1 cup (250ml) soy milk**
  • ½ cup + 2 tbsp (120g) granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp (10ml) apple cider vinegar*
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 188 grams (1½ cups + 1 tbsp) all purpose flour**
  • 24 grams (2½ tbsp) cornstarch**
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 ½ tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp baking soda
  • ⅓ cup (72g) flavorless oil (canola oil, vegetable oil, avocado oil, safflower oil, etc.) OR ½ cup (128g) raw cashew butter**
  • 1 lb strawberries sliced

Coconut Whipped Cream

  • 1 14oz can coconut cream* chilled overnight in the fridge
  • 1 tbsp (8g) organic powdered sugar** or more to taste
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

  • Chill a large mixing bowl and beaters in the fridge while you prepare the cake. (This is for the coconut whipped cream.)
  • Make sure all your ingredients for the cake are at room temperature before beginning. Starting with cold ingredients can lead to uneven mixing and dense cakes.

Cake

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a cake pan and set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl, gently whisk sugar, soy milk, and vinegar. Let sit for a few minutes to dissolve the sugar.
    Tip: Don't whisk too aggressively or you will introduce a lot of air bubbles which can cause tunneling in your cake.
  • Whisk in oil and vanilla extract.
  • In a separate bowl, sift together flour, corn starch, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
  • Sift the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and whisk until just combined and batter is smooth.
  • Pour batter into cake pan. Tap the pan on the counter a couple times and run a knife through the batter to remove air bubbles.
  • Bake for 30-35 minutes for an 8" pan, or 20-25 minutes for a 9" pan, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then gently remove the cake from the pan and place the cake on a cooling rack to finish cooling.

Coconut Whipped Cream

  • While the cake is cooling, make the coconut whipped cream. Take the coconut cream, chilled bowl and beaters out of the fridge.
  • Scoop the top layer of thickened coconut cream out of the can and into the chilled bowl, leaving any liquid behind. Reserve the liquid for smoothies or another recipe.
  • Beat the coconut cream with a mixer for a couple minutes, until creamy and light peaks form. Add sugar and vanilla and beat for another minute. Chill in the fridge until ready to use.

Assemble Cake

  • Once the cake is cooled, use a serrated knife or flavorless floss to cut the cake in half so you have two layers of cake. Frost bottom layer with coconut whipped cream, layer on strawberry slices, and finish with another layer of coconut whipped cream. 
  • Frost the top of the cake with the remaining coconut whipped cream and strawberries. Enjoy!
  • Store leftovers covered in the fridge.

Notes

Flour + Cornstarch: We are essentially making cake flour by combining all purpose flour and cornstarch, so you can use cake flour (212g) instead if you prefer.
Make it Gluten-Free: Light buckwheat flour produces very similar results to the all purpose flour cake. You can probably use a gluten-free all purpose flour blend as well.
Cashew Butter: If using cashew butter, it should be runny and easy to stir. If it’s too thick, the cake will turn out more dense. To thin out your cashew butter, mix it with some oil until it reaches a thin, runny consistency.
Powdered Sugar: I made my own by blending granulated sugar in my NutriBullet with the milling blade.

*Disclosure: This page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, but the price remains the same to you. Thank you for supporting Ellie Likes Cooking!

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