A soft vanilla cake-like crust perfectly combines with a light layer of whipped cream cheese frosting. Top it off with fresh strawberries for delicious strawberry shortcake bars!
If you love the flavors in these bars, try some more shortcake inspired desserts. Our favorites are this No Bake Strawberry Shortcake, Strawberry Shortcake Kabobs, and even this poke cake!
bar version of a favorite!
Is your family like us in that we never need an excuse to make dessert? 😉 It might be a little worrisome, but it’s pretty upsetting to the kids if there isn’t a dessert after dinner. And I’m not talking about OUR kids. I’m talking about my parents’ kids… The ADULTS!
These Strawberry Shortcake Bars have been a long-time favorite among the adults ever since we first tried it! The super soft cake like crust perfectly combines with a light layer of cream cheese and whipped cream, topped with fresh cold strawberries. It’s heavenly!
It tastes just like a classic strawberry shortcake, but with a little less hassle. Plus, it easily feeds a crowd since you just make one pan and cut it into bars!
How to Make Strawberry Shortcake Bars
This recipe has two parts: The cake base and the whipped cream cheese topping. Although the steps are super simple, make sure you plan ahead with time, because it does need to refrigerate for at least 3 hours!
CAKE BATTER. In a large bowl, beat together sugar and butter until creamy. Mix in eggs, baking powder and salt. Alternate between adding in the flour and milk, beating after each addition. Beat until all ingredients are combined. Stir in vanilla extract.
BAKE. Pour batter evenly into a greased and floured a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Be sure not to over bake. Cake should be flat and light in color. Let cool completely. Set aside.
CREAM CHEESE TOPPING. In a large bowl, cream together cream cheese, powdered sugar and frozen whipped topping.
ASSEMBLE. Evenly spread cream cheese mixture over top of cooled cake. Top with diced strawberries. Refrigerate for 3 hours.
Tips and Variations
Make ahead: The ingredients of the cookie bars can be made ahead 1-2 days ahead of time and stored separately until you’re ready to assemble the cake.
Leftovers: Cover and store the leftovers in the fridge. The bars will last for a few days, but the strawberries will only last for a day or two. You can easily pick off the old strawberries and top with freshly cut berries.
Change it up: Include different fruits such as raspberries, blueberries, sliced bananas, sliced kiwi…whatever you think will taste great.
If you’re a fruit lover, I’m certain you will LOVE this simple but perfectly sweet Shortcake Bar recipe. See for yourself!
for even more fruity treats, check out:
- Pineapple Upside Down Cake
- Lemon Sheet Cake
- Cherry Sugar Cookie Bars
- Blackberry Cobbler
- White Chocolate Blueberry Lasagna
Strawberry Shortcake Bars Recipe
A soft vanilla cake-like crust perfectly combines with a light layer of whipped cream cheese frosting. Top it off with fresh strawberries for delicious strawberry shortcake bars!
Ingredients
Butter Vanilla Cake
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 pint strawberries
Frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 1/4-1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 8 oz cool whip frozen
Instructions
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In a large bowl, beat together sugar and butter until creamy. Mix in eggs, baking powder and salt. Alternate between adding in the flour and milk, beating after each addition. Beat until all ingredients are combined. Stir in vanilla extract.
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Pour batter evenly into a greased and floured a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.
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Bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. We sure not to over bake. Cake should be flat and light in color. Let cool completely. Set aside.
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Dice up strawberries and set aside.
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In a large bowl, cream together cream cheese, powdered sugar and frozen whipped topping. Evenly spread cream cheese mixture over top of cooled cake. Top with diced strawberries.
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Refrigerate for 3 hours.
Recipe Video
Recipe adapted from Divas Can Cook.
Yum! You have some of the best recipes! I’m excited to try this one!
Thank you Holly!! These are delicious..I hope you like them!
I made these over the Memorial Day weekend to take to a barbecue and they were a huge hit! Easy and delicious and I will definitely make them again!
So happy to hear!!! Thanks so much for sharing!
I’m planning on making these this week for a party. Could I make the day before and just put the strawberries on the day of?
Yes, I would put the strawberries on last, as well as the cream layer. Unless, you can stick it in your fridge, since it has cream cheese and cool whip:) Hope they’re a hit!!
I made these for a party and they were a hit. I’m going to make it again for 4th of July at our camper and decorate it like a flag with blueberries and strawberries. 🙂 Great recipe. Thank you.
Good to hear 🙂 That sounds like a delicious and cute idea!! Thanks for letting me know!
This looks so good, but looks like there are lots more berries than a pint on top.
There might have been more. The recipe just calls for that, but may have added more for the picture 🙂 You can always add more or less! Thanks so much!
I have made this several (4-5) times since I discovered this recipe. It is wonderful and easy to make. My only comment is my cake takes longer than 20 minutes to bake every time I have made this by at least 10 minutes. It could just be my oven. I just moved and I am trying it in the oven that was already in the house.
So glad you like it!! Thanks for sharing and yes, it could just be your oven. They all vary in baking time. Thanks again!
Made this for dinner at our friends. Everyone had seconds! Thank you ❤️
I am so glad everyone liked it! Thank you for making it & sharing with your friends!
I have made this recipe several times. It has turned out perfect every time, and is always a huge hit! Highly recommend adding this to your recipe box!
I’m so glad!! Thank you so much for letting me know!
Could you use a jelly roll pan for this?
