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We are OBSESSED with strawberry desserts, especially in the summer, and these strawberry shortcake bars are on repeat all season long! Let’s be honest, all YEAR long.
The super soft cake-like crust is the perfect base for the light cream cheese layer and the fresh, cold strawberries. These bars actually taste just like our classic Strawberry Shortcake but with less hassle! Simply mix and bake each layer and top with strawberries and Whipped Cream. It’s heavenly and easy enough for the kids to make!
Although the steps are super simple, be sure to plan ahead with time, because it does need to refrigerate for at least 3 hours! That makes it an IDEAL make-ahead dessert and a favorite chilled treat.
If you love the flavors in these shortcake bars, try these other shortcake-inspired desserts: Classic Strawberry Shortcake and Bisquick Strawberry Shortcake!
Why we think you’ll love it:
- A chilled treat. We love that this bar recipe is refrigerated, it makes a delicious warm-weather dessert!
- Just layer and bake. The steps are SUPER simple – mix and bake the batters, then top with fresh strawberries and Whipped Cream.
- Fresh strawberries. We love treats that incorporate fresh fruit – especially strawberries! It’s just so refreshing and delicious.
Strawberry Shortcake Bar Ingredients and Substitutions
Butter Vanilla Cake
- ½ cup butter, softened – see How to Soften Butter Quickly
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs – room temeprature
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour – see How to Measure Flour
- ¾ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract – or ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 1-pint strawberries – We prefect just using strawberries, but to mix it up you could try raspberries, blueberries, sliced bananas, or sliced kiwi.
Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ¼-½ cup powdered sugar – sifted
- 8 ounces cool whip – Thaw if frozen. We love using Cool Whip to keep it simple but you could also make our favorite Homemade Whipped Cream.
How to Make Strawberry Shortcake Bars
- PREP. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove the Cool Whip from the freezer to thaw. Hull and slice the strawberries and set aside.
- CAKE LAYER. In a large bowl, beat the 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.
- Pour batter evenly into a greased and floured 9×13-inch baking dish.
- BAKE. Bake for 18-20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Do not overbake, the cake should be flat and light in color. Let cool completely and set aside.
- CREAM CHEESE LAYER. In a large bowl, cream the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and thawed Cool Whip. Evenly spread cream cheese mixture over top of cooled cake. Top with sliced strawberries.
- CHILL. Refrigerate for 3 hours.
Kristyn’s Recipe Tips
- Let the cake cool completely before adding the frosting, we’ve made this mistake before and the frosting will melt right into the layers!
- Ripe strawberries are a vibrant, deep red color from stem to tip with a sweet aroma and will have the BEST flavor. We love to pick up fresh strawberries from farmer’s markets.
Strawberry Shortcake Bars
Ingredients
Butter Vanilla Cake
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 pint strawberries
Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ¼-½ cup powdered sugar
- 8 ounces cool whip, thawed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove the Cool Whip from the freezer to thaw. Hull and slice the strawberries and set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the 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.
- Pour batter evenly into a greased and floured 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Do not overbake, the cake should be flat and light in color. Let cool completely and set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and thawed Cool Whip. Evenly spread cream cheese mixture over top of cooled cake. Top with sliced strawberries.
- Refrigerate for 3 hours.
Video
Notes
- Using room temperature ingredients helps them incorporate more easily, resulting in a lighter cake.
- Ripe strawberries are a vibrant, deep red color from stem to tip with a sweet aroma and will have the BEST flavor. We love to pick up fresh strawberries from farmer’s markets.
- Let the cake cool completely before adding the frosting, we’ve made this mistake before and the frosting will melt right into the layers!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
The frosting and the cake can be made a day ahead of time and stored separately until you’re ready to assemble the cake.
Store leftovers, covered, in the fridge or divided into airtight containers. The bars will last for 2-3, but the strawberries will only last for 1-2 days. The frosted cake can be frozen without the strawberries for up to 3 months.
