Strawberry Shortcake Bars are the perfect spring or summer dessert! The bars have a sweet vanilla cake base topped with whipped cream and fresh sliced strawberries.
Strawberries make a fantastic dessert! They’re delicious paired with angel food cake, in icebox cakes, and in these Strawberry Shortcake Bars.
I’ve always preferred the sponge cake type of strawberry shortcake to the biscuit shortcakes. These bars have a base that’s a slightly denser cake.
It’s sweeter like a sponge cake but sturdier like a biscuit, so you get the best of both worlds. Give this easy dessert a try, and you’ll see why it’s a family favorite!
“This recipe is Absolutely delicious!! My family LOVED it! I took it to a cookout and my son had seconds and he doesn’t eat much sweets! This is definitely a family favorite! Looking forward to making it again.” – Debbie
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Flour: Be sure to properly measure flour. Weigh the flour or sift or stir the flour to break it up. Lightly spoon into the measuring cup and level.
- Butter: I use salted butter. If you’re using unsalted butter, increase the salt to 1/2 teaspoon.
- Milk: Any milk from skim to whole milk will work.
- Frozen whipped topping: I like TruWhip, but Cool Whip, Cocowhip, or any other brand of frozen whipped topping will work.
How to make strawberry shortcake bars
Here you’ll find instructions and step-by-step photos showing how to make this recipe. The full recipe, including ingredients, is given below.
Step 1: In a large bowl, beat together sugar and butter until creamy and well-combined.
Step 2: Add eggs and vanilla; beat until combined.
Step 3: Alternate stirring in the flour, baking powder, and salt in three additions with the milk in two additions
Step 4: Pour batter into prepared pan.
Step 5: Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Do not overbake. Cake should be flat and light in color.
Step 6: Let cool completely in pan.
Step 7: To make the topping, dice up strawberries. Set aside.
Step 8: Spread thawed whipped topping evenly over cooled cake.
Step 9: Top with diced strawberries.
Step 10: Refrigerate for 3 hours before serving.
Recipe Tips!
- Whipped cream: You can use homemade whipped cream in place of the whipped topping. If using whipped cream, you’ll want to eat the bars within 1 day of frosting them with the whipped cream.
- Berries: You could easily change up the type of berries that you use to change the flavor of the bars.
Storage
The bars should be stored covered in the fridge. They’re best eaten in the first 2-3 days after they’re made.
More strawberry dessert recipes!
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Strawberry Shortcake Bars
Equipment
- 9×13 pan
Ingredients
Shortcake
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup salted butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup milk
Topping
- 8-10 ounces frozen whipped topping thawed
- 16 ounces fresh strawberries sliced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour a 9×13-inch baking pan. I like to use a nonstick baking spray with flour.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat together sugar and butter until creamy and well-combined.
- Add eggs and vanilla; beat until combined.
- Alternate stirring in the flour mixture in three additions with the milk in two additions.
- Pour batter into prepared pan.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Do not overbake. Cake should be flat and light in color.
- Let cool completely in pan.
- To make the topping, dice up strawberries. Set aside.
- Spread thawed whipped topping evenly over cooled cake.
- Top with diced strawberries.
- Refrigerate for 3 hours before serving.
Notes
- Flour: Be sure to properly measure flour. Weigh the flour or sift or stir the flour to break it up. Lightly spoon into the measuring cup and level.
- Butter: I use salted butter.
- Milk: Any milk from skim to whole milk will work.
- Frozen whipped topping: I like TruWhip, but Cool Whip, Cocowhip, or any other brand of frozen whipped topping will work.
- Nutrition facts are estimates.
Nutrition
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Originally posted 3/20/17. Updated with new photos and tips on 4/7/25.
Adapted from Lil Luna.
Reader Interactions
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Comments & Reviews
Debbie Clark says
This recipe is Absolutely delicious!! My family LOVED it! I took it to a cookout and my son had seconds and he doesn’t eat much sweets! This is definitely a family favorite! Looking forward to making it again.
Thank You!
Mrs. Norton says
Cake is not the same as shortcake. This recipe seems to be for cake with strawberries, and – are you kidding me – purchased whipped cream. Real shortcake is easy to make (real shortcake is basically biscuits) and whipping your own cream is also very easy and much better than store bought. And it keeps for days. I don’t understand why people who call themselves cooks don’t know these things.
Kate says
A shortcake can be either a sweet cake or a biscuit. And, no, the version of shortcake that is similar to a biscuit isn’t just a biscuit. Otherwise, it would be biscuits and strawberries. Shortcakes are sweeter and are made with specific ingredients like cream that differentiate it from, say, buttermilk biscuits.
I’m well aware of how easy it is to make homemade whipped cream. I even wrote a post about it. The reason that I used stabilized whipped cream is because it works better in this recipe. Real whipped cream topped with strawberries becomes overly weepy and makes a soggy mess when it’s kept for more than a day. You could certainly use real whipped cream if you planned to eat it all within a day or so, but it just doesn’t keep well beyond that.
Toni says
These were incredibly easy and so delicious! Will definitely be making again.
Kate says
Thank you! I’m so glad that you liked them! =)