Sure you can 🙂 Hope you like them as much as we do!!
Made this for some ladies at church and was a big hit!
SO glad to hear that!! Thank you for letting me know!
Would like to make this,but wanted to ask. I have whipping cream to use up. Do you think real whipped cream would work in it?
Yes, it would! Hope you enjoy!!
I am not a fan of the traditional strawberry shortcake, but this recipe for the Strawberry Shortcake Bars was excellent. I followed the exact recipe. At our family Easter gathering it was a huge hit.
I’m glad you liked them! Thank you for letting me know!
Thanks for that information. So many want to change the recipe. Can’t wait to make it.
You are welcome! 🙂
Am I understanding correcty, the cool whip is not thawed but left frozen? I ask because this is the first time I’ve ever seen a recipe that called for frozen cool whip. Thank you.
You saw it correctly 🙂 Hope you like it! It’s pretty darn good!
Can you cut the recipe in half?
I haven’t, but I don’t see why not 🙂 Let me know how they come out, if you do that. Thanks so much!
You mention a pint of strawberries in the cake mix. Was that an error? Why would you put strawberries in the cake? The pictures dont look like you have added strawberries inside the actual cake just on the top.
It’s just for topping. Thank you for stopping by! Hope you’ll give these a try 🙂
Your video shows one cup of butter, but the written recipe says 1/2 cup. Which one is correct?
Thanks!
Sorry about that – my videographer must have been confused. It’s 1/2 cup butter. 😉
I used two sticks and less milk and it was yummy.
I want to make this for my daughters baby shower. Do you think it will turn out if I do everything the night before except for adding the strawberries? I would be refrigerating it overnight.
Yes, it should, as long as it’s in the fridge and waiting to add the strawberries. It will be a hit!
Made this today for 4th of July and can’t wait to try it! I do have a suggestion – I would change the recipe to have the cream cheese whipped first with the powdered sugar then add in the Cool Whip. If you just dump everything in and mix together as the recipe suggests, it comes out lumpy which isn’t very appetizing to look at. My cream cheese was at room temp too. Otherwise a great recipe!
Great recipe, the cake is neither too firm nor too soft, and it tastes so good.???? It’s the first time to try one of your recipes and definitely won’t be the last!
Awe, thank you so much!! I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you very much!
Your video shows 2 sticks of butter which equals 1 cup but your recipie reads 1/2 cup=1 stick. Which is it?
it is 1/2 cup 🙂 Enjoy!!
Just wondering why in thr video you use two sticks of butter, but the recipe says 1/2 a cup of butter?
It is 1/2 cup 🙂 Hope you like these, as much as I do!!
Is this really 484 carbs a piece?? How big of a piece? Want to take it somewhere where there are diabetics…not a good idea?
This is perfect dor those who arent fans of Juicy, creamy, super moist, sweet strawberry short Cake. If i were to make it again i would add heavy cream, poke cake style. I would add a wee bit of sugar to the berries to draw out the juices (and use at least two pints), and i would top it off with whipped cream-the real thing, of course.
Thanks for sharing! That seems great for next time!
Hi,
Are the nutrition facts accurate????
That many calories? fat? carbs?
oh my!!!
I tried to make the strawberry shortcake bars. it didn’t work well. the recipe says 1/2 cup of butter, but the video shows two sticks of butter. i believe had i used one cup of butter it may have worked. very angry that i wasted all the ingredients.
Made these for a Dinner with frieNds and they were so yummy. Unfortunately, we have abojt half of it leftover and while My husband and i would love to eat this every night, we probably shoudn’t. Have you ever tried freezing individual pieces?
Glad you both liked them!! No, I have not tried freezing them. Not sure how they’d turn out & with the frosting on them. They could last in the fridge for the week.
Just wonDEring…do you have to use flour and spray on pan? Can you use jusy the spray?
Thank you!
I probably don’t have to do both, I did, just to be safe 🙂 Spray should be ok!
Isn’t it suppose to be one stick of Butter? I’m confused. I added more powered sugar to the topping to make it thicker. Looks delicious.
In the cake part, it is 1 stick of butter, but for the frosting, it is cream cheese, cool whip, & powdered sugar 🙂
Quick question: do i use the cool whip frozen or bring to fridge temp overnight? I don’t use cool whip ofTen.
You can take it out as you start making the dessert 🙂
The only thing I did different is I took strawberries and chop them added sugar and people can put him on themselves
Good idea! I know not everyone wants them on top! Thank you!
The perfect dessert for summertime. We love this strawberry shortcake. So taSty!
My family loves these!!! They are so soft & pretty! We love the thickness of the frosting..no skimpy frosting there!
These are the perfect treat to bring to a party or shower. I love that you can add any kind of berry too!
These are beautiful bars! And, they taste amazing!
My daughter (13 yrs) loves baking and was able to make these for the family. They weRe delicious! The cake base was soft and paired well with the toppings.
I made this and OMG!! I didn’t know I was capable of making something so amazing. My kids and I demolished this!
LOL..of course, you are!! So happy you all liked it!!
if i make thEcake ahead of time, do i have to store it in the fridge?
When I make ahead, I don’t really assemble it (frost it or put strawberries on top), until I am ready to take somewhere or serve. If you do, then I would keep in the fridge.
Wondering how long to bake the shortbread if Im cutting the recipe in half, using a 9×9 square or pie pan?
It might be double the time, since they are way thicker. I personally have not tried, but just keep an eye on it.