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.)
These bars actually taste just like our classic Strawberry Shortcake, but with less hassle! They’re still fresh and fruity but have a butter cake base topped with a fluffy cream cheese and whipped topping mixture, then finished with juicy strawberries for the perfect chilled treat.
Although the steps are super simple, be sure to plan ahead with time, because it needs to be refrigerated 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, just 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
Butter Vanilla Cake
- Butter (½ cup, softened): Adds rich flavor and tender texture to the cake. See How to Soften Butter Quickly.
- Granulated sugar (1 cup): Sweetens the cake and helps create a light crumb.
- Eggs (2): Provides structure and moisture.
- Baking powder (1 teaspoon): Helps the cake rise.
- Salt (¼ teaspoon): Balances sweetness and enhances flavor.
- All-purpose flour (1½ cups): Forms the structure of the cake. See How to Measure Flour.
- Milk (¾ cup): Adds moisture and softness.
- Vanilla extract (1 teaspoon): Gives classic vanilla flavor. Or ½ teaspoon almond extract.
- Strawberries (1 pint): Adds fresh, juicy sweetness. We prefer just using strawberries, but to mix it up, you could tryraspberries, blueberries, sliced bananas, or sliced kiwi.
Frosting
- Cream cheese (8 ounces, softened): Creates a tangy, creamy frosting base.
- Powdered sugar (¼-½ cup): Sweetens the frosting.
- Cool Whip (8 ounces, thawed): Makes the topping light and fluffy. 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.
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!
- Slice strawberries evenly for a prettier topping. 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 a farmer’s market.
- Do not overbake the cake to keep it soft.
- Chill the bars for several hours for the best texture. This step is a MUST!
Strawberry Shortcake Bar Recipe
Video
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.
Notes
- Let the cake cool completely before adding the frosting. We’ve made this mistake before, and the frosting will melt right into the layers!
- Slice strawberries evenly for a prettier topping. 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 a farmers’ market.
- Do not overbake the cake to keep it soft.
- Chill the bars for several hours for the best texture. This step is a MUST!
- Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator.
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.
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Classic Strawberry Shortcake
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This recipe was originally published May 2017.
Recipe adapted from Divas Can Cook.
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! 🙂