Strawberry Shortcake In A Jar
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This Strawberry Shortcake In A Jar recipe is spring and summer approved. It’s a beautiful mason jar dessert that’s a fun twist on the classic strawberry shortcake and makes a great single serve treat. Layers of soft vanilla cake, juicy macerated strawberries, and fluffy cream cheese whipped cream are stacked into mason jars for the perfect handheld dessert.
They’re sweet, creamy, and packed with fresh strawberry flavor. Plus, serving them in jars makes them perfect for parties, picnics, and summer gatherings.
Why You’ll Love This Strawberry Shortcake in a Jar
- Individual servings perfect for parties
- Soft, homemade vanilla cake
- Light and fluffy whipped cream that’s stablized with cream cheese
- Easy to assemble and make ahead
Ingredients
See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for all ingredients and quantities.
Vegetable Oil – This adds moisture to the cake and helps keep it soft. You can use any neutral flavored oils such as canoli oil, peanut oil, and avocado oil.
Butter – You can use salted or unsalted butter. I used salted butter when making the recipe.
Cream Cheese – This gives the cake a tender crumb and a richness. It also adds a slight tang to the cake and the whipped cream.
Baking Powder – This is the leavening agent for the cake.
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Substitutions and Variations
- Use store-bought pound cake or angel food cake instead of homemade vanilla cake.
- Add blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries for a mixed berry shortcake.
- Swap the vanilla cake for lemon cake.
- Add crushed vanilla wafers between the layers for extra texture.
- Use thawed whipped topping instead of homemade cream cheese whipped cream.
NOTE: This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations
How to Make Strawberry Shortcakes in A Jar
Step 1: Bake the Cake
Beat the oil, butter, and cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar and mix until combined. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and egg mixture until the batter combes together. Spread the batter into a prepared 9×13 pan and bake at 350 degrees F for 28 to 32 minutes. Let cool completely.
Step 2: Prepare the Strawberries
Combine sliced strawberries and sugar in a bowl. Refrigerate until the cake is cooled so the berries release their juices.
Step 3: Make the Whipped Cream
Beat the cream cheese with a little heavy whipping cream until smooth. Add the remaining crema and powdered sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form.
How to Assemble Shortcakes In A Jar
- Cut your cake with a round cookie cutter. Then place a cake in the bottom of each jar.
- Top with strawberries and some of the juice.
- Pipe on the cream cheese whipped cream.
- Add a second layer of cake, and repeat strawberries and then whipped cream.
- Top with a fresh berry and mint and refrigerate till you are ready to serve.
Tips for the Best Results
- Let the cake cool completely before cutting out the circles.
- Use ripe strawberries for the best flavor.
- Chill the jars before serving for the best texture.
- Don’t skip macerating the strawberries. The syrup adds so much flavor!
How to Store and Freeze
These strawberry shortcakes can store in the fridge for 1-2 days as long as they’re covered. You will find the berries and juice can break down and sog up the cake a bit.
I like to wait to assemble my cakes in a jar until I am close to serving. That way it has the freshest quality.
I don’t recommend freezing the assembled strawberry shortcake jars due to the whipped cream and strawberries. However, the cake can be frozen for up to 2 months. You’ll want to wrap it well in two layers of plastic wrap and a layer of heavy-duty aluminum oil. Pop the cake in the freezer as it or in a freezer-bag for an additional layer of protection. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
Recipe FAQs
I used half pint jam jars for this recipe, but for a bigger dessert, you can use wide mouth pint jars instead! You’ll only get half of the amount of jars if using a bigger jar though.
Go right ahead and buy a plain white cake to use in replace of making your own. This is a great shortcut. Or you can also use a boxed cake mix you bake up, instead of homemade.
If you want a thicker strawberry glaze instead of just fresh berries you can do that. You can buy glaze or make your own strawberry glaze.
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Strawberry Shortcake In A Jar
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Ingredients
Cake
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup butter room temperature
- 5 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Strawberries
- 1 pound (about 2 3/4 cups) fresh strawberries sliced
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Whipped Cream
- 3 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream divided
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9×13 pan with nonstick baking spray. Line the pan with parchment paper. Leave some parchment paper as an overhang on the sides of the pan to easily remove the cake. I like to use binder clips to keep the parchment paper folder over the edges.
- Add the 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, 1/2 cup butter, and 5 ounces cream cheese to a large mixing bowl. Beat with a hand mixer on medium speed until incorporated. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Add in the 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar and beat until combined.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon baking powder.
- Add the 4 large eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract to a small bowl. Whisk together using a small whisk or fork until blended.
- Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Beat just until the flour is worked in.
- Add in half of the egg mixture and beat until the egg is just combined.
- Repeating adding another 1/3 of the dry ingredients and beating just until worked in.
- Add the remaining egg mixture and mix just until it’s worked into the batter. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Add the remaining flour. Beat just to get the flour worked into the batter. Scrape down the sides and give it one quick mix to make sure everything is incorporated. Be careful not to over-mix the cake batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Using an angled spatula, spread the cake batter to the edges.
- Place in the preheated oven and bake for 28 to 32 minutes until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean or with moist crumbs. If you see batter, pop the cake back in the oven and bake longer.
- Remove from the oven and let cool until it reaches room temperature.
Strawberries
- Add the 1 pound (about 2 3/4 cups) fresh strawberries and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar to a small bowl. Stir until the sugar has coated the strawberries.
- Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge until the cake is cooled completely.
Cream Cheese Whipped Cream
- Add the 3 ounces cream cheese and 1/4 cup of heavy whipping cream into a large mixing bowl. Beat until smooth and creamy.
- Add in another 1/4 cup of heavy whipping cream and beat until smooth.
- Add in the remaining 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream and 1/3 cup powdered sugar and beat on medium until stiff peaks form.
- Add the cream cheese whipped cream to a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 1M piping tip.
Assembling the Shortcakes
- Using a 1 1/4 inch round cookie cutter, cut out 12 to 14 cake circles out of the cooled cake.
- Place a cake in the bottom of 6 half pint jars or jam jars.
- Top each cake with strawberries and juice.
- Pipe a swirl of whipped cream on top of the strawberries.
- Add a second piece of cake and repeat the strawberries and swirl of whipped cream.
- Top with a fresh strawberry and a mint leaf.
- Cover and store in the refrigerator.
Notes
Nutrition
(Nutrition facts are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietitian for special diet advice.)