More Like This
Fruit Dessert Bars
Strawberry Desserts
Easy Strawberry Shortcake
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Strawberry Shortcake Trifle
10 mins
Classic Strawberry Shortcake
34 mins
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This recipe was originally published May 2017.
Recipe adapted from Divas Can Cook.
I love your recipes! Tasty and so easy. Looks like it takes hours, not minutes!
Can I put this on a 8×11 dish? Thanks
This cake is so good and refreshing. It’s my go to dessert for gatherings.
Simply delicious!! And easy to make!
This was such a simple and easy recipe to make and it was light and delicious. Everyone loved it and asked for the recipe. Will definitely make this again for family gatherings and for my family.
W.hat a marvelous improvement on the good old “fruit pizza!” However, this is vastly more elegant.
Can I use buttermilk instead of milk? Looks so good. Thanks sandy
This is my all time favorite to make in the summer! My family loves it and it goes fast!
I love to try this – looks refreshing to me.my family would love it.
I love, love, love anything with strawberries!!!
They are so refreshing to me in the summer!
These bars are perfect for summer events! I might even make them year round!!!
Thanks for a delicious dessert that makes my mouth water just making it!!!
This is what I have been looking for!! So simple!! Thank you
Making and taking this to a July 4th party. Will be adding some blueberries so it will be red, white and blue
Delicious, everyone raved about it. The only issue I had was it took my cake at least 45 minutes to bake, maybe longer. My oven seems to be fine cooking everything else so I don’t think that was the problem. No matter, it was really good and I will make it again! Thanks for a great recipe.
Everyone loved this!
Hi, Im making this a head of time and will assemble when ready to serve.
I made the frosting and refrigerated it. My question is I just made the cake does it need to be refirgerated?
Truly our favorite dessert around here!! We LOVE these strawberry shortcake bars!
Oh my heavens these were delightful! I needed a recipe to use strawberries that I had on hand and well… now I’m going to buy more so I can make this again. Haha!
These bars are the perfect summer treat. We made them with strawberries from our garden, but I think we will be making this dessert even after our harvest is done!
I have made this several times to bring to parties. Always a hit. I sub the Cool Whip out with sweetened real whipping cream. Very easy to make…just give yourself the time it takes to be ready for serving.
I’m so glad you enjoy the bars!! Thanks for sharing!
I am going to make this for our family reunion, will try ahead of time but sure looks delicious 😋
I hope you enjoy! Thanks for giving them a try!
How much cream do you whip? 1 cup? I prefer homemade whipped cream too!
Hi! If I wanted the cake part to be a little thicker, do you think 1.5x the recipe would work? Obviously it would need to cook longer! Thanks!
I haven’t ever tried that, but you could certainly give it a try. You’ll definitely want to increase the cooking time and check with a toothpick. Just making sure it doesn’t rise over the sides of the pan. You’ll have to let us know how it turns out if you 1.5x the recipe. 🙂
This is one of my go to dessert recipes for any occasion and anyone who tries it absolutely loves it!! Thank you so much for sharing!
Thankfully the nutrition information is not correct so I will try this recipe this summer. You can put all of the ingredients in an analyzer and it’s about 236 calories per serving, 1/12th of the finished dessert. 💕
Absolutely delicious
Thank you for saying that!
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.
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.
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!!
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.
These are beautiful bars! And, they taste amazing!
These are the perfect treat to bring to a party or shower. I love that you can add any kind of berry too!
My family loves these!!! They are so soft & pretty! We love the thickness of the frosting..no skimpy frosting there!
The perfect dessert for summertime. We love this strawberry shortcake. So taSty!
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!
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 🙂
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 🙂
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!
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.
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.
Hi,
Are the nutrition facts accurate????
That many calories? fat? carbs?
oh my!!!
I was wondering the same thing! If it is, no thank you!
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!
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?
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!!
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!!
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!
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!
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!
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.
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 🙂
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!
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!
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! 🙂
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!!
Made this for some ladies at church and was a big hit!
SO glad to hear that!! Thank you 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!!
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!
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!
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 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!
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 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!
